13/11/2019
Friday, 5:00 pm, February 1st, a Friday: Hello, Ms. Stephenson? This is Officer Penny with the Burleson County Animal Control. We have your dog.
We all cringe at the sound of those words. But this one was something. I asked, âOfficer Penny, where is Burleson County Animal Control?â Well, Ms. Stephenson, itâs in Burleson Texas ! My reply: âOfficer Penny, I live in Florida, I havenât been to Burleson Texas that I know of.â Officer Penney goes on: Ms. Stephenson, here is the thing, we have an Australian Shepherd, named Riot, and he has a microchip in him that is registered to you, according to the AKC !
I had to think about that one. Officer Penny, can you tell me about him? Riot is a twelve year old, black tri male. She says he is a nice, well-mannered dog. She goes on to tell me that since I am in Florida, they will hold him the prerequisite five days, and add an extra two for me. We had the conversation that someone in Texas is missing their beloved dog. Since it was 5:00 pm, we ended the call with me looking up records, and calling her back on Monday.
Ok. Twelve years ago. A glimmer comes back to me. I pulled records, and found that the lady that I sold this dog two was a friend, and I knew that she had died about five years ago. Over the weekend, we tried to find out who her husband had dispersed the dogs to, but he didnât know. Monday, I followed up with my call to Officer Penney. We agreed that we would wait the five days to see if Riots family came to claim him. What a long week.
Friday, 4:30 pm, February 8th, that call came in. I was a little more prepared for Officer Penney. We seemed like friends at this point. In the five days that I waited, I worked on a pipeline of Aussie friends that would be able to get him home, just in case. It was by a miracle, a dear friend lived near Burleson. She told me that she was going to a show, and she would be able to meet another friend, Corey Lambert, who was coming to Florida!
The shelter opened at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Pamela Bryant-Meeks was sitting in the parking lot at 10:45 a.m., ticking the minutes down on Facebook for the entire world to see. By this point of time, Riot was now famous! Thousands of âlikesâ on Facebook!
I kept staring at my telephone. Holding my breath. At 11:10 a.m., the telephone rang; Officer Penney was on the line. She wanted to make sure that it was okay for my friend to take Riot. Joyously, I cried into the telephone, âoh yes Maâam!!â She took down all the pertinent information. As an afterthought, Officer Penney says, âsince he has a registered owner, we wonât require you to neuter himâŚ.but get his rabies shots!!â Yes Maâam!!
A picture arrived by text of Riot in my Pam's truckâŚ.hallelujah!
So you see, Riot, was a grandson of my favorite dog of all time, CH Sunsweptâs Motion Approved. I only got one litter by him, and since a decade has worn on, we had only one litter, and only one litter from that. Riot was that litter, over twelve years ago. Our puppies are like seeds in the wind, loved by many.
February 14th, Riot arrived in Lakeland Florida. He was tired, and seemed sad, but I called his name, and did the âwhoopeeâ puppy sound, he perked right up! He knew someone!!
Riot came to our home, acted like he lived here all his life, and sat at my feet. He followed me everywhere.
Luckily, his papers were still in my name with AKC, and even though it mattered, it didnât at that time. I was just glad to get one of mine back. That is what being a breeder is all about; taking back our puppies not matter what.
Being so grateful to have a family, Riot fit in and didnât cause any problems. Why would someone give up this dog? He was really well behaved. I kept waiting for a sign. No, he WAS a good dog. No phone calls ever came. I ran advertisements on Craigslist and Facebook in surrounding areas of Texas. My Texas friends kept an eye out. Nothing.
So being the active club member I am, a fun match was coming up put on by a sister club. I was informing members of our club the age requirements and all the festivities that the club was having. And in there on the page: Semen Collection. So, I made a call. One last opening for first thing in the morning before the match. We will take it.
March 3rd, at the Brevard Kennel Club B Match, we arrived. Curly Coated Retriever puppies and the token Australian Shepherd. Riot was feeling special, having a full groom, and combed and trimmed to perfection. He hopped up in the trailer and met Dr. McDaniel. Telling her Riots story, Dr. McDaniel tried to keep me from getting my hopes up, but it was worth a try.
Riot had an audience waiting for his report. My tears of joy were the tell-all! Three sticks-80% motility. My Rugbyâs line isnât the end. And Riot, he will be a proud Dad someday.
Could the fairy tale end?
Brevard Kennel Club was offering a Veterans class. Mr. Riot, being the perfect gentleman on the leash, trotted around the ring like he had done it all his life. Breed class was fun, and there are treats involved. Group was fun too! More treats! Riot was truly enjoying this day. Best in Veteran in Match was called. Mr. Riot trotted around the ring, and now he has got the hang of this. One additional class was called: Best Over All in Match. Junior Puppy, Senior Puppy, Adult, and Veteran were called to the ring.
I was just proud to be there. All I kept thinking about was the luck of a little piece of electronic gadgetry. And that microchip? 13 years ago, this was new technology. Our kennel club had participated in a program, and I had purchased a pack of chips. Everything I owned got one. A silly thing, the size of the grain of rice. I would not even have the chance of trotting this wonderful old man around the ring, if it wasnât for that gadget. At an animal shelter, what was the chance for a 12 year old dog? That grain of rice saved him too.
Around the ring we go, and I am his biggest cheerleader. The judge walks to his book. I kiss Riot on his forehead, and thank him for being such a good boy and giving me another chance for a piece of Rugby, and the companionship of a grand old man. The judge walks up to us, and presents us with Best Over All in Match. Itâs the Prettiest Pink and Green ribbon that I will ever own. It might as well have been that elaborate ribbon that is presented at the AKC Nationals.
To this day, I think about the choice that I made as a Breeder, to microchip all of my puppies. Microchips came out in 1996. Back then, it wasnât the norm, it was something that we, as club members, were promoting to dog owners. And because of that choice, not only did I save an older dog from the shelter but brought him home to have a comfortable life. He wasnât just a seed in the wind.
On a final note, what is Riotâs registered name?
Sunsweptâs Mission Approved
Also known as Microchip #093895588
