Originally named "Squirt," Ripley was recruited from Sioux City Animal Adoption & Rescue Center in Iowa, back in 2013.
His boundless energy and toy-obsessive personality -- the very behaviors that probably landed him in the shelter in the first place -- caught the eye of a recruiter, seeking dogs that could have rewarding careers as working dogs.
That recruiter, Kellee Matthews of the South Dakota Canine Center, sent word back to SDF: "This boy is all go, go, go, all the time."
She then went through a full evaluation with Ripley and he passed every test with ease.