AUSTIN — It didn't take long for Mark Reynolds to figure out that the dachshund-pug-chihuahua mix he adopted from the Austin Animal Center and Texas Sweeties Dog Rescue was one bright pup.
"She's a pretty smart dog," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said Ripley learned all the normal dog tricks pretty quickly. Sit, stay, stand.
That's when they moved on to puzzles.
"So, it's a daily ritual. Either she's building a puzzle, or we're building one with her," Reynolds said.
They started doing puzzles five years ago, and they're still going strong.
"She'll even actually build her own puzzles. It sounds a little crazy, but she shoves balls way down deep in couch cushions to the point where we've had to cut the fabric out of the bottom to get it out because she'll never give up trying to retrieve a fetched ball," Reynolds said.
Ripley even has her own Facebook page where she garners thousands of likes and followers.
Reynolds has helped many with their own adventures in puzzle-making.
"That's become the more interesting part about Ripley is how much she's sort-of inspired other people to engage with their pets and learn with them, and it's a big teamwork thing."
Last summer, Ripley even got her own pet, Newt.
He doesn't have a knack for puzzle-solving, but he seems to fit in.
"He follows her everywhere. Ripley treats him like a second-class citizen. She loves him, but absolutely she's the boss," Reynolds said.
Now, Reynolds hopes the boss's talents will earn her the title of Facebook's "Most Amazing Dog."
The prize is $100,000, all of which Reynolds promises to donate to local nonprofits like the Austin Animal Center.
Groups that helped his dogs before he gave them a home..and, of course, puzzles.
If you want to vote for Ripley, you can click here. You have until December 27.