An Extraordinary Arkansas Dog Tale
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: March 25, 2012
"He was going to be the next in line to be a hunting dog."
The last time Peter Farmer saw his chocolate lab Rivers he was just a puppy.
At five months he was snatched from Farmer's backyard in Fayetteville.
"I came home and the gate was wide open, someone had unhooked the latch and he was gone."
For weeks they searched, but eventually gave up hope.
"Three years later, I got a phone call from Canada."
"He said, "Rivers" has been found. I went, "You're kidding.""
It turns out Rivers, re-named Buddy, belonged to a couple in Oregon who'd innocently adopted him through an acquaintance.
They lost him on a visit to Calgary, Canada where the boundless boy was turned over to animal services.
"We brought him in here and scanned him and sure enough, it had a microchip, which bounced to an address in Arkansas."
Rivers' current caretakers agreed, it was time for him to head home.
Tuesday Rivers will hop aboard a plane bound for Arkansas, into the waiting arms of his first family.
Now a seasoned traveler across two countries and two thousand miles, first things first.
"(We'll) teach him to talk so he can tell us what's happened in the last three and a half years of his life."
But while we may never know his whole journey, the Farmers say home is where he'll stay.
"We're excited, we're ready for him to come home!"
The last time Peter Farmer saw his chocolate lab Rivers he was just a puppy.
At five months he was snatched from Farmer's backyard in Fayetteville.
"I came home and the gate was wide open, someone had unhooked the latch and he was gone."
For weeks they searched, but eventually gave up hope.
"Three years later, I got a phone call from Canada."
"He said, "Rivers" has been found. I went, "You're kidding.""
It turns out Rivers, re-named Buddy, belonged to a couple in Oregon who'd innocently adopted him through an acquaintance.
They lost him on a visit to Calgary, Canada where the boundless boy was turned over to animal services.
"We brought him in here and scanned him and sure enough, it had a microchip, which bounced to an address in Arkansas."
Rivers' current caretakers agreed, it was time for him to head home.
Tuesday Rivers will hop aboard a plane bound for Arkansas, into the waiting arms of his first family.
Now a seasoned traveler across two countries and two thousand miles, first things first.
"(We'll) teach him to talk so he can tell us what's happened in the last three and a half years of his life."
But while we may never know his whole journey, the Farmers say home is where he'll stay.
"We're excited, we're ready for him to come home!"
