Young entrepreneur follows passion for animals

Dogs have it made when they come home with Riley Steward, a 12-year-old who runs a successful dog-sitting business called Riley 2 the Rescue.

Riley, a seventh-grader at Charleston Collegiate School, lives near the Stono River on Johns Island. Dogs and children can run around in a big backyard under shady oak trees, splash around in the pool in the yard or jump off the dock into the river.

Riley says she loves all animals. She's been volunteering at the Sun Dog Cat Moon vet clinic on Johns Island since she was 9. She also helps out for free at a goat dairy farm and at the Charleston Area Therapeutic Riding barn.

The family has its own dogs, as well as a cat, mouse, rat, rabbit, turtle, several frogs and a bunch of chickens. But horses are Riley's passion. Dozens of ribbons from horse shows hang on a wall of her bedroom, along with photographs of her competing.

Paying for those horse shows is what made her look for a way to make money. Her mother, Lisa Steward, told her she would pay for the weekly riding lessons, but Riley would have to pay for the shows.

Riley noticed that a lot of clients at the vet clinic needed somebody to watch their dogs for a few days. So she started Riley 2 the Rescue.

The business has expanded to include pet grooming, house-sitting and cleaning, car washing and selling baked goods. Riley's mother drives her to appointments and calls it quality time with her daughter. Riley said she learned to bake from her mother and from culinary classes at Trident Technical College.

Besides paying for the shows, Riley also has saved several hundred dollars toward buying herself a truck. She also sings in a praise band on Wednesday nights and helps coach her younger sister's soccer team.

Riley's 7-year-old sister, Ducky, is following her example. Ducky got interested in chickens after helping Riley collect eggs for a customer. She started raising her own chickens and selling the eggs to parents at the school for $3 a dozen. She calls her enterprise Just Ducky Fresh Eggs. She started off with nine chicks and added another 27 last week.

Ducky, a first-grader, says she doesn't care for horses; she'd rather play sports. She's not shy, and there's no sign she feels overshadowed by her older sister's success. Her mother laughed at the thought.

"I don't think so," Steward said. "She's such a strong personality. I think Riley might feel overshadowed by her sometimes."

Riley says that despite her busy schedule, she finds plenty of time to relax, especially with horses and swimming.

"I think I have time to do fun things," she said. "I have time to come home and relax and get ready for my activities."

Her website, Riley2the Rescue.com, displays the Bible verse "All things are possible with God" from Mark 10:27.

"This whole business and website would not be possible without God," she said. "This is so amazing for me, and I know I can't do it without God."

"She does play enough, trust me," Steward said. "What she doesn't do is watch television. She doesn't play video games."

Steward points out that Riley's business grew from her volunteer work.

"There are so many opportunities out there to volunteer, it's easy to find something that is their specific passion," Steward said. "It shouldn't be like a chore; it should be something they're very interested in.

"What you're trying to key into with these kids is what their passion is, what they will do with their life that's going to make them happy, productive, creative people."

"I support them in their jobs because I don't want them to grow up being entitled, spoiled little brats," Steward said. "There's too much of that in this society."Reach Dave Munday at 937-5553.