A Second Chance

Happy Saturday Everypawdy! I have officially been in my forever home now for 7 weeks and a tripawd for 3 months. I am quickly learning that I can do pretty much anything a dog with four legs can do (both good things and not-so-good things). People who meet me don’t always realize at first that I only have three legs. In fact, my family and I are finding out that it’s my missing toe on my front foot that is more of a hindrance than my missing leg because it was an important toe for balance and it is on the same side as my missing leg. Don’t worry…it doesn’t stop me from doing what I want to do!

Let me first start by telling you about the amazing benefit The Natural Pet Enrichment Center held for me on February 11th! My parents felt that since there were so many people that followed my story on the news, they wanted to give my “fans” an opportunity to meet me and see how well I am doing. I had such a great time! So many friends, family and beloved customers of the store came in to meet me and some of them even brought their fur friends! Chris and Mark McCoy, the store’s wonderful owners, and their staff advertised my benefit, organized a 50/50 raffle, raffled off some bags of cat and dog food and set out jars for monetary donations. Diane Weinmann, animal communicator and customer of the store generously donated her time to speak with fur friends and their families. She donated all of the proceeds to my cause, The Second Chance Fund which was set up by the Lorain County Animal Emergency Clinic where the injured me was cared for in November. The donations from the raffle and monetary donations were also added to the fund for a grand donation total of $823! This money will be used to treat the medical needs of stray animals who come into the clinic so they can be placed into rescue groups that will help them find furever homes. My foster mom Cindy and her husband Bruce also came to visit me at the benefit. Boy was I glad to show them the brand new me! My parents take me to The Natural Pet often because it is a great place for me to meet new friends and to work on my manners. I love everypawdy there so much…they are like family to me! If you want to see some pictures from my benefit (thank you Elsa!) and pictures of my visits to The Natural Pet, just visit the store’s Facebook page (just search by typing in The Natural Pet Enrichment Center) or watch my friend Dave Nethers’ news clip http://fox8.com/2017/02/11/chance-the-dog-gives-back-to-those-who-helped-save-him-from-bullet-trap-wounds/

Last week was a very big week for me because I started school! I am taking classes to be a Canine Good Citizen at Woof Wise Dog Training with Chris Lantzer. My parents went with me for a private lesson with Chris a week before school started last Tuesday. I had the opportunity to show Chris what I know before class started. She said I am smart enough to skip a beginner’s obedience class and go right to the Canine Good Citizen Class. I like to learn and my mom and dad practice my “homework” with me every single day (sometimes twice). Chris said there is a test I have to pass in March in order to be a Canine Good Citizen…I’m worried I won’t pass the test! In order to pass I have to learn how to focus on my parents, not get excited to meet new people and dog friends (and I LOVE to meet new friends), stay in one spot while my mom walks away and even be ok with a stranger when my mom or dad go out of sight! I have only been with my family for a few weeks so I am still learning that when they leave they ALWAYS come back and I get a little worried when I can’t see them. I cannot do everything the same way dogs with four legs do so we have to make some adjustments. I cannot walk in tight circles so when I “heel” I have to walk behind my handler and I get tired of sitting for long periods of time so I do most everything lying down. The most challenging obstacle for me right now is walking on a leash. I have a bad habit…I pull on the leash but I can’t help it! I get so excited whenever I think I am going somewhere! I am not very graceful when I walk and my gait is slightly different than most tripawds thanks to that dang missing toe. We are taking baby steps with the leash walking. I try my best but sometimes my nose gets carried away and takes me to places faster than my mom likes. My mom says that I cannot go to school with her until I pass the test so now I know how much pressure her students must feel about passing tests! My teacher Chris says I do a pretty good job in class and she thinks I have a lot of potential as a therapy dog. She made me feel better by saying that very few dogs pass the test the first time (there is only 4 weeks of school before the test) but I can take the class a second time to perfect my skills and then retake the test. I like to think of myself as an “A+” student so I will work really hard to pass the test the first time.

 

 

I’ve also learned some lessons at home. First, I’ve learned that my parents ALWAYS come back to get me, wherever I am. Sometimes my mom takes Lucy and Eugene and me to my grandma and grandpa’s house to hang out with the “Golden Girls” for the day and my dad drops me off for my water therapy once a week. I hate when they leave me but I am so excited when they return and we ALWAYS come back home at the end of the day. I’ve also learned that the cats are the boss…I am not allowed to chase them and they must have the right of way at all times. They put me in my place when I get too close or act too crazy but if I am calm and quiet, they will let me get close to them. Bodie and I love our daily brushes in the mud room (he goes first of course). Last night I learned that thunderstorms are nothing to be scared of (even though Eugene thinks so) and the one lesson in the house I have to learn is that the basement is NOT as scary as it looks. I go upstairs to the bedroom just fine but the basement stairs still creep me out).

As always I’ve included some photos from this week:

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time!
Hugs and kisses!

Love,
Chance

 

Happy Sunday everypawdy! I sure enjoyed the snow this week but I am sad that it has disappeared. I love to run in the snow but I do not like to bounce around in the backyard in the mud. My mom and dad think I am pretty smart because I seem to know my limits with three legs. I start school (for dogs) next week and am so excited! I have been practicing my manners around the house and my mom says that I’m doing a good job. I know enough already to go ahead and skip the beginner class and start the class to become a Canine Good Citizen. There’s a really hard test at the end of that class that I have to pass in order to get certified and this is the first step in becoming a therapy dog. I’m a little nervous about the test. What if I don’t pass? Mom says it will be ok…I can take the class again and I can take the test again but we will work really hard so maybe I can pass the first time.

My mom says the theme for this week is acceptance. I have been in my furever home now for about four weeks. My fur siblings have learned to accept me and I have learned to accept some things as well. For instance, I have accepted the fact that I only have three legs now and I can’t play fetch with furbrother Eugene. Instead, I need to lay down when I play with him and although I run on my own, I don’t play fetch. I have also accepted the fact that fursister Lucy is the boss: I must mind my big feet around her and try to not get into her way or else she lets me know. Lucy likes to use me as a pillow and I like when she lays with me. My job will always be to protect my buddies. The cats? Well, I’ve had to accept some things about them too. They have learned that I won’t chase them and I’ve accepted the fact that they don’t like me sticking my big black nose in their faces. Lilly swats me on my big black nose and makes a nasty face at me when I get too close so I’ve learned just to keep my distance and let them approach me. They confuse me because they look identical and one lets me get closer than the other one. I spent my first full day at my grandma and grandpa’s with my golden cousins (Gabby the therapy dog and Riley) and although I was scared to go up the steps, I had a good time with my cousins. We get along great!

We had a lot of visitors come to our house last weekend. They brought yummy food and cake and I thought they were all here to see me but my mom said they were here to celebrate her birthday. It was the first time I had so many people in my house and I loved every minute of it! I am not used to people coming to the front door but I’ve learned that as long as someone lets them in, it’s ok. I’ve realized that my mom and dad sometimes leave but always come back and that even though they take me out of the house, we always return to the house. They are my family and this is my forever home now so I must bark to protect it. I have a big loud bark so I’m going to use it to keep my family safe!

My parents keep telling me of all the nice things strangers have done for them to help me. I go to swim therapy once a week and a nice lady donated some therapy sessions to help me out and someone else donated some boots for me to wear. Next week The Natural Pet Enrichment Center is throwing me a party so I can meet people who have been following my story. We are going to try to raise some money for the Lorain County Animal Emergency Center to help other furfriends in need get better and find loving homes. I hope to see everypawdy there!

I like when my mom tells me the story of how I got here. She saw me on the news looking so sad and hurt. She knew I would only have three legs but wanted me anyways because she knew there was something special about me. My parents love and accept me for who I am and my mom says my imperfections make me even more special. She said I remind her of some of her students who may be a little “ruff” around the edges. She said her job as a teacher is to look beyond their imperfections to see who those kids truly are and who they could become. She says even though I am not there yet, she sees beyond my imperfections and sees that I could be an amazing therapy dog who will make people smile and look beyond their own hardships and imperfections. Even though we all go through “ruff” patches in life, things can and will get better if we work hard and my mom thinks I’m a great example of that. We don’t want people to feel bad for me: My life with four legs wasn’t very good but life on three legs is amazing!

Until next time…hugs and kisses 🙂
Love,
Chance

Lucy and Eugene are pretty close but I think they’ve accepted me as their big “little” brother!Lucy thinks I make a good pillowMy golden cousin Gabby and I lounging aroundLilly makes sure I keep my distanceBodie has realized I won’t chase him

Happy Saturday everypawdy! Chance here and boy have I had a busy week! I have so much to fill everyone in on! My mom and dad tell me I better get used to going places and meeting new people because I will be doing quite a bit of it once I become I therapy dog.

First, let me tell you about my first field trip last Saturday.  My parents packed me up in the car and took me to a wonderful place called The Natural Pet Enrichment Center which is a great place to buy yummy treats and supplements that will keep me happy and healthy.  The owners, Mark and Chris, and their staff have been really helpful in my homecoming and have provided my parents with so much love and support.  Mark and Chris lost their tripawd named Bing not too long ago and they lovingly gave me his harness to wear.  I feel so honored to wear it! It’s as if Bing is wrapping his angel wings around me everywhere I go! Since so many people have been following my story and I can’t visit too many places just yet, Mark and Chris have so kindly offered to host a meet and greet event at their store in February! I’m so excited to meet everyone! I’m hoping that maybe we can collect some donations for the Lorain County Animal Emergency Clinic so that the kind people who saved me can use the money to help save another fur friend in need.

After our visit at The Natural Pet, I went to meet my new cousins at my grandparents’ house. My cousin Gabby is a therapy dog and my mom says she has a lot to teach me. She occasionally goes to school to listen to kids read. Gabby told me that some kids don’t feel comfortable reading and don’t like to practice their reading. She says sometimes they are embarrassed that they don’t read well and that my job will be to help them feel more comfortable with their reading. Gabby says school is so fun: everyone is so happy when she goes to school. I can’t wait! I already love making people happy! I’d like to go to school Monday but my mom says I have to go to a school for dogs to learn how to be a therapy dog. She thinks that I could make an extra special connection with kids because missing a leg makes me unique and different but in a good way and that my differences don’t keep me from reaching my goals. I hope I can be just as good as Gabby someday!

I had two vet appointments on Monday. I was so brave! I have gained a few pounds but still have a few more to go. Dr. Dresser said I looked amazing and she was impressed with my good behavior. I got a shot with some kind of chip in it that my mom says will identify me if I ever got lost. I was lost once so I know how that goes. I don’t ever want to be lost again! After seeing Dr. Dresser I met Dr. Rachael at Twinsburg Veterinary Hospital & Pet Lodge. She examined me and said I was a good candidate for rehab on an underwater treadmill. She said it would help me to build up the strength and muscle missing from my back end. There were four dogs in the waiting room and they were all shaking and crying. I was cool as a cucumber and told them they had nothing to worry about. In my two months of living at the clinic in Lorain I learned that the nice people that work in clinics are there to help you and not hurt you.

My dad took me back to see Dr. Rachael yesterday and I got to go in the water for the first time! It was strange walking in the water but I didn’t have to walk fast and really liked it. Dr. Rachael said I did an awesome job and my dad stayed with me the whole time. He said I get to go back next week! I can’t wait! After swimming I got to go to the office with my dad. I met my uncles and a bunch of other really nice people. I feel a bit like a celebrity since so many people said they knew me before actually meeting me. The office is a great place for me to go because the floors are all carpeted. I feel a little badly because I did have one little “accident” but I really couldn’t help it. Visiting makes me thirsty which means I drink lots of water and well, you know what that means. I hope that doesn’t mean my dad won’t take me back there. I enjoyed hanging out with my dad. My mom was the one who hoped and prayed for me but we are both thankful that he fully embraced the idea too.

Until next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everypawdy!  My name is Chance and I have quite literally been given a second Chance at life.  You see, my life almost ended back in November.  I am only about two years old so the world is still pretty new to me.  Somehow I found myself outside in the cold, wet weather.  No one knows how long I was wandering on my own but somehow I got into a bit of trouble.  I had a gunshot wound to my back leg and my front paw was caught in a metal coyote trap.  I was wet, cold, infested with fleas and hungry….so hungry.  I was lucky enough to find help when I wandered into a man’s backyard.  He called for help and I found myself in the care of the nice people at the Lorain County Animal Emergency Center.

I was a mess!  My back leg where I had been shot was horribly infected…I could not use it at all.  My front paw that got stuck in the trap was swollen and hurt so badly!   The vet at the clinic knew my back leg was a goner (I wasn’t sure what he meant by that) and he wasn’t sure about my front paw.  He said something about watching to see if blood would return to my toes.  On top if all that I was hungry…still so hungry.  My body was bony and I was really weak from not eating.  Through everything, I felt like the people at the clinic cared and wanted to help me.  I like people and they seemed so nice…I stopped worrying about making sense of what had happened to me and let them try to fix me up.

Fast forward about a week.  I woke up one day and had no pain in my back leg!  In fact, I had no back leg at all! I also had a funny feeling in my front foot but that was different too: the toe that hurt so badly was gone too! I thought these people were amazing! Not only did they take away my pain but they continued to bring me food! I loved them and they loved me.  My true personality started to shine and regardless of what happened to me before, I knew from this point on that people would take care of me and life would be good.

A nice lady named Cindy came to pick me up one day.  She’s a lady who came to visit me often and worked with me on lots of things.  She told me that 80 families were interested in adopting me.  Wow…80 families! I felt so special and apparently a lot of other people thought I was too! Cindy and I visited the homes of a few families to see which one was best for me.  I was so well behaved and really enjoyed my time with Cindy.  I have made lots of friends since becoming a tripawd but she is my favorite!

Last week Cindy took me back to the clinic.  I was so happy to see all my friends again! Cindy gave me a bath and made me look so handsome.  Then these people walked in.  Everyone was happy and talking and crying at the same time….I was a little confused.  There was also a guy that kept following me with a big black camera and I had to sit and take pictures with the new people.  Before I knew it they loaded me into a car and we were driving.  I was scared and a little sad.  The car I was in was not Cindy’s car and she was not driving.  I watched the clinic disappear out of sight as we drove away.

When the car finally stopped the new people took me into the house.  It was a house I had been to before with Cindy but she was nowhere to be found.  I looked everywhere for her and got scared.  The new people were nice and understanding.  They introduced me to two little dog friends and gave me treats and a comfy bed to sleep in.  The nest morning I found bones to chew on and so many toys to play with! I didn’t know what to do with these things at first but I quickly figured it out.

I have now been in my new home for a week.  I have been such a good boy and I am moving around on three legs better and better with each day.  I have four fur friends to live with: Gene and Lucy (the little dogs) and Lilly and Bodie (cats).  The cats are afraid of me because I am still so clumsy on my three legs but we are learning to be friends.  My new mom and dad are really nice and they love me so much.  My mom says I will be a therapy dog someday and will be able to go to school with her to help kids with their reading.  That sounds so exciting! My friend Cindy always told me that so many people gave me the help I needed that I should have the “chance” to help others.  I will keep everyone posted on my new life as a tripawd therapy dog.