22-032 Chance  was found out in the desert in the middle of nowhere south of the prison in Florence. The finder, who works at the prison, was going home “the back way” when she spotted this big, handsome boy on the side of the road. The dog wasn’t microchipped, nor was he wearing a license tag. She took him home, but her resident dogs did not accept him, and after the required 7 days of due diligence to find the owner without success, she called  AGR . Intake called the AGR President to let her know we needed to take in this stray. At the time, an  AGR  member was visiting Deb’s. When she told him about the dog, he offered to go get him and took him home to foster. He got along fine with the two resident Goldens, and the family named him  Chance . He was not in great shape. He was quite overweight, had some skin issues, some yucky teeth, was not neutered, and we guessed he had a thyroid problem. In addition, the member and his wife had noticed that  Chance  was limping . They looked at his foot and found an unusual growth on the underside of one of his nails, which led us to think it might be a nailbed melanoma. Turns out it was not cancer, just a massive infection, but while Chance was under anesthesia for the neuter, the vet amputated the toe just to be safe. The vet did the full-spectrum exam, all vaccines and all tests we normally do at intake of a dog that we have to assume has had nothing. A thyroid test was also done, which indicated that  Chance  needs to be on thyroid supplement medication . He was also started on the green bean diet right away . The adopters related: 

Welcoming  Chance  in our home has been quite the adventure, more  for him than for us. After finding out a little bit about his past and  being found in the desert, we were happy to have him in our home  and give him the life he deserves. The first few months this poor  guy spent his time here in a “cone of shame” due to an infection in his toe. Once all was said and done and the cone wasn’t a part of his daily life, his true personality started to blossom. He’s become a great playmate to our two other Goldens. They wrestle, chase and have taught each other so much. At times he’s more indepen-  dent and chooses to do his own thing, but he fits perfectly into our  pack. Most importantly, he’s become quite the cuddle bug.

The adopter said the whole family, including their other two Goldens, loves him to pieces.  Chance  has certainly been given a second chance at a great life with a family that adores him. Never again will he  have to fend for himself out in the desert.