|
|
|
One of North Texas Samoyed Rescue, Inc.'s most heartwarming success stories is that of Chance. His miraculous story of survival and success was chronicled by Larry Powell in The Dallas Morning News. Here is his remarkable story of survival. The articles are reproduced here with permission.
Pets and their people: The FitzGeralds Friday, June 18, 2004 By LARRY POWELL The Dallas Morning News Reprinted with permission
He lives on a 13-acre spread in Duncanville with his people, Colleen and Jim FitzGerald. Jim, 62, is a retired hospital administrator and Colleen, 49, is a fifth-and sixth-grade teacher at Merrywood School. She and her mom, Peggy Ogden, own the school. It's on the family property. When 2-1/2-year-old Chance arrived on July 30, 2003, he weighed 40 pounds rather than the 70 to 75 he should have weighed. "He'd been so matted and so filthy that he had to be shaved. He was literally skin and bones," says Colleen. "And he was so terrified that he crawled to me the first two weeks that I had him. He couldn't eat out of a bowl. He didn't know how. He would have starved to death. And his ears and eyes were infected and his skin had staph infections." Though he sounds like a dog found wandering the streets, Chance had been a breeder's dog. For some reason, the breeder had isolated him in a dirt run for two years and allowed his condition to deteriorate. The breeder took the Sammy to a vet and told him to "kill" the dog. Colleen says the savvy vet talked the breeder into giving him the dog, and he called a national Samoyed rescue group. That group called Lynn Sluder in Dallas, with the rescue arm of North Texas Samoyed Fanciers (E-mail sluderl@aol.com or call 214-350-1953). Lynn sent Chance to Jim and Colleen, who says, "I have to admit that when we saw him, this is the dog that brings you to tears." Rescue tracked the dog's pedigree to a Seattle breeder. That breeder, alarmed at what had happened, talked the Arkansas breeder into giving up the dog's papers. Chance, now a 60-pounder, is jointly owned by two guys from Seattle and by Jim and Colleen. On paper he's shared property, but, in real life, he's a family dog. "He became our mission," Colleen says. He's now been "rehabilitated enough physically and emotionally to show him for the first time." Chance will make his AKC debut at the Longview Kennel Club Show July 24-25. (Go to www.longviewkennelclub.org) He'll be going into the show ring almost a year to the day that he was taken in to be put down. Colleen says she's seen Chance go from "absolute terror to a dog that is extremely happy, well-adjusted and ready to show." Then she laughs and adds, "If they'll let me take his green tennis ball into the ring, we'll be in good shape." Part of the credit for Chance's transformation goes to Andrew Kreis, a 13-year-old DeSoto Boy Scout and sixth-grader at Merrywood. He was working on his Dog Care merit badge. Colleen said, "Boy, do I have a dog for you." The Scout took on the task of socializing Chance. He played with the dog "like a kid plays with a dog," she says. As a result of demonstrating responsibility, Colleen says Andrew soon will get his own dog. Chance shares his home with a changing cast of rescued Sammies and some cats. Moose is a 9-year-old, green-eyed black cat that weighs 28 pounds. Margaret, 11, is a 5-pound gray tabby. And there are two 13-year-old red tabbies, Neiman and Marcus, so named because Jim thinks Colleen really loves shopping. When it came to naming their first Samoyed, who'd simply shown up one day years ago, Colleen says she figured "two can play at that game." She named the dog after a legendary Dallas hardware store. The late, beloved Sammy's name was Elliott. Why do you have the pets you have? Colleen says Samoyeds won her because they're "delightful to live with and fun. They're clowns. They're very, very smart and excellent with children." How did you come up with your pets' names? While some names reflect Colleen's love of shopping, she always tries "to name my pets with people names." Chance, of course, represents his "second chance." When is your special time together? "We spend a lot of time with Chance one-on-one in the evenings," Colleen says. "He just really needs that. Chance has a 3-year-old body but kind of has a 10-month-old brain. He didn't get to be a puppy." What are your pets' favorite treats? Chance has a genuine food preference. He loves blueberry Pop Tarts. "But he likes butter on it," says Colleen. "He won't eat it if it has margarine on it." Do your pets have quirks? "Chance cannot deal with bubbles in the bath water. He thinks they're the most exciting, thrilling things that he's ever laid his eyes on." No matter who's in the bubble bath, Chance is jumping in with them. Where to your pets sleep? They have their own crates, and sometimes you'll find dog and cats sleeping together. Do your friends/family members like your pets? "Omigosh, yes," she says. "They'd better, or I'll just mark them right off the list." Do you kiss your pets on the lips? She confesses that she "wouldn't think of not kissing them on the lips...Absolutely. I don't give it a second thought."
UPDATE!!! See Larry Powell's follow-up article below SURVIVORS AND HEROES By LARRY POWELL/The Dallas Morning News Reprinted with permission Triumph by Chance: It's OK to howl with delight at this. In June, I wrote a "Pets and Their People" feature on Chance the Samoyed and Colleen and Jim FitzGerald of Duncanville. You may recall that a Little Rock, Ark., breeder told a vet, basically, "Kill this worthless dog." But the vet got the emaciated, ailing dog into North Texas Samoyed Rescue. Colleen, family and friends rejuvenated Chance's beauty and grace. On July 24, a year after facing death, Chance entered his first AKC ring at the Longview Kennel Club Show. Colleen trotted him around the ring. The judge studied this adorable fellow, his luxurious coat and great form and, in a moment of show-ring drama, nodded at him. The once-doomed dog won in his first try! Officially, he won the "Best of Winners" judging on both Saturday and Sunday, Colleen says. So how was the first show? "I enjoyed the judge's nod the most," says Colleen. "And Chance enjoyed the hotel bed the most...A friend of mine said she could have made a fortune selling Kleenex at ringside. I needed the most...He is truly my heart and soul."
And Chance Gets Yet Another Mention... In a recent entry to Larry Powell's blog (readlarrypowell.com), Chance's miracle story was once again recalled in the course of Larry's description of further rescue miracles performed by our own Colleen FitzGerald!
Just look at the difference! The picture on the left is Chance on the day he came from Arkansas into North Texas Samoyed Rescue, Inc.'s care. The picture on the right is Chance today. This is why we do what we do!!!
|
|
Send mail to
ntsri@netzero.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
A
year ago, a veterinarian in Arkansas was confronted with a challenge. As vets
so often do, this one sided with decency. Thus, Chance the Samoyed, once a sad
sight, is headed for the show ring.
