A severely abused puppy stumbled into the right backyard on Christmas day. The poor dog had his muzzle taped shut and both of his back hips broken, but somehow he managed to crawl to find help.
“Friends and I were celebrating Christmas when a stray dog came into the back yard,” wrote a poster on reddit. “His mouth was taped shut and infected.”
The Good Samaritans named him “Chance” because of the way they found them. “My SO’s [significant other’s] mom left the gate open because she couldn’t figure out how to close it. It was so random, by chance. It’s why we thought the name was so appropriate.”
Photo credit: Guardians of the Green Mile
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They rushed Chance to an emergency animal hospital in Michigan City, Indiana, and that’s when Sherri Christopher of Guardians of The Green Mile received a call from the vet asking if she would take responsibility for the dog, as he was going to have large medical bills. She immediately said “yes”.
Photo credit: Guardians of the Green Mile
The puppy is around 4 months old and got “Christmas” added to his name…Chance Christmas.
Photo credit: Guardians of the Green Mile
Based on the infection and necrotic tissue in his mouth, Chance probably had the electrical cord wrapped around his mouth for several days and his broken bones are consistent with someone having violently stomped on him.
Photo credit: Guardians of the Green Mile
“Despite his injuries and abuse, this is a happy, grateful dog that constantly wags its tail and is eating well,” Guardians of the Green Mile writes on Facebook.
Photo credit: Guardians of the Green Mile
Chance is currently hospitalized and has had one surgery. He will have further surgeries to repair his fractured bones and skin grafts to repair his mouth, but he is expected to make a full recovery.
If you would like to help support Chance Christmas and other rescues of GOTGM you can visit the rescue’s website and fundraising page.
Update:
Chance’s alleged abuser, Richard Cope was charged with several counts of animal cruelty in January of 2016. He was later arrested in Texas by U.S. marshals and sent back to LaPorte County to stand trial. Cope has a lengthy criminal record.
Photo credit: Guardians of the Green Mile
Chance has undergone several successful operations and physiotherapy since his rescue, but he will be “prone to soreness” his entire life and will need special care. Fortunately, he’s found a home with a family who has previously adopted from GOTGM!
Update June 2017:
Cope’s court case is over and he received 4 years behind bars and must pay several thousands of dollars towards Chance’s medical bills.
During the lengthy trial, Guardians of the Green Mile and their supporters went to court every month in support of Chance Christmas and wrote, “Thank you to all the people that came out every single month. RAIN, SNOW. WIND you showed up and your voices were heard. We were the Voice for Chance Christmas, We could have never gotten this far without all of the Village Behind Us.”
They said that Chance Christmas has been formally adopted and is happy. “Chance Christmas has a mommy and a daddy and best of all he has a human sister that is almost his exact age,” they wrote. “They are best of friends and never are very far from one another.”
Share Chance’s story with your friends and family.
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