Why are titles always so much easier than whats on your mind? Hmm. When I had a job as a Vet Tech I found SuperChance. Or he found me. We needed each other, that much was obvious. I will never forget that day. A woman from out of Somewhere in the middle of Nowhere, N.M. walked into our little animal clinic in Bernalillo, N.M. and asked if we could help her bring in the dog she and some neighbors spent about a month trying to catch. I immediately jumped to attention, ready for just a little action. It was December 29th , 2008 and we were VERY slow at work. So, I helped her carry in this horrible looking metal cage, seriously, it looked like something out of Hannibal. And the only evidence of a dog I could see was a brownish-reddish furball curled up tightly toward the back of thecage. This woman and I gently set the cage down in an exam room and I shut the door to see if we could coax the creature out of hiding.
The woman explained that she and her neighbors ( there were like 12 neighbors in this little town) had noticed the dog at night creeping toward their respective houses seemingly searching for food. They all began putting out a little food and water to make sure he would stay alive. The downside of their generosity was, Coyotes love any kind of food and it's o so easy for them to eat food already provided or eat food ( GASP--- the DOGGY?!) eating the food they provided. At this point, the neighbors decided to call animal control who provided said cage for the townspeople to catch the dog in, not as easy as it might have seemed.
As it happened, our little clinic was the first stop on the road to civilization. Animal Control gave her our number and she called and requested help. And now, here we were, about to open the cage door and see what awaited us. I had the woman stand over in the corner farthest from the cage as a precaution for fear of the unknown. After all, this could be a wild savage animal that would jump from the cage and maul us both to a bloody, nasty death. Or not. The ball of hair sat up, shaking horribly and I met his eyes. I didn't know it until about an hour later, but I was madly in love with this down and out little creature who had been so beaten down by life. I digress. Out receptionist brought me in a couple of cans of food and some tongue depressors. The villager woman had to go and I assured her we would take care of the animal and I would call her later to let her know how things went. She was relieved to have played her part in Chance's story. She and her neighbors actually saved his life. After she left, I sat down on the floor across from the cage directly in his vision. I put some of the food on a depressor and held it as a peace offering. He really wanted it but was very unsure. So, I waited. Lucky for me, as previously noted, business was dead that day except for me and Chance.
Chance crept a little closer to the open door. I saw that he was an adorable long haired terrier. ( I had always wanted a terrier...) I held the food steady. He ventured a lick. And then another and another. After an hour and a half of sitting patiently, Chance was rewarding me. Eventually, he let me pet him and he finally seemed to relax in my presence. The vet that day was my friend, Dr Adena Robertson. The girls up front had let her know what was going on. She peeked her head in the door and I motioned her in. Chance stuck like glue to me but allowed us to take him to the back to examine him. He observed me with very worried, weary eyes but allowed me to hold him while we ran some testing. First a Heart worm test. Negative. Then full blood work , normal. He let us vaccinate him use Frontline for flea and tick prevention. He was exhausted. And he was limping severely. We set him up a bed in the back and I made sure he was comfortable and happy while I tried not to name him. Dr Melloy always said if you name them you bring them home. I had already named him. Chance. When Dr M got to work I asked him to look him over for me. He stood across the exam table from me and said quite seriously, " M.C., you can't keep him, he's half coyote" and my heart clenched and my face fell and I heard the doc laughing. I looked up to see his quick smile and hear him say, " you are so gullible. Does your husband know your bringing a dog home?" And that was pretty much that. We determined Chance to be about 10 months. We took x-rays of his leg which revealed three bullets in his right leg. The doc determined that we should stay away from surgery and just use pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds and see how he does.
I took Chance home on New Years Eve. Our dog Layla, and all the cats, after a day of integrating him, all took him in with open arms. My husband always jokes that Layla is His dog because she's sleek and beautiful and perfect ( to him). He says Chance is gruff and scruffy and out of control. Nah, I tell him, Chance just needs a little work like me! Chance is SO MY dog.
I call him Superchance because he made it against all odds to my side. Chance didn't know the meaning of life while he was wandering around in the wild; staying alive on sand and pebbles. Dodging bullets ( not so well) , and hiding out from coyotes. He didn't know what the meaning of his life was. He just knew he kept going and stayed alive. And then he found me. I was the direction his life was meant to take. I saved Chance ( with the help of the others involved). But Chance is saving me. Life is hard. I am 36 years old and have no idea what the meaning of my life is or even where I'm meant to go now. Sometimes, I can't breathe with all the overwhelming issues life has been throwing at me. But every morning, I wake up and Chance is there. And I remember that he had no clue and look what he stumbled into. I have no clue and maybe that's just where I am now. Today. Let's see what I might stumble into....
