The Dog No One Wanted: Chance's Rescue Story

Sometimes a single moment changes the course of two lives.

On a Thursday in May 2017, whilst I was living in the Middle East, an eight week old puppy was thrown from a moving car and left helpless at the side of the road. By chance, a friend of mine happened to drive past just moments later.  She called me as soon as she had found him, and we agreed to go halves on the vet bill to get him checked out. Unfortunately, he had a very badly smashed up hip and leg, and the vet said that there was nothing left of the joint to repair, and that the only option for him was to have the leg amputated.

Eight week old puppy in my friend’s car on his way to the vet.

We decided that as we both already had animals, we would try and see if anyone would adopt this 8 week old puppy.  We knew that it would be difficult because the summer months were just beginning and most people left the Middle East for the entire summer, also someone would have had to be willing to take on a dog that was only going to have three legs, and pay for that surgery which would be very expensive. 

After exhausting all the avenues that we had available to us, no one would take him on. The vet said that the kindest thing then would be to euthanise him, because otherwise he would have the surgery and spend the rest of his life in kennels at a rescue centre. 

I couldn’t walk away.

In the end. I decided that I would pay for the surgery, and adopt him.  I knew that it wouldn’t be easy as I already had two other dogs, and 5 cats that had been rescued, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him or the worst alternative. 

And so the puppy had the surgery on the Saturday, and came home to his new home with me on the Monday, and so his healing began.

Chance after his amputation. His first day in his new home.

At that time we didn’t even know what breed he was, and because he was so tiny, we assumed he would be a small dog. How wrong we were.

Chance, as we named him, was an Anatolian Shepherd! Despite his size, he made me laugh every day. He had a mischievous streak, loved to surprise people by hiding behind trees or doorways before jumping out, and had a wonderfully expressive face that always seemed to be smiling. He was fiercely protective of the people he loved, yet incredibly gentle with those he trusted.

Chance laughing at his own jokes

In 2020, it was finally time to bring all of my 10 rescued animals home to England, (I had rescued another two just before leaving - but that’s another story).

Because Chance's early experiences had left him deeply wary of strangers, I knew the journey needed to be planned carefully. Rather than risk a direct flight into London, I chose a route through Amsterdam, where I felt he would be handled with greater understanding. From there we travelled by van across Europe to Southampton. It was exhausting, but every difficult mile was worth it to bring them safely home. 

Once he settled in the UK, he absolutely thrived on the green open spaces, and the more temperate weather.

Chance grew up to be a really funny (he howled at me if I scolded him, and insisted on sharing my morning toast for breakfast), loving, fierce, quirky, guardian dog. He was devoted from the beginning, and barely left my side. I was equally devoted to him, and was so grateful that he came to live with me.

Chance howling

Remarkably, he got on brilliantly with the other animals, even though people said that because he was an Anatolian Shepherd, he wouldn’t. I rescued more animals after him, and although we had to be very careful about how they were introduced, he always ended up accepting them, and loving them. 

Chance and Oreo, one of the rescued kittens

He was also a very sensitive dog, and when my Mother came to live with me for a year, when she was dying of cancer, it was one of the few times that he did in fact leave my side, as he used to sit quietly by her. He asked for nothing. He simply stayed with her, day after day, and I know how much comfort that brought her during those final months.

Sometimes the animals we rescue become the ones who rescue us.

Chance sitting by my Mum when she was sick with cancer.

When Cassie my 12.5 year old German Shepherd died from cancer, and Casper died 8 days later age 9 years, from cancer also in 2024, Chance took it really badly and became so quiet and sad. He stopped wanting to do the same things, and I was worried about him. Eventually he settled into a different type of routine, a quieter one, but I could tell that he still missed the other dogs.  

Cassie and Casper lying in the front, with Chance and Lucky playing behind

In 2025 Apollo, our Field Golden Retriever arrived, and it completely transformed Chance again. He got a new zest for life, and they played and wrestled all of the time, and Chance became like a young dog again.  Because Apollo was so placid and loving, Chance never felt at all threatened by him, and so they became good friends and inseparable.

Watching Chance and Apollo together brought me enormous peace. After losing Cassie and Casper, seeing him happy again felt like a gift I hadn't expected, and helped to heal my own heartbreak at their loss. At nine years old, he had rediscovered his joy, and I truly believed we still had years ahead of us.

None of us knows how much time we are given with the animals we love. We only know that every ordinary day, every walk, every shared piece of toast and every quiet moment beside them becomes part of a life that one day we will treasure.

Chance the 9 year old, three-legged Anatolian Shepherd Dog, and Apollo, the 1 year old, Field Working Golden Retriever playing in the garden