Chance & Chelsea

In September 2007 I put my beloved 10 year old Dal to sleep because of an aggressive cancer in his lymph system. I was fortunate enough to realize that I could give back to him all of the love he had given me by making the last days of his life comfortable. Pete will always belong in my heart, and I knew I would always love Dals because of him.

In November that year, I was starting to really miss his spots. I decided that although I didn't think I was quite ready to adopt a Dal, I could foster one. So I got online and found Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado. I sent in my application, took pictures and talked with Beth about the layout of my house for fostering. She said to me that there weren't a lot of calls about Dals needing a foster home or adoption in Durango and my part of Colorado. But she would let me know.

Well, within the first two weeks she contacted me about four different dogs, three of which did not come through. The fourth was a lucky boy named Chance that was at the shelter on the Flagstaff side of the Grand Canyon. Lots of people come and go in that area, and he was lucky enough to have been brought to the shelter. While at the shelter, he tore his ACL while running and playing. A wonderful worker there arranged to have surgery for this tear at the Best Friends Sanctuary in Kanab, UT with the help of a generous sponsor. He laid on the concrete floor for months, and was not adopted. He was scheduled to be euthanized unless a home could be found. The same worker that had gotten his surgery scheduled called Dalmatian Rescue of Colorado in desperation. I was contacted and made arrangements to pick him up in a little town in the Navajo Reservation called Tees Nos Pos. I adopted him within three weeks. He is such a happy, easy going, well-mannered dog I couldn't imagine why anyone would leave him behind. He has been such a blessing and such a good friend.

A couple months passed, and I fostered another dog named Penny who found her was eventually to a family in Grand Junction. She was a real sweetheart, and she and Chance loved to play. After Penny left, I started thinking about finding him a buddy. I was willing to foster another dog as long as it wasn't a fence jumper (I have a four foot fence around my property) and was good with cats.

Beth called me in May 2008 asking if I would be at all interested in fostering or adopting a deaf 14 year old Dalmatian named Chelsea. After finding out more of her story, I said yes. Chelsea's family had been going through some hard financial times, and needed to find a home for her. They would pass through Durango on their way to a new home. They brought her directly out to my house, and spent some time saying goodbye to her. It was an emotional goodbye for them, and for the next two weeks a real difficult time for Chelsea.

Those first two weeks she moped and wouldn't eat. I knew she'd do better once she learned more about her new world, but she would not get off of her bed without a struggle. She never bit, but would snap at me. She's also completely deaf, has a thyroid issue which causes weight gain, and not so good at seeing. I can't imagine how frightened she was. She was also obese. I could not see her elbow or her hocks, and when we did start moving around, she couldn't make it up any stairs. After she was feeling more comfortable, I started taking her on daily walks with me and Chance.

We walk daily now, and she even dances around at the front door if I haven't taken them with me. She's lost 20 pounds since she's been with me and I can see a waist starting! She's also stopped licking the hotspot on her leg, and loves Chance and my kitties. In the morning she dances and swings around me. She'll grab her stuffed animal and shake it roughly, then drops it to give me a big panting smile. She'll do this a couple times before breakfast, and then it's out for our morning poop stroll. At night she follows me up the stairs to her bed which is right next to mine. She'll watch me intently as I get ready for bed. Then she gets a snuggle and a kiss and a thank you from me for coming around.

I am forever grateful for Dalmatian Rescue's work to save animals and for bringing such wonderful pets into my life.

Julie Frank
Durango, CO

Julie & Chance strike a quick pose

Back to Happy Beginnings