This Puppy Was Fighting for His Life — Now He’s Smiling Again and Waiting for His Forever Home
It was a regular September day when the team at The Animal Pad, a dog rescue in San Diego, received an urgent call from a local emergency veterinary clinic. A 7-month-old German shepherd puppy had been brought in with a suspected dog bite, but something about his condition didn’t sit right with the vet.
His face was extremely swollen, and blood tests revealed something far more serious — the pup was battling chronic health conditions rarely seen in dogs so young. To make matters worse, his original family decided they couldn’t care for him and surrendered him on the spot.
That’s when The Animal Pad stepped in.
As soon as Lauren, the rescue’s director, saw the bloated, suffering pup, she dropped everything to get him the help he needed. They named him Chance — because that’s exactly what he deserved: a second chance.
Despite the obvious pain he was in, Chance had a gentle spark in his eyes and a sweetness that shone through. “You could tell he was special,” the rescue team wrote. “His first year on this planet shouldn’t have been filled with so much struggle, and now he was literally fighting for his life.”
The team ran every test they could while stabilizing him. Eventually, they discovered the root of his facial swelling: a serious abscess. It would need to be drained through surgery. The procedure was delicate and slow, but ultimately successful — and as the swelling reduced, the real Chance began to emerge.
“He looks like a brand-new dog,” the team shared on Facebook.
But his recovery journey wasn’t over. Though the abscess had been treated, Chance’s bloodwork continued to raise concerns. He was dangerously underweight and still battling signs of long-term illness. But thanks to around-the-clock care, nutritious food, and plenty of love, Chance slowly began to regain his strength.
Over the past few months, Chance has been thriving in a foster home, where he’s been playing with other dogs and showering his foster family with affection. His transformation has been nothing short of miraculous.
“Chance is the sweetest!” said Erica Fiore, The Animal Pad’s marketing director. “We’ve loved seeing him grow stronger and finally enjoy being a puppy.”
Chance is still on a medical hold as his health is closely monitored, but his day will come soon — the day when he finds his forever family and begins a brand-new life.
Until then, the team at The Animal Pad continues to cheer him on, proud to be part of his story — the story of a pup who never gave up, and who finally got the second chance he was waiting for.