Quick Facts:
- Breed: Border Collie mix
- Gender: Male, neutered
- Age: 7 years old
- Size: 65 pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes! After careful introductions! See info below!
- Cats? Yes!
- Kids? Yes! Love them!
Hi! My name is Chance and I am the most loving and cuddly dog you’ll ever meet!!
History
I adopted Chance came from a high kill shelter in the south in 2017, and since then we have been pretty inseparable. We enjoy exploring new trails and swimming almost every day in the summers! Chance would often go spend weekends at my parent’s lake house with their dog and they would play in the yard and swim/chase after sticks in the water for hours! In recent years I have begun to travel more and more, leaving Chance with family, which has become hard for Chance and my family. Chance loves to love and be loved and wants to be with a human who can be by his side as much as possible.
Personality
Hi I’m Chance! I’ll likely respond to any name you call me in an exciting voice, like Moo Moo, Monkey, or Mushkins for example. My favorite thing in the whole world is to cuddle with my humans! And let me tell you…boy I really love humans! Big and small, I love them all!! If you’ll let me I will lay in your arms and rest peacefully for hours!
I also love going for walks! I have been on several big Catskill hikes where I was able to keep up with everyone I went with! Afterward, I snoozed in my friends’ lap the whole drive home! Going swimming might be my favorite though! I love to run as fast as I can and dive off docks to get a stick you throw! If you’ll let me, I’ll play in the water all day long! But if you are having a bad day, or you’re sick, I will happily cuddle you until you feel better, take as long as you need! And I will give you a hundred kisses to make you feel better!
When humans aren’t home I get free range of the house. I tend to wait patiently for their return on the bed I sleep with the humans in at night, or on the couch. I never chew on any human stuff and have never had an accident in the house! Once The humans get back I like to go right outside to go potty, but I get so excited to be outside that I can forget that I have to go potty and need my humans to remind me by saying “go potty/go pee-pee/go poopy” and I’ll usually find a place to go once reminded! After my potty my humans give me my “good boy potty treat” in the house so ill run right to wherever you keep the treats and wait patiently.
I love to play with other dogs! I used to go to the dog park a lot but over the years I have grown a bit nervous of dogs I don’t know, so we don’t do that anymore. I need to be introduced to other pups slowly, one at a time please, but after the first 1-3 meetings they are my bestest friend ever! I currently don’t have any dog friends in the area and miss having one so badly that I even try to entice the goats that live next door to play with me, haha!
Why I’m Looking for a New Home
My mom has been my best friend for 5 and a half years now. Though we do most things together she has been traveling more and more. That’s okay because I get to go stay with her family who I love and sometimes even get to play with my cousin Cooper (her parents Rhodesian Ridgeback), but the time has come for my mom to travel full-time and because she will be in new places all the time, and there will be different dogs around there all the time, it’s a terrible match for me. I like routine very much…I like getting to know dogs and then having stable friendships with them, and though I love going on adventures with you, I like my home routine to be pretty stable. I am adaptable, but I don’t want to have to adapt to new circumstances, locations, and new dogs every day, that would stress me out too much. This has been by far the hardest decision my mom has ever made and words can’t describe the heartbreak it has caused her. Even my cuddles and kisses haven’t cheered her up. But mom wants to make sure that I am happy, loved, secure, and safe beyond all else, which means helping me find my absolute forever home with my new people whose life situations are more settled and stable.
Cohabitation
Chance LOVES all humans. His favorite thing in the whole wide world (he has a lot of those) is to give humans kisses and make them laugh. When he sees my godson, he runs as fast as he can and gives him a million licks.
Chance has lived in a home with dogs and cats (was great with both) but the last 3 years it has been just him in the house with a doggy friend next door. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR APPLICANTS TO KNOW ABOUT DOG-DOG ISSUES IS THE FOLLOWING: Once Chance has had an opportunity to meet and get to know another dog slowly, several times, he becomes their absolute best friend in the whole world. He LOVES other dogs once he knows them. But he desperately needs time and several careful introductions (his current mom can teach you how to do this!) in order to feel safe with a new dog, and without this, he panics/gets overwhelmed, and defaults to “the best way to protect myself is to be very scary and aggressive!” Which is not safe for other dogs or their humans. Thus, Chance needs a home with a family who will not put him into situations with unknown dogs, who will do thoughtful and careful intros with new dogs, and also who will dedicate time to continuing his positive training. Currently, for everyone’s safety, Chance wears a muzzle when out for leashed walks where he may run into other dogs that he doesn’t know. Once Chance carefully has multiple intros though, he will stick by another dog’s side and be a truly great buddy to them!
Chance especially loves children. He got to spend the winter living with 2 young children (ages 2 and 4), and had the time of his life. He knows his strength and will play gently with the kids whenever they’re ready. Plus he loves all the food they drop at dinner time!
Favorite Activities
- Chance loves to swim. We have several locations that I take him to in the summer where he gets to run as fast as he can off a dock and dive in the water after a stick!
- He enjoys going on walkies but not fast walks. He likes to take leisurely walks and sniff as he goes.
- He likes tug-o-war! Every night he will choose one of his stuffed animal “babies” to bring over to me so I will play tug with him.
- He is the BIGGEST cuddle bug you will likely ever meet. He wins “best cuddler ever” among dogs!
Medical
Chance is a very healthy pup, is up to date on vaccines and wears a Seresto collar.
Chance had Lyme disease in 2018, but is A-OK now though it affected his kidneys slightly. For that reason, he gets special prescription “healthy kidney” food. It works really well for him—it’s protective for his kidneys but also works great for his sensitive tummy. He’s the kind of dog who might get the runs if you give him new foods (even boiled chicken which is so mild!).
Summary
Chance is the best pupper. He is so sweet and friendly and funny and loving and cuddly. He loves walks and adventures with his person and meeting new people. He needs a loving, cuddly, fun, joyful person or people to share the rest of his life with. He needs a person who will make sure to let him meet new dogs slowly, so he feels safe, and who will not put him into situations that will scare him like going to the dog park. He wants someone to throw sticks and take him swimming in the summers and snuggle on the couch and in bed with him all year round. He will make you smile all the time, you will be amazed at what an amazing soul he has!
If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca, Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers.