We’re All About Second Chances

Most dogs won’t take a 1,000-mile road trip once in their life, let alone twice. Chance’s journey has been epic – worth every mile traveled!

In April 2023, a pair of 2-month-old brindle puppies arrived at Rancho Coastal Humane Society from San Antonio, TX. That’s a 1,275-mile trip! We took a chance on two puppies we’d never met, but our partnership with Petco made this rescue mission a must! We named the boy Chance and the girl Ace. At first, they were both shy, slow to settle in to the shelter routine.

Lots of potential adopters met this adorable duo. Ace’s personality attracted her forever family within weeks. With his sister gone, Chance withdrew further. He needed a place where he could learn to trust humans, a lesson often best taught by other pets. RCHS Foster Volunteer, Genny Breon, brought Chance home to meet her pets, including RCHS alum, Nina. We had confidence in Genny because she had already transformed Nina from a shy girl into a confident companion. It was Nina’s turn to help another dog become his best self!

While Ace, renamed Nala, was settling in with her new family, Chance was thriving in foster care. During this time, Genny’s family was planning a move to Washington State. Tearfully, they returned Chance to RCHS so a new family could find him. More than 1,000 miles north, the Breon family settled into their new home, but something was missing. They needed something to fill the void: they needed Chance!

Our Animal Care and Adoption Team kicked into overdrive, setting up a road trip with expenses covered by a generous donor. Days later, Chance was on the move again. Michele and Keegan met at the shelter at 4:00 am, loaded Chance into an SUV and headed north. They stopped every few hours to stretch and find a spot for Chance to stretch his legs. After an overnight stay in Redding, they loaded up for another 4:00 am departure. Their final destination: Everett, Washington.

When Genny met him, Chance appeared a bit confused. It was an exhausting trip, and he wasn’t quite sure about this familiar face in a new place. Chance was shown the back yard where he met Nina and his other pals. It didn’t take long for Chance to figure it out. He was home … for good!