Abused and Abandoned, But Chance is Finally Home

image_pdfimage_print
Michael Silvia
by Michael Silvia

This is a sad story that has a happy ending. Let’s start with the sad part.

Last month a German Shepherd mix was dumped in the south end of New Bedford near Willard Street. I called him Arrow (he would later be named Chance) because of his speed in getting away from anyone that gets near him – even those trying to feed and rescue him!

Some thoughtful south end residents did their best to leave food and water for Arrow, and even spend hours of their time trying to find him. A caring woman named Susan DaSilva Amorim alerted New Bedford Guide about Arrow and the adventure to catch him began on Facebook.

On November 19th, I posted on our Facebook page the details of a ‘Lost German Shepherd’ and that Susan was doing her best to care for the dog and she tried to get a photo for us, but Arrow was not fond of cameras.

Quickly reports started coming in and Brittany Oliveira provided more details on Arrow.

According to Brittany, Arrow was dropped off on East Rodney French near the bottom of Aquidneck. A blonde haired women dropped Arrow off, tied to a chain and rope. According to an eye-witness, the lady ran back to a green Honda Civic and took off. Brittany stated that Arrow has been out there wandering since the previous Thursday. On Sunday she spent four hours trying to find him in the rain with no luck. Reports from residents stated that Arrow returned to the beach everyday, likely trying to find his previous owner.

Another fantastic lady, Cathy Correia Oliveira, confirmed Brittany’s story and stated that many of the south end residents did their best to care for this dog.

new-bedford-dog-animal-control-chance

New Bedford Animal Control was notified and Animal Control Office Manny Maciel sprung into action. He set a cage trap with food at 3:45 pm and Arrow was caught by 6pm. Arrow was taken to an animal emergency room in Swansea where they removed the chain and treated the infection. The chain had dug into the flesh and because it was so tight the skin fused with the metal chain and became infected. Arrow then returned to animal control where Manny cared for the dog until he was healthy enough to make his way to the Forever PAWS Animal Shelter in Fall River.

Over night Arrow became the darling of the media. Stories about him appeared in newspapers and on the evening news. It was clear that Arrow may have been abused and dumped by his owner, but the New Bedford community cared for this dog and he would eventually find a loving home.

Now on to the happy ending!

chance-dog-new-bedford
Chance being spoiled by his new mom Andrea Hancock Meneses.

Fast forward to today. I was contacted by the new owner, Andrea Hancock Meneses who adopted the dog and named him Chance.

Chance has finally come home today! He was the dog that was abandoned in New Bedford by the beach. He had the metal collar embedded in his neck. You would think he’s been part of our family forever. He has been running around playing with my daughter and my other dog Zeus (German shepherd). He’s doing absolutely amazing!! He’s such a sweet, well behaved dog! (I’m hoping he’ll show Zeus a thing or two. Lol) I’m happy he’s home in time to enjoy a real Christmas with a real family!

After picking up Chance Andrea treated him to a day at a local pet store:

We went to Melissa’s Pet Depot today where we bought him a nice leather collar with his name and new address engraved in it. And he also got to pick out his own bed!  happy holidays!

About Michael Silvia

Served 20 years in the United States Air Force. Owner of New Bedford Guide.

Check Also

Massachusetts State Police seize 4.5 kilos of cocaine, arrest 52-year old, in early morning raid

“A joint investigation earlier today resulted in the seizure of more than four kilograms of …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Translate »