Chance Shelter: Don’t let our furry friends get left behind

When Gladys was in the hospital after a sudden heart attack, her biggest concern wasn’t about her recovery — she knew she was in good hands. Instead, she agonized over what would happen to Scooter, her 5-year-old Corgi, who hadn’t been away from her side since she adopted him as a puppy.

As soon as the anesthesia wore off after the operation, Gladys frantically asked the nurses what had happened to Scooter. She was told that the fire department had contacted Chance Shelter, an organization available 24 hours a day and dedicated to handling situations just like hers.

A Chance representative safely transported Scooter in a cage-equipped van to their state-of-the-art, no-kill facility, where Scooter was cared for by dedicated volunteers who acted as surrogate parents until Gladys was back home and able to care for her furry family member.

For the peace of mind she received after learning about where Scooter was, Gladys said she would have happily paid whatever the cost was — but the cost was nothing.

Gladys (and Scooter) don’t exist, but hundreds of stories like theirs represent the kind of work performed by Chance volunteers since 2015. The nonprofit, founded by Audra Colson to meet the needs of animals, their owners and the community of Surprise (and surrounding communities), has never had an actual building dedicated to serving their clients.

Instead, volunteers care for the animals in need in their own homes. While it can and has worked in these emergency cases, the state-of-the-art facility described in Gladys’ illustrative anecdote is what the organization — and the community — truly needs. The land has already been donated and now the funds are being raised to make the $3.5 million dream a reality.

Chance Shelter’s next fundraising effort to make its dreams a reality will be a nighttime glow-ball putting event on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at the Desert Springs Golf Course in Sun City Grand. For tickets, go to www.chanceshelter.org or call Bob Cornfield (925) 998-1813

Some people are lucky enough to have the safety net of a large family or group of friends who can step in and immediately care for beloved pets when their owner is suddenly unavailable to do so. For everyone else, there are the people at Chance Shelter.

Editor's note: Scott Cornfield wrote this article for Chance Shelter. Learn more at: chanceshelter.org.