MPAC’s Chance: A senior dog with a big heart and a tough past

MARSHALL, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) — November is Senior Dog Month, and the Marshall Pet Adoption Center (MPAC) has multiple dogs that fall into that category.

Chance was brought in from the area around East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) and immediately made an impression.

All information points to him being a stray, but he is more well-behaved than normal when that is the case.

MPAC manager Justin Serna said, “It’s hard to know his backstory because most stray dogs who are unowned, they’re not this well socialized or friendly. So that leads us to believe that he could have had an owner.”

If Chance did have an owner, they never came forward to claim him.

At around ten years old, Chance has some health issues, including arthritis.

His most prominent health issue is permanent nerve damage in his face that has caused muscle atrophy.

It is not something that bothers him or slows him down. It is not something you will notice from a distance, but when you see him up close, you notice some muscles on the left side of his face are not there.

Despite that, and his arthritis slowing him down, he is still friendly and playful, though the play is not rough.

Chance has issues with some things, but one muscle that works perfectly fine is his heart.

So many people look at dogs more like accessories than living beings. They insist on a certain age or breed to fit an aesthetic or preconceived narrative.

People who do that miss dogs like Chance. Sweet, loving, and deserving of a loving home for the rest of his time, however long that is.

Chance is available at the Marshall Pet Adoption Center, 2502 E. Travis Street, Marshall, Texas. You can reach them by phone at (903) 935-4530. To volunteer, visit the MPAC Volunteer site for more information.