Carson was only one year old when he was red-flagged and put on the euthanasia list. Why, you may ask?
Well, it has nothing to do with this beautiful dog but more with the overcrowding of the shelters.
There are so many dogs just like Carson who are being put down every week because the shelters in Coachella Valley cannot keep up with the number of abandoned and surrendered animals.
Luckily, for Carson, The Animal Rescue Center Of California stepped up at the last minute and saved Carson from certain death.
Rescued An Hour Before Euthanasia
Just an hour before his scheduled euthanasia, Kirk Geiger, from The Animal Rescue Center Of California, arrived at the local shelter to pull Carson out.
If it hadn’t been for Kirk and his swift reaction, this beautiful Shepherd-mix dog wouldn’t be alive anymore.
At the time, Carson was just a little bit over one year old, neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and great with other dogs. It was heartbreaking to see him almost be euthanized when he had so much love to give.
Kirk arrived at the shelter and took a very excited Carson for his freedom ride all the way from the desert to the ocean where his foster family lived.
Carson was a really good boy on his 2 and ½ hour drive to the foster home. He slept in his crate, listened to some music, and overall, behaved really well.
Sarah, the foster mom, was eagerly waiting for Kirk to arrive with Carson. As soon as she saw this beautiful big dog, she was in love.
A Beautiful Foster Failure
Carson – now named Chuck – quickly became a loved member of the family. His foster parents, John and Sarah, loved him deeply, and Chuck felt right at home as well.
He became the official mascot for John’s baseball team, and when Sarah was going through tough times with cancer, Chuck was right beside her to provide comfort and love.
James and Sarah wanted nothing more than to adopt Chuck, but their other dog was not happy at all about a new member of the family.
However, they didn’t give up and continued to work with both dogs. It took months, but then, one day, it finally happened – acceptance.
From that day on, the two dogs were getting closer and closer until finally, they were the best of friends. It wasn’t easy by no means, but in the end, Sarah and John officially adopted Charlie “Chuck” Moose.
Chuck went from being on death row to living his best life with a loving family.
This is what Sarah, Chuck’s mom, said about adoption:
“It’s been a little over a year since we decided to happily fail at being a foster, and become a family with 2 adopted dog’s. I can truly say – best failure EVER. We hoped (so hard) that once our other (older) dog, Callie, “okayed” him to stay that they would become bff’s and holy dog, they are the best at being bff’s! We could not be any happier with the decision to keep him. But please understand, there was a lot of WORK put in and TIME given for our older dog to adapt to a new dog. It was not overnight, it took 4.5 months for our dog to even consider trusting him. Some dogs just take time, and some dogs might not ever accept a new “pack member”, but please don’t give up on a foster just because it hasn’t “settled in” after a week.”
Chuck’s life will now only be peace and happiness for the rest of his life, thanks to his amazing pawrents.
To help The Animal Rescue Center Of California rescue more dogs on the euthanasia list, please go to their website and donate or register for forestering.