Southern California is a wonderful place to live. If you are a dog, you can play in a dog park with your friends. You can romp on the beach. You can enjoy quiet times with your family as you watch the sun set over the ocean. You can swim in the ocean and, if you are really skilled, you can even surf!

While life is good in Southern California, a deadly summertime danger for dogs arrives in March or April. That's when the seed heads of foxtails begin to dry. Foxtails are grass-like weeds that resemble the tails of foxes and are usually found only in states west of the Mississippi. A foxtail seed can cause an inflamed, painful and infected lump anywhere on a dog's body. In addition to causing pain and infections, foxtail seeds can migrate and lodge in the spine, in the lungs, and in other internal organs.

Chance, a one year old black and tan boy, arrived at Rescue from a high skill shelter where he was taken after being picked up as a stray. He was covered with hundreds of foxtails that required surgery to remove. Chance's paws were red, swollen and inflamed because of foxtail seeds imbedded in his paws. We cannot imagine Chance's pain and discomfort. In the course of the surgery he had to have a full body shave to make sure we found and removed all of the foxtails. His beautiful coat is temporarily gone, but it will grow back quickly and he will return to the gorgeous looking dog that you see in the photos above.

While we don't know a lot about Chance's life, we do know that he is dog friendly. He is currently living in a foster home with other male and female dogs and he gets along well with all of them. He is a very playful and energetic boy who would be great with another doggy playmate. Our volunteers also describe him as a super sweet and easy boy.

Won't you welcome Chance into your home so he can enjoy all the good things that life in Southern California has to offer?