Chance was was my "lover girl", always giving kisses and needing to be touching me whenever we were sitting in a chair or on the sofa. 

I picked her up from a back yard breeder who let me have her for half price due to her deformity with her bum.  Her vet had said to put her down as it would cost thousands to repair.  However, thankfully my wonderful vet said he could rework her back end when he spayed her, which he did and he worked for over 3 hours and just charged me $50.

Chance would then develop little white shaker dog syndrome when she was just a year old.  The VEC specialist couldn't help her and the meds were slowly killing Chance.  Thankfully, once again my vet suggested trying phenobarbitol to stop her shaking.  Within 3 days, she stopped shaking.  She had to be on it for over a decade, but it worked and I thanked Dr. Powers every time I saw him as otherwise she would have died at 1 year old. 

At 8 years old she was x-rayed as we thought she may have bladder stones.  Once again Dr. Powers is taking care of her and calls me back to see the x-ray.  He had x-rayed her hips as well and Chance had no ball on either of her hips.  This explained why she never walked with her back paws fully on the ground, but kind of on tippy toes.  Surgery was scheduled as it was thought it would help her walk less painfully.  However, the orthopaedic surgeon, once he had examined her when she was under anaesthetic, decided that the surgery would not help her.  She had been able to get around, walk, run, chase squirrels all these years and so she was put on some Tramadol daily. 

Then when she was 10 years old, an ultrasound was done due to some health issue she was having. That is when it was discovered that this tough little Westie had only 1 kidney. 

So in spite of all her missing or deformed parts, Chance loved life to the fullest.  Always up for an adventure and loved meeting her friends up at the soccer fields every day. 

She lived to just over 16 years and I think of her and miss her every day.  I sometimes think I can feel her snuggling up to my left hip still. 

She is at the Rainbow Bridge with her half sister Hope and half sister Winnie and JJ and Scooter, watching over us now.

Forever in my heart, always by my side.