When Chance and Blue were about 2 years old, they were found crossing a busy street in Los Angeles together. Chance (the all white pittie) is both completely blind and deaf; and it appears that Blue was acting as a seeing-eye dog, guiding Chance safely through traffic and to the other side of the street!

Bridgette Boone is the Director of Fresno Bullies Rescue, a volunteer-based, non-profit, no-kill sanctuary dedicated to rescuing bully breed dogs (i.e. American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, American Bull Dogs, Bull Terriers, etc.). She doesn’t know how long Chance and Blue were wandering the streets, but believes it must have been quite awhile, since they were both dirty and underweight. And although not much is known about their background, she feels they were definitely from the same place. The fact that Blue was guiding Chance is amazing, and the bond between them is so tight, that it must have started at a very young age .Chance and Blue were fostered by Nicole and Ross Cox. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary– but Nicole and Ross soon fell in love with the duo and decided to adopt them both.

The two dogs have very distinct personalities. “Chance is just a sweetie,” Nicole says. “He loves affection and has become very gentle.” He initially had some behavior issues that he needed to overcome: He would spin around in circles, and chew on his tail, to the point that the tip no longer had any hair, and would bleed. He would also grab onto people’s clothes and try to play tug of war with them. However, with patience and loving guidance, he has learned to overcome his securities, learn socialization skills, and has adapted well to his new environment. (And thankfully, he has overcome both these traits!)

Chance really loves to just run all over the yard, especially in the rain! (Apparently being out in the rain was something Helen Keller loved too.) He also likes the feeling of running through squishy mud. He gets easily distracted when he’s in the backyard, and it’s hard to keep his focus, because all he wants to do is run. He can’t even be fed outside, because he’ll just take one bit of food, and then run off.

As for Blue, he “is a goofball and loves to roll around and get his belly rubbed. He also likes to cuddle (with Chance and with us). He is a gentle giant. He loves to play with other dogs, even my sister’s 7 pound Chihuahua and was great with her!”

Blue loves to go on walks, and loves to meet new people. (Chance likes to meet new people too, but it’s still a challenge to get him to walk on a leash!) Blue also loves fruits and veggies! There hasn’t been one found that he hasn’t liked yet.

Chance and Blue continue to share an incredibly close bond. “They love to wrestle with each other!” Nicole says. “It is so fun to watch this. Blue definitely holds himself back a little to make it more even and it’s great to watch Chance search for Blue and tackle him to the ground.”

“They have even learned to coexist with our 2 cats. Every once in a while, Blue will give them little kisses. It’s really cute! They are both very smart boys and learn quickly. I don’t think we could have found a better match for our family.”

Bridget agrees. “To actually meet these two dogs is an experience in its self. Chance is amazing, and Blue is stunning. Nicole & her husband are such wonderful people and Chance & Blue are thriving with them. I am so glad that they found a forever home together and finally are able to live the lives that they deserved.”

Check out Chance and Blue’s PHOTO GALLERY as well as the VIDEO staring these two special dogs.

Luckily for Emma, Sam Ebbert and her husband, Bob Grove, live nearby. Sam is the coordinator of the Schipperke Rescue of Oregon. When a “skip” lands in a nearby shelter, or an owner needs to surrender a dog, Sam will often be contacted for her assistance in helping find it a good home. In the meantime, the dogs are fostered at Sam and Bob’s, where they have the run of the house and the fenced-in acre of land. There is good food, plenty of treats and an abundance of love, along with veterinary care, behavioral assessment and, if needed, re-socialization and retraining. At any one time, Sam and Bob can have several foster dogs at their home – primarily purebred schipperkes, occasional “skip” crosses, and sometimes what Sam calls “skip wannabes.” As she puts it, “If a dog is black and weighs less than 25 pounds, they give us a call.”

And that’s what happened in Emma’s case. When she arrived at Sam and Bob’s, she still had pneumonia, along with a bad case of kennel cough. Although after several months of loving care her personality, and she was ready for a permanent home. Around that time, I had just said goodbye to Haida, my very special forever dog, who had succumbed to cancer. Haida was a schipperke, and because she was such a wonderful friend and companion, I’d fallen in love with the breed.

After Haida died, I knew I wanted to adopt a shelter dog. I started searching on the Internet, and came across the Petfinders website. I was amazed to find dogs of every conceivable breed – including schipperkes – as well as cats, rabbits and other animals. I was saddened to realize that homelessness in animals doesn’t discriminate. Petfinders is an inspiration in itself: well-organized and searchable, it features pictures and descriptions of animals for adoption in shelters across Canada and the US, as well as links to individual shelter sites. Of course, if you’re like me, you might have a hard time browsing through the profiles of so many adorable dogs – I wanted to adopt them all!

But as soon as I was put in touch with Sam and Bob, and heard about Emma, I knew she was the dog for me. When I first met her, and in spite of Sam and Bob’s careful attention, the signs of her mistreatment were abundant; she was painfully thin, and in some areas she had very little fur. She was timid and shy, but with a wistful expression on her little face, that told me that despite all she’d been through, she was full of hope.

Slowly, Emma’s personality began to emerge, and she is now a gem of a dog. Her coat is thick and shiny, and people constantly remark on how beautiful she is. She is funny and smart and sweet, loves to cuddle and enjoys long walks on the beach. She is usually a “Diva,” and very well behaved, although she does get into mischief from time to time. I was visiting a friend and went upstairs to see her refurbished bedroom floor; when I came back, the banana loaf my friend had put out on the coffee table was gone. It seems Emma had taken advantage of our temporary absence, and had jumped up onto the coffee table and cleaned off the entire plate.

Emma has been the “boss of me” for three years now, and she’s blossomed into a truly dear little girl. And she is not just healed, she’s helping to heal others. Emma is a therapy dog, visiting senior’s centers, and spreading cheer to just about everyone she comes into contact with.