Dog News

He Spent 10 Years On A Chain; Now Chico Has A Happy Home

by Amy Drew

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Chained & Left: Chico's life before a neighbor intervened.   Photo: Gricel Guerrero
Chained & Left: Chico’s life before a neighbor intervened.
Photo: Gricel Guerrero

Chico’s story is too common: he spent most of his life in serious neglect – chained up, alone, in unsavory living conditions in a rural area of North Carolina. There were no walks, no balls to play with, no company. His bowl was often empty and his shelter was woefully inadequate.

It was too much for neighbor Gricel Guerrero to bear. She went to speak with the dogs owners.

“I told them the dog needed vet care and daily walks, that he was mischievous and was too aggressive to other dogs not to be chained,” she told the Dodo. “He often broke loose from his collar because it was very tight around his neck. They would place him back in his spot and attach him back to the chain.”

Each time she saw the lonely black dog in the yard, her heart would break.

“Until one day I said ‘enough is enough.’” She had no interest in getting the owners in trouble. “I just wanted the dog to be rescued,” she said. But most organizations were too far away to help.

Guerrero admits she considered kidnapping the dog.

Chico's new life: A warm bed and the company of friends.
Chico’s new life: A warm bed and the company of friends.

With luck, she discovered Diva’s Safe Haven & Thrift, a group of independent rescuers who not only step in to help animals in neglectful situations, but offers temporary foster care for pets whose caretakers need help due to situations including short-term hospital stays and assistance in the form of pet food and other aid to families dealing with budget shortfalls due to unemployment or illness and seniors on fixed incomes.

They agreed to take Chico in – and luckily, his owners didn’t balk when Guerrero offered to take him off their hands.

In the time since, Chico has been lovingly cared for. His various medical conditions are being treated and he has enjoyed the company of other dogs in the rescue’s care. Check out the below video to see how his life as transformed.