A Cruel Crime Deserves a Cruel Punishment: Chance the Dog’s Story
Updated: Aug 22, 2025
The eyes of real fear.
Precious Chance was shot in the head and left to rot in a garbage bag at the end of a dirt road. If Brooke hadn’t seen the social media video, he would’ve died alone -praying for peace in the darkness.
This kind of thing isn’t new for Mobile County or its neighboring ones.
It’s time for that to change.
“His eyes, I’ll… never forget his eyes. He was so–it was like he was afraid, but he couldn’t move or make any noises to tell us he was afraid.” -Brooke Whitehurst.
This is what happened to Chance.
On March 1, Scott Darby discovered a black garbage bag on the side of a dirt road in Grand Bay, Alabama. Trapped inside, was a young, black pitbull gripping onto his last few hopes of life. Darby's video of the puppy made it around to locals on social media, one of them being an individual named Chris, who went to pick the puppy up. Another local, Brooke Whitehurst, contacted Chris and she scooped this baby up as soon as she saw him. She contacted a local rescue, Wags and Whiskers, then took the puppy to Semmes Animal Hospital where the vet originally believed he was suffering with mange and other injuries. Later, it was discovered that he had skin infections, heartworms, and puncture wounds.
Even though Brooke saw fear in his eyes, she was grasping onto a hopeful future for him, so she named him Chance.
A few days later, Wags and Whiskers Animal Rescue posted an update shattering that hope, announcing that Chance's injuries were too severe and euthanasia was necessary. Dr. Dean at Southern Vet Clinic could see on the X-rays that Chance was shot, with the bullet remaining lodged in his brain causing swelling and a traumatic brain injury that Chance could never recover from.
Dr. Dean believes Chance was shot at least 10 days prior because the entry wound was already healed, forming a smooth surface -a bullet hole wasn't even in question. He has been cremated and buried at Wags and Whiskers Rescue, but the movement he inspired will live on.
The story:
It's really hard to imagine what poor Chance was thinking about. The fact that he held onto life for more than a week after being dumped shows he was craving his old self back. He wanted nothing more than to be a dog again -not a rotting pile of garbage.
Legal action must be taken.
Soon after, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office opened up an investigation, and the first and most difficult obstacle is finding out who even did this. Investigators have been attempting to retrieve fingerprints from the garbage bag that Brooke found Chance in.
"The person who did this to an innocent animal is a piece of trash and we will do everything in our power to bring this case to justice." Paul Burch, MO County Sheriff
Sheriff Burch wishes the penalties for animal cruelty were "much, much, much stiffer" but there really isn't much they can do. Currently, there are no animal cruelty laws in Mobile County, so they will rely on state laws -meaning a max penalty of up to $1,000 and 6 months jail time.
Someone can be convicted of an animal cruelty crime and then be allowed to own an animal in the future. This is something I'll never understand.
The Mobile County Sheriff's office, Wags and Whiskers, and PETA have all offered rewards to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for abusing Chance. All we can do now is hope that, if someone does know what happened, they eventually come clean so authorities can take action.
More info on rewards offered:
Because animal cruelty has become so common in the area, local residents came together to form a coalition called "It's Time" dedicated to advocating for change in the local legislation. The vile details of Chance's case have recently lit a fire in the community and they're ready to see some real change happen.
The birth of a non-profit...
This group inspired the creation of another, called Reach out For Animal Rights (ROAR.) This group is an established non-profit organization that works to improve animal welfare in the state of Alabama. They intend to educate the community and spread awareness of the various animal cruelty acts committed around the state. There's more than you think.
Having grown up in this area, I can tell you this is not a fabricated story, these things happen here. Hearing about the gruesome end to an animal was quite predictable for us as kids. Animal hoarding, irresponsible breeding, or extreme discipline wasn't near enough chaos to shock us.
When someone abuses an animal, they receive a small punishment then go on about their lives -and that's if they're even caught. With the high crime rate in the area and a lack of animal control officers, there just isn't enough manpower available to track down these sick individuals and prevent the disturbing crimes they commit.
Moving forward.
We've seen that local authorities are on the same page as the public regarding animal cruelty being a heinous crime, so the next step is raising statutes accordingly. Shelters, rescues and It's Time Coalition are now working together to push the local government to make the needed changes.
My hope for the near future is to see Mobile make an effort to expand the animal shelter -meaning space and staff- so that when cruelty inevitably occurs, they have the tools to combat it. Every shelter in the area is at max capacity and animals are often moved to shelters out of state in hopes to avoid euthanasia due to low capacity.
If you're interested in donating, you could help them save the lives of abused and abandoned animals in Mobile County.
Sources.
Whitehurst, Brooke. Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/brooke.whitehurst.393/photos
Darrington, Patrick. (March 6, 2025) Mobile County sheriff wants harsher animal cruelty penalties after 'piece of trash' leaves dog to die in bag. AL.com. https://www.al.com/crime/2025/03/mobile-county-sheriff-wants-harsher-animal-cruelty-penalties-after-piece-of-trash-leaves-dog-to-die-in-bag.html
Jones, Jeremy. (March 12, 2025) Mobile County residents rally for stronger laws against animal abuse case. News WKRG 5. https://www.wkrg.com/mobile-county/mobile-county-residents-rally-for-stronger-laws-against-animal-abuse-case/
PETA. (March 10, 2025) PETA Adds $5,000 to Reward for Tips on Who Shot, Dumped Dog on Side of the Road. https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/peta-adds-5000-to-reward-for-tips-on-who-shot-dumped-dog-on-side-of-the-road/
Spears, Aubrey. (March 6, 2025) Mobile Co. Sheriff's Office investigating after injured dog found in garbage bag. NBC15 News. https://mynbc15.com/news/local/mcso-investigating-after-dog-found-in-garbage-bag
WALA Digital Staff. (March 10, 2025) PETA adds to reward for information in Chance the dog case. Fox10 News. https://www.fox10tv.com/2025/03/10/reward-increased-information-chance-dog-case/
Williamson, Natalie. (March 3, 2025) UPDATE: Dog abandoned in trash bag had to be put down after being shot, vet says. Fox10 News. https://www.fox10tv.com/2025/03/04/update-dog-abandoned-trash-bag-had-be-put-down-after-being-shot-vet-says/
Williamson, Natalie. (March 5, 2025) MCSO investigating Chance the Dog case after he was found in a trash bag. Fox10 News. https://www.fox10tv.com/2025/03/05/mcso-investigating-chance-dog-case-after-he-was-found-trash-bag/
Comments