Woman Flies All The Way To Iran To Save A Sick Pug She’s Never Met

“I still didn’t really believe until the moment that I saw her and she pulled him out of that bag that it was really going to happen,” St. James said. “What are the chances of working on something for four months for this disabled little pup from Iran.”

Chance may be in the U.S. now, but his journey is far from over. When St. James took Chance to a specialized veterinary hospital, the neurosurgeon didn’t have good news.

Chance once he arrived in LA | The Pug Queen

“She basically said that she couldn’t believe that he was able to move at all, or even that he’s able to breathe,” St. James said. “The only chance he has of walking and having a normal life is surgery — if he survives it. If he doesn’t have the surgery, she said, ‘I don’t know what kind of quality of life he will have and you may want to consider euthanizing him.’”

Euthanization, however, was out of the question for St. James. So she took Chance in for the surgery, despite the procedure carrying a lot of risks.

St. James with Chance in LA | The Pug Queen

“They [the vets] had said, ‘If he’s going to die, he’ll die within those first 12 hours,’” St. James said. “But he survived the surgery, and he survived the first 12 hours.”

Once Chance has recovered from the surgery, he’ll have more mobility and a better quality of life. But his recovery process will be long and arduous.

Chance with one of the vets who helped him | The Pug Queen

“We hold him as much as possible,” St. James said. “We have a stroller that we use around the apartment. We take him to get Puppuccinos at Starbucks. He never cries or barks unless he moves in a way that hurts him.”

Chance still has his bad days, but he’s got one thing going for him — the will to live. And St. James is amazed by how well he’s doing.

St. James with rescued pug in Iran | The Pug Queen

“He’s just the most incredible dog with the strongest spirit to survive,” St. James added. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I let my followers name him Chance because he came here to get a second chance, and he came here to America to get a chance to live,” St. James said. “He’s just become this international symbol for the pug community. He has such a determination to live, and he has the most gentle, innocent sweet little soul.”

To follow Chance’s journey to recovery, check out The Pug Queen’s Instagram page.