A dog badly injured when it was dragged behind a truck last summer is now ready to be adopted.

Chris Bauersfield, executive director of the BrightSide Animal Center in Redmond, said the dog they’ve named Chance has fully recovered from the July 25 incident that peeled the skin off of 30 to 40 percent of his body. The shelter will accept applications to adopt Chance next week and hopes to place him in a new permanent home shortly.

Last July, Chance was found lying along Smith Rock Road near Terrebonne. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident and determined that roughly 36 hours earlier, Chance had leaped from a moving vehicle. His leash became entangled with the vehicle, and Chance was dragged for a distance at speeds of 40 to 50 mph.

The driver, who was not the owner of the dog, was apparently unaware that Chance had jumped from the truck, and the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office did not pursue criminal charges.

Donations to BrightSide covered the full cost of Chance’s care, Bauersfield said. Originally, the shelter had expected to be ready to adopt him out by Christmas, but his injuries were slow to heal. Because large portions of his skin had been completely removed, veterinarians weren’t able to suture his wounds closed, she said, slowing the healing process.

“It takes a very long time,” Bauersfield said. “There was a spot on his shoulder that had gone down through the muscle, and that took a really, really long time.”

Chance has been working with a dog trainer for the last two months, Bauersfield said, in an attempt to un-learn some of the habits he’s developed while recovering. He’s an active dog that needs regular time outside to burn off energy, she said, and seems to be good around other dogs, children and cats.

“The only thing he’s afraid of is fire in the fireplace. That seems to bother him, but he just goes into another room and goes to sleep,” she said.

Those interested in adopting Chance can find the dog adoption application on the shelter’s website at brightsideanimals.org. Completed application must be emailed to the shelter at adoptchance@brightsideanimals.org or delivered to the shelter at 1355 N.E. Hemlock Ave., in Redmond by 5 p.m. Jan. 24.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com