Why would they take the quills out of Chance's muzzle when he's still conscious. Wouldn't they give him an anesthetic or something to make him go to sleep so he wouldn't feel it
This film came out in the early '90s, when sedative use in animals was a much cruder, riskier proposition than today and the kinds of pre-anesthetic bloodwork that is routine in modern times was practically inaccessible to most veterinary hospitals, let alone a small clinic out in the middle of nowhere. It was safer all around for Chance to remain awake, painful though the procedure was.
Was Chance adopted recently at the beginning, because in the narration he says he was adopted by the Seavers and brought to live with them. Also he's called a pup throughout the film mostly by Shadow when he's fully grown and around the same height as Shadow. Also Why would Jamie want to adopt a fully grown American bulldog (not trying to sound mean just saying).
I always assumed he was only JUST fully-grown so hadn't been with the family that long; he's essentially in the dog equivalent of his mid-to-late teens (just leaving childhood and entering official adulthood) in contrast to Shadow being an "old man".
Some dog breeds are BIG as puppies/juveniles, though Chance might be considered a "puppy" in the sense that he's more than two months old but not a yearling.
As for Shadow calling Chance a pup, when Chance appears to be fully grown, it's probably like the equivalent of an old man referring to someone that's in their 20s as a kid.
So how did injured Shadow manage to climb out of the muddy ditch and make it home?
Chance meant it when he said "You pushed me this far, now I'm pushing you the rest of the way!" He wasn't going to let Shadow give up. Chance helped in every way he could to get Shadow out of that ditch.
He rested for a little while, got a Heroic Second Wind, and climbed out.
Miracle?
How little does Kate understand pets that she thought it would be okay to leave for a cattle drive (which can take weeks) so soon after taking in Shadow, Sassy, and Chance, leaving only a hastily-scribbled note for her housesitter in a place where it could fall or blow away like it did?
A cattle (or in this case, horse) drive isn't something you can just reschedule. The horse drive was already arranged, and she couldn't change that. But she knows she has a trustworthy neighbor who will take good care of the animals, including Shadow, Chance, and Sassy, and the last thing she expected was that the pets would run off on their own.
But that does beg the question of why she left BEFORE her house-sitter arrived.
In addition, Bob's transfer to San Francisco was apparently a short-notice thing. They probably had to scramble as it was to get a hold of Kate so she could take care of the animals in the first place.
Why did the family house the pets so far from where they were staying? I understand there may not have been enough room for them in their apartment, but could they not find some place nearby to keep them rather than taking them to a ranch that was miles away? That way, they could visit them more often and the pets probably wouldn't have run away.
I think the arrangement was meant to be temporary, until they can find better housing for their animals.
