There is merit to that idea since, at one of the no-kill shelters with which I’m familiar, the death row inmates are the first ones they rescue. Chewie would not have qualified as adoptable because of the ripping off your arms thing, but there’s always the possibility that he got off on a technicality or somehow fell through a crack in the system.
I can’t believe you guys missed the obvious.
Chewie rescued Han. Apparently he was very much on the edge because, although Han wasn’t dangerous, his cheese factor was off the scale.
Word is that Chewie was actually bribed to take him home.