'Poor Parker', Pup Left At Shelter, Finds Forever Home

NORTH FORK, NY — Parker, a sweet little pup who saw all his litter mates go home but was brought back to the shelter, now has a new family to call his own.

According to Gabrielle Stroup, director of operations for the North Fork Animal Welfare League, the family who took Parker this week had adopted from the rescue in the past.

"They saw Parker in the story posted on Patch, and decided to come see him," Stroup said. "It's another Patch save!"

Stroup said Parker is a Lab mix, just only a little over a year old, a "sweet young guy. He came in as a puppy with his litter mates and they were all quickly adopted."

But alas, she added: "Poor Parker was brought back to the shelter in November 2023. His adopters just couldn’t handle a puppy."

And so, Parker sat waiting and hoping for months, Stroup said.

"He is sweet as can be — very good with other dogs," she said. "He loves everyone. He didn’t deserve to grow up in a kennel," she told Patch. "We felt so badly that he had been with us this much time at such a young age."

But now, Parker's future is rosy, Stroup said. "We're super thankful to be able to find homes for some of the longer-stay dogs," she said.