He Was 'Too Gentle' To Hunt — So He Spent A Year Locked In A Cage

Fieldworkers with PETA were out helping dogs in under-resourced communities in North Carolina when they came across a beagle puppy being kept in a cage. The puppy’s owner had wanted the beagle, Parker, to be a hunting dog, but quickly decided he was “too gentle.” Because he refused to hunt, Parker w

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What is the story about?

Fieldworkers with PETA were out helping dogs in under-resourced communities in North Carolina when they came across a beagle puppy being kept in a cage. The puppy’s owner had wanted the beagle, Parker, to be a hunting dog, but quickly decided he was “too

gentle.”

Because he refused to hunt, Parker was put in an outdoor cage and essentially forgotten about until the fieldworkers discovered his plight.

Day after day, Parker sat alone in the dilapidated enclosure, becoming withdrawn and afraid. The fieldworkers began visiting regularly, caring for the pup and helping him to come out of his shell and learn to trust again. They tried to convince his owner that the very best thing for Parker would be to relinquish him to their care.

Finally, after a year of visits, conversations and pleas, Parker’s owner agreed to let him go.

As soon as he was rescued from his predicament, Parker was neutered, vaccinated and placed in a foster home. His rescuers at PETA assumed it would take him a while to get used to his new surroundings, but he adjusted to life indoors faster than anyone expected.

As Parker decompressed in his foster home and learned how to just be a dog, his rescuers searched for the perfect family for him. It didn’t take long to find them, and Parker was soon on his way to Florida to start his new life.

Parker is now loving life with his forever family and even has two beagle siblings he gets to spend his days with. He loves snuggling up by the fireplace and running around with his toys, thriving with people who love his gentle spirit more than anything.

“Parker’s kind spirit is exactly what makes him such a wonderful companion, but his previous owner missed the opportunity to learn from his gentle nature,” Daphna Nachminovitch, senior vice president of PETA, said in a press release.

Parker never wanted to be a hunting dog, and now the only things he’ll ever have to “hunt” for are treats and toys.

“PETA encourages everyone to report neglect and cruelty when they see it so that more dogs like Parker have the opportunity to find the loving homes they deserve,” Nachminovitch said.