‘Too Gentle’ to Hunt: Neglected Beagle Finds Loving New Family (Video)
For Immediate Release:
June 9, 2026
Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382
A young beagle named Parker is thriving in his new Florida home after PETA fieldworkers rescued him from a dilapidated pen in rural North Carolina, where his owner—who wanted a hunting dog but deemed Parker “too gentle”—had locked the puppy inside the filthy enclosure pieced together with cinderblocks, chicken wire, and tattered tarps and left him in isolation, day after day. A new video highlighting Parker’s journey is available here, and photos are available here.
As the video reveals, PETA’s fieldworkers first found Parker in 2023, when he was less than 6 months old. For more than a year, PETA staff visited regularly, providing shelter, shade, flea and tick prevention during North Carolina’s sweltering summer months, insulating straw during harsh winters, and fresh water year-round—all while persistently pleading with his owner to give us the chance to find Parker the home he deserved.
Parker before, cowering and confined to a filthy makeshift pen after being deemed “too gentle” for hunting, and after finding a loving new home. Credit: PETA
The shy beagle slowly began to trust his visitors and came out of his shell a little more each time. After dozens of visits and conversations, the owner finally agreed to relinquish Parker to PETA. Safe at last, Parker was neutered, vaccinated, and placed in a foster home, where he adjusted to indoor life faster than anyone expected. Now at home in the Sunshine State, the once-timid beagle is experiencing the love, comfort, and companionship he was always meant to have—with a family of other beagles and loving humans.
“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,” says PETA Sr. Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “Parker flourished once he was liberated from his pen prison and treated with kindness, and 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.”
Every day, PETA’s fieldworkers visit dogs in the most under-resourced communities in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina who are denied adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Many spend their entire lives isolated in the same few square feet of space, unable to escape extreme weather conditions, with no companionship or chance for a real life. PETA continues working with local communities to pass chaining bans and strengthen protections for these animals in need.
Anyone who sees a dog suffering from neglect, inadequate shelter, or lack of food or water should contact local law enforcement authorities or animal control immediately. If officials don’t respond promptly, contact PETA at 757-622-7382.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
