Police Officer Adopts Stray Pit Bull Puppy After Finding Him Wandering the Streets Alone

The little guy had no identification and a wound on his head, but he’s doing great now.
By Chad Taylor February 18, 2022 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print
police officer holding his newly adopted pit bull puppy Credit: Courtesy of Mount Laurel Police Department

Sometimes, all your day needs is a little taste of nostalgia, which is exactly what I'm here to provide today. If you've been chasing the feel-good buzz of heartwarming dog stories for a while now, then no doubt you remember the story from January 2021 of a New Jersey police officer adopting the stray pit bull puppy he found wandering around an industrial area in the town of Mount Laurel.

On Jan. 2 last year, Mount Laurel Officer Matthew O'Hanlon found the gray-and-white pupper wandering on his own with no collar and a small wound on his head. O'Hanlon scooped the little guy up and transported him to the Burlington County Animal Shelter in Westampton for treatment. Most of the time, that would be the end of an officer's involvement with a stray animal. But O'Hanlon, who had been looking for a puppy of his own, couldn't stop thinking about the little guy.

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"I called the shelter 20 minutes after I dropped him off and told them that I wanted him," O'Hanlon told Good Morning America.

Once the shelter had treated the little guy's head wound and checked him for a microchip, they waited for someone to come forward and claim the pup. When nobody did, O'Hanlon returned to the shelter and adopted the 3-month-old puppy himself.

"When we typically find a dog, usually they have tags on them or a chip," O'Hanlon told WLS-TV News. "My fiancé and I were looking to get a pit bull, and when you see a pit bull puppy with an injury, it's hard to pass up on."

The Mount Laurel Police Department shared the good news on their Facebook page, along with a photo of the smiling officer and his new buddy—who he named Thor—in a post that read in part:

"Officer O'Hanlon adopted him right away and has been making sure he gets lots of attention and treats! Little Thor is healing up nicely and has found his forever loving home!"

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Nobody knows for sure where Thor came from or what the first couple months of his life were like, but his future is looking good with a happy, loving home.

"Boy, it makes you feel good that you can help a little puppy like that go from whatever happened to him to now knowing how spoiled he's going to be for the rest of his life," O'Hanlon said.