Police officers see a lot of animals walking the streets on their routes and normally they do what they can to reunite them with their families, usually through Animal Control.

Of course, not every wandering cat or dog has a home to go back to – or at least not one where they’re treated well.

Finding Thor

It’s rare to find a puppy roaming the streets alone. So when officers from the Mount Laurel Police Department saw him, they knew they had to scoop him up and get him to safety. The pit bull was about 3 months old.

He was roaming alone in the industrial area of a business-heavy part of town, according to the local news. He also had an injury.

“When we typically find a dog, usually they have tags on them or a chip,” said Officer Matthew O’Hanlon. “We can take them to the local animal hospital and have the owner found pretty fast.”

And O’Hanlon has seen just about everything when it comes to those who get lost.

“You name it, we deal with it whether it’s a goose call, a deer call, obviously people, even when it’s a dog.”

Unfortunately, Thor didn’t have a microchip, so it was going to be difficult to secure his happily ever after. And since the poor puppy had a gouge on his forehead, his open wound that would need immediate treatment.

The road to recovery

The officers involved took pics with the pup, and he seemed happy to oblige. They were fond of pit bulls and felt like the dogs got a bad rap when in fact they’re wonderful companions if they’re raised with love.

After the snaps were taken, the puppy was sent to Burlington County Animal Shelter for a checkup and treatment of his wound. But one of the officers just couldn’t get the little guy out of his mind.

No one had come forward to claim the adorable puppy and it just so happens that he and his fiance were thinking of adopting one. O’Hanlon’s last dog had been a pit bull too.

“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,” said Officer O’Hanlon.

Finding a forever home

O’Hanlon decided that they would adopt the dog. And that particularly good news since not only do pit bulls have a hard time getting adopted, but injured dogs usually aren’t on the top of people’s lists either.

But it was the injury that made the officer and his fiance even more convinced that the dog belonged with them.

Speaking to the local New Jersey ABC station in late January of 2021, O’Hanlon said:

“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.”

The 26-year old officer admits that he has a tough job. He’s been an officer for 3 years and things are constantly changing, especially now that life has been complicated by the pandemic. But he said that having a family to lean on was key.

“I like going to work, not knowing exactly what’s going to happen,” he said. “I go to work, try to be as safe as possible, get home to see the family…Get home to see the puppy now,” he added.

Dispelling the myths

O’Hanlon and his fiance made the decision to adopt the dog together quickly and went to pick him up from the shelter. When they brought him to the vet for a closer look at his head wound, they discovered the tooth of another dog lodged in there.

But he’s recovering well and surrounded by lots of love. The couple has named him Thor.

“My fiance and I are big Marvel fans and we just thought based on him being injured and everything the name kind of fit,” O’Hanlon.

The officer hopes his actions not only give Thor the life he deserves but help to remove some of the stigma around adopting pit bulls since so many people assume they are naturally aggressive dogs.

Be sure to scroll down below to see an interview with Officer O’Hanlon and Thor, who is still an adorable and rambunctious puppy.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Good Morning America, ABC 7 News, ABC 6 Action News