Senior Dog Adopted From Southampton Animal Shelter After His Story Goes Viral

In September, Lok Lok, a disabled senior dog, was surrendered to a high-kill shelter in New York City, simply because his owners didn’t have the time to care for him.Because he was an older, geriatric canine who had difficulty standing and walking, and was partially blind, the odds of Lok Lok getting adopted were slim.

That is, until he arrived at the Southampton Animal Shelter in Hampton Bays last month.

With help from Paws PR, a public relations company that specializes in finding dogs homes, the golden retriever’s story went viral on social media, catching the eye of East Patchogue’s Karen Lambert Peck only a few days after his arrival at the shelter.

And now the 12-year-old pooch has a new home.

Lok Lok, whose name means “The Lucky Life” in Chinese, seemed to be destined for Ms. Peck and her family—they had a dog named Lucky who died a few years ago.

“As soon as I saw [Lok Lok’s] face and read his story, I knew there was an immediate connection,” Ms. Peck explained during a recent interview. “I had a golden retriever who died unexpectedly, and it really destroyed me.

“I thought, maybe it was a sign from him,” she added, referring to her family’s old dog, Lucky.

Lok Lok now has two “siblings,” Chance and Summer, and is getting along with them quite well. “He’s doing wonderful,” Ms. Peck said.

But even though Lok Lok’s story has a happy ending, there are still many dogs at the Hampton Bays shelter that are looking for the same luck he had. One of them is Deebo, a 5-year-old pit bull.

Deebo arrived at the shelter the day after Christmas and was surrendered by his owner. He had deep cuts on his legs, and his front right limb was so severely broken that shelter veterinarians determined that it needed to be amputated.

“We don’t really know what happened. All we know is, when he came to us, he needed help,” said Kate McEntee, chairperson of the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation’s junior committee and a member of its advisory board. “There weren’t a lot of answers given as to what happened.”

Ms. McEntee said that despite having only three legs, Deebo can run fast and play just like any other dog. He has also reached a healthy weight, gaining more than 20 pounds after arriving at the shelter at a nearly emaciated 40 pounds.

Deebo has also become known around the shelter, and on social media, for wearing scarves and sweaters, which he sports “like a badge of honor,” Ms. McEntee said. Kim Cannon, one of the shelter’s veterinary assistants, knitted a few of the items for him after he took a liking to her own scarf one day.

“He now thinks that everyone’s scarf is his,” Ms. Cannon said. “And we really do think that this is the first thing ever that was his.”

“He sort of keeps it over the part of his arm that was amputated, just like a safety blanket,” Ms. McEntee added.

Three other pit bulls, also surrenders, arrived at the shelter on Monday, February 1, and staff members are referring to them as the “Blizzard Babies.”

Ms. McEntee said the 11-month-old canines—Sheeba, King and Butch—were left outside in a yard in Brooklyn with their mother during the recent blizzard. After their story spread widely on social media through another animal rescue group, the shelter wanted to step up and help them out.

“They survived that, and then the second they survived that, we didn’t want them to sit through another one in the cold,” Ms. McEntee said. “The owner couldn’t take care of them. It was a hard decision for him, but he knows we’re going to give them a great life. They’re settling in nicely.”

The dogs are now available for adoption—and Butch has already found a home. Ms. McEntee said they were all spayed and neutered, then received medical and behavioral evaluations before they were cleared. “They seem so happy. They’re really good, well-rounded dogs,” she said.

And then there’s Diamond, a 7-year-old pit bull who has been at the shelter just a few days shy of a year after her former owner of six years dropped her off because she had a fight with her “sibling.” Shelter workers said they believe Diamond has been overlooked by potential adopters because when she meets new people she tends to be shy and barks at them. But after Diamond spends time with others, she opens up and becomes very affectionate—she just needs time to adjust, they said.

Diamond also adores other dogs, especially small ones, and she is house-trained.

For more information about Deebo, Sheeba, King, Diamond and other dogs and cats at the Hampton Bays shelter, call (631) 728-PETS, or visit www.southamptonanimalshelter.com.