OUR TEAM

SUMMER PARKER

BOARD VICE PRESIDENT

Summer Parker has been deeply involved in animal rescue and welfare since 2003. After witnessing firsthand the urgent need for support within underserved communities, she began independent rescue work throughout South Los Angeles. Her early efforts focused on providing essential resources to pet owners in need—food, blankets, leashes, veterinary care, and organizing donation drives—while also raising awareness about the critical importance of spaying and neutering. Summer believes that meaningful change begins at the community level, through boots-on-the-ground outreach, in-depth conversations, and building lasting relationships with the people and pets she serves.

Over the years, Summer brought her grassroots experience into formal leadership roles, joining the boards of three local rescue organizations where she helped develop innovative programs that promote animal adoption, fostering, rehabilitation, and community support. She is especially proud of her role in advocating for reform at OC Animal Care, the largest animal shelter in Orange County, California. Summer organized the largest protest in the shelter’s history and testified before the Orange County Board of Supervisors to push for critical reforms. Her advocacy—alongside the broader rescue community—helped lead to new shelter leadership, improvements in staffing, and meaningful upgrades to the shelter environment for the animals in their care.

In 2025, through her leadership at Real Time Rescue, Summer secured a grant from the Marion and Richard Graham Foundation to fund low-cost community spay and neuter services. Within just six months, the program successfully sterilized over 100 animals, helping reduce the cycle of unwanted litters in vulnerable communities. Building on that momentum, in 2026 she obtained continued funding from the Tazzy Animal Rescue Fund to provide ongoing monthly support for the program, expanding access to affordable veterinary care for pet owners who would otherwise be unable to obtain these critical services.

Summer continues to work closely with numerous grassroots “boots on the ground” organizations across Los Angeles that support both people and their pets. Her work focuses on ensuring that underserved communities have access to veterinary care, education, and resources so families can keep their beloved animals safe and healthy.

She spends countless hours each week in neighborhoods across Los Angeles working with both housed and unhoused individuals and their animals. Summer believes that with the right resources, compassion, and community collaboration, Los Angeles can significantly reduce the number of animals entering overcrowded shelter systems and living on the streets. 

A devoted bulldog owner for nearly two decades, Summer dedicates her life’s work to the memory of her beloved English Bulldogs, Brody and Kennedy, who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Her ultimate mission is to help transform animal shelters into true havens—places where lost pets are reunited with their families—rather than repositories for animals displaced by irresponsible breeding, surrendering due to lack of resources and the ongoing overpopulation crisis.

Beyond animal welfare, Summer is also actively involved with organizations including People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) and Mental Health America, advocating for and supporting the low-income and mentally ill communities of Los Angeles, causes she holds deeply close to her heart.

AMY HOOVER

secretary

Amy’s first experience with rescue was in 2016 when her husband convinced her to adopt an English Bulldog. Not wanting to deal with all that comes along with the breed, it took some convincing, but he finally won her over and they adopted a 5-year-old bully named Francis.  It didn’t take long for Amy to fall head over heels in love with Francis and the bulldog breed.  After adopting, Amy began to realize how many bulldogs are abandoned in Southern California due to a lack of knowledge of the care they require as well as bad breeding. Sadly, Francis passed from cancer only 7 short months after adopting him. It was then that Amy knew she wanted to give back to the bulldog community and save more neglected bullies. One week after Francis’ passing, she and her husband signed up to volunteer at the local bulldog rescue where they adopted Francis. At the same time, they also welcomed another discarded bully into their home, a 7-year-old named Winston. 

Over the course of 4 years, Amy became an integral part in helping many bulldogs find loving homes. Through creating social media content, managing dog listings/bios and being the token “matchmaker” at the rescue, Amy was able to successfully place over 120 bulldogs into adoptive homes. 

In May of 2020, Amy joined Real Time Rescue to make an even bigger impact in the rescue world and community. As the Secretary and Board Member, Amy helps to keep the rescue organized and also runs the rescue’s social media accounts. Amy enjoys helping out in the community with Real Time’s Word on the Street program, providing supplies, medical care and education to the homeless and low-income communities. Amy’s favorite part of rescue is seeing the dogs transform and flourish with commitment, trust and support.  

Amy finds joy in fostering and adopting difficult, elderly or hospice dogs because she knows these are the dogs most others pass up.  You can follow her adventures with her current crew on Instagram @bullydogs_and_a_van.