Hi, I'm
currently located at
ACCT Philly
Philadelphia, PA
age
Adult
gender
Male
color
Tan/Yellow/Fawn
size
Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
pet id
42655251
Sonic ACCT-A-175007 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to behavioral concerns. Sonic must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER, EXPERIENCED FOSTER, or EXPERIENCED ADOPTER by THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH at 10AM. Should Sonic's medical or behavioral status change, his urgency and timeline for placement may also change. Sonic came in as an owner surrender on 9/19 along with 4 other dogs due to circumstances out of their owner's control. He's a smaller pup, possibly a pit-chihuahua mix, who weighs 18 pounds. He is an adult but has the face of a puppy. Since arriving at ACCT, he's been having a tough time adjusting to shelter life, having only ever known the comfort of his home. His owner noted that he is crate trained, knows sit, and reacts "ok to strangers, children, cats & dogs and would do best in a home with older people who have patience. During his 9/20 behavior evaluation, Sonic was described as very fearful and needing a slow approach, but he did allow pets and interaction. On 9/23, he was opening up more and clung to a staff member and allowed handling from them. Sonic is a wonderful companion who is just waiting for someone to give him the love he so desires. While it'll take some time for him to be fully comfortable with you, he is willing to trust those who are willing to work with him! Due to these behavior concerns, he is urgently seeking placement with a rescue, experienced foster, or experienced adopter with an adult only home that can allow him to decompress. BEHAVIOR: Per staff 9/23: Sonic was relatively easy to leash, a little avoidant but no issues. He walked outside, not pancaking in doorways or through gates. We did a quick fence meet with another dog and he was interested. Once in a yard, he was nervous but explored and grabbed onto my leg with his front paws. I sat on a bench to make myself smaller and he wanted to climb up beside me. I used my foot to help scoop his hind end up because he was struggling to get up on his own. He leaned against me and was under my arm, but I did not attempt to pet him.He did a little lip licking and yawned. Once trying to get him back inside, he got a little upset with the leash pressure and was pulling backwards. We were then able to walk to my office without any issues and I pet his head when he put his paws on my lap. He wanted to climb up on my lap and this time I used my hand to scoop his hind end. He sat on my lap with his head resting on my arm as I worked. He then started to climb up my shoulder. I had unfamiliar people come to the office to see how he was since he really seemed to like me, but was flailing a lot when other people tried to leash him this morning. Two female staff members came to my office while he was on my lap. One was able to pet him from behind, but he was more nervous about their hand going over his head to pet him. I used my hands to help him off my lap and he was curious about them. When leaving the office, he stayed close to the other staff member's feet. We went to the lobby to have him meet some other staff members and he mainly stayed between my legs. A male staff member sat in a chair to try and interact with him and Sonic came back between my legs. Another female staff member sat on the floor and tossed treats and he got closer to her and then laid in her lap. Definitely very treat motivated. She went to get up and he didn't want to move and flailed a little with leash pressure. He was backing up and didn't want to move, but then walked back to kennel without issue. In front of the kennel, he held onto my leg again and did not want to go back, again flailing with leash pressure. He allowed me to pick him up to put him back and then I removed the leash with no issues. Super scared boy who wants to be close to you for comfort. Per staff 9/22: He was very stressed and weird for his intake. He would come up and almost mount you and try to hide behind you but when you attempt to touch him he goes for your hand. He also does not tolerate any pressure from the leash. He starts to gator roll and thrash as soon as you apply pressure. He had to be wrapped in a blanket and had the cream cheese container put over his snout for him to be checked in. When the chip was attempted to be inserted he thrashed and it went straight thru and because of his behavior was not attempted again. Needs to be chipped when he gets surgery. Per staff 9/20: I was able to pick up Sonic during his evaluation. He is VERY fearful, so you need to build a relationship with him before trying to lift him. He's VERY food motivated, use treats to win him over! He doesn't walk well on leash (gator rolls and leash bites at any kind of leash pressure), so building a relationship before trying to walk or pick him up is your best bet. 9/20 BEHAVIOR EVALUATION: KNOWN HISTORY: Owner surrender - doesn't like to be picked up KENNEL PRESENTATION: Sonic was nervous in kennel when I approached. He was curled up in a tight ball and looked up at me with dilated, fearful eyes. He extended his neck to sniff me and the leash, but did not get up. When I opened the floor he retreated back into a corner and gave a lot of whale eye. He was very fearful of the leash and dodged the leash a bit, but once secured he came running out. LEASH SKILLS: Sonic does not appear to know how to walk on leash. As soon as he feels any kind of leash pressure he gator rolls, bites the leash, and thrashes around. It took a couple minutes when he initially came out for me to even get him to calm down and stay still. It's been noted by ACAs that he does not like to be picked up, so I waited until he was a little calmer and did a little jog to the office to try and reduce the amount of leash pressure he felt. He did not want to go through the door and pancaked, but came in with leash pressure. HANDLING: Sonic was panicked and very stressed when we initially got to the room. He was still terrified of the leash on him, so I dropped it and let him figure it out on his own. He raced around the room for a few minutes, too frantic to focus. I tossed some treats around which helped break him out of his panic. He started to slow down and come closer and closer to me, until he was hiding behind me and leaning against my back. Sonic is VERY fearful, so he needs a low and slow approach. I crouched on the floor and kept offering treats, and slowly he climbed into my lap and allowed some head and body pets. He was a little snatchy with treats, but with an open palm or closed fist he was much gentler. He was a little flinchy at first, but began to lean into the pets quickly. I showed him some toys but he was scared of the loud noises they made. He got spooked by my walkie at one point, when it was very loud as well. Sonic allowed me to get him off of my lap, but I stood up super slow to not scare him. I sat in the chair and he climbed into my lap, trying to jump all the way up. He allowed me to pick him up and help him into my lap without any issue, so it seems like Sonic doesn't like to be picked up by strangers, but once he trusts he will allow you to pick him up. Sonic leaned into my chest hard and tried to climb his way onto my shoulder. He's a little too big to be a shoulder dog, but he just wanted comfort so badly. Sonic allowed all handling once he had time and treats to warm up. I decided to carry him back to kennel at this point, instead of struggling with the leash. He allowed me to carry him back to kennel without an issue, but did try to hold onto me and didn't want to go back. I was able to remove the leash using the clip method, but he did flinch and flail as I removed the leash, so I would recommend using the clip method to return him. PLAY: No interest, too fearful TOYS: No interest, too fearful COLOR LEVEL & ANY RECOMMENDATIONS: Experienced Blue - Rescue Only due to fear Per staff 9/19: If you try to pick him up he bites. Owner says he has never broken skin before. MEDICAL: 9/22 Intake Exam: Eyes - slightly red Ears - appears good not able to fully check due to behavior Nose - scarring but no discharge Mouth/Teeth/Gums - wnl Coat & Skin - soft no visible fleas Urogenital - intact male w 2 Gait/Mobility - good Attitude: very scared VIDEOS: Meet Sonic: https://youtu.be/m1mXGGpgvdI Due to being significantly overcapacity with animals and higher than usual intake, extensions are unlikely to be granted. If you are interested in an animal please contact ACCT Philly immediately. Due to limited space, timestamps may also be proceeded with early so it is imperative to let us know if you are considering adopting or tagging an animal. ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia. We are open for adoptions 7 days a week. Please visit www.acctphilly.org/adopt for details. If you are a rescue interested in pulling this animal, please email our lifesaving team, or visit here if you are not currently a rescue partner: https://acctphilly.org/acct-philly-love-local-partnership-program/ Confirmed placement is considered a confirmation of an actual rescue pull. Possible placement, interested parties, and other "TBD" statuses are not considered confirmed and do not indicate an animal is no longer urgent. All animals at ACCT Philly are from Philadelphia, as the only open-intake animal shelter in Philadelphia, we are not able to accept animals from outside of Philadelphia. ACCT Philly's Pennsylvania kennel license number is 08313.
If you have any questions or would like to adopt Sonic, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.
adoption group
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