Zena

My story

Zena was surrendered to ACCT Philly on April 3rd, 2025, after living her entire life with one family who could no longer care for her. Described as calm, gentle, and incredibly lovable, Zena is a 5-year-old sweetheart who’s used to living in a home with adults, teens, and even toddlers. She’s fully housebroken, crate trained, and happiest when she’s curled up next to her person or playing a mellow game of tug. While Zena can be shy at first and sometimes nervous in crowded or overstimulating settings, she truly shines in one-on-one interactions. She walks politely on leash, takes treats gently, and knows commands like “sit” and “down.” Zena bonds deeply with people—volunteers describe her as the “sweetest dog ever,” known for standing up gently on her back legs to lovingly rest her paws on your waist. She can get overwhelmed by unfamiliar handling or large groups, so a quieter adult-only home or a family with older children would likely suit her best. Videos: Sweet Tooth and Zena Meet: https://youtu.be/hIdnpRHPe-s Sweet Tooth and Zena dog meet part 2: https://youtu.be/O4vz5pe0ork Zena knows sit: https://youtube.com/shorts/aRjz1_QfNyo?feature=share Playgroup 4/20 Sandy, Dixie Doo, Biggie, Zena, Buddy Jackson 1 https://youtu.be/DgUpLI48Jks Playgroup 4/20 Sandy, Dixie Doo, Biggie, Zena, Buddy Jackson 2 https://youtu.be/GNCa3EhJgzU Playgroup 4/20 Sandy, Dixie Doo, Biggie, Zena, Buddy Jackson 3 https://youtu.be/uN_M-4vWYGM Playgroup 4/20 Sandy, Riley, Dixie Doo, Biggie, Zena, Lee https://youtu.be/ADxc3ekMXLg Playgroup 4/20 Sandy, Riley, Dixie Doo, Biggie, Zena https://youtu.be/s8Az_EoMzlk Behavioral Notes: per short term foster 4/14-4/18: Zena is very sweet and affectionate! She loves snuggling up on the couch right next to you and giving kisses. She’s an excellent walker with no leash pulling, however may be overly friendly and wants to walk up to and sniff other people and dogs. She quickly learned “look” on walks to focus on her handler with treats as an incentive. Zena accepts all handling - full body pets and carrying - and grew more comfortable with us with words of encouragement and baby talk. She is crate trained, going in and out of her crate with no issues and only cried for 1-2 minutes when we left the room. She stayed perfectly calm when left in her crate for 4+ hours during the day and slept well in her crate at night. She has medium energy, and was happy and calm sitting on the couch with us while doing some work. She also does well in the car. Zena seems mostly housebroken, but had a few accidents mostly out of excitement or anxiety when one of us left the room. She seemed afraid of the wood floors in our home and preferred to be on the couch, or walk on rugs or blankets. However, in the few days we had her she showed massive improvement, as we slowly removed some blankets from the floor and by Friday she was way more confident walking around the house. She did not attempt the wooden stairs but allowed us to carry her up and down as needed. Zena is a very friendly and loving dog who needs just a little time, patience, and a routine and we are sure she would thrive as an excellent pet. DOG MEET NOTES 4/13- We tried a meet with Sweet Tooth and Zena, a shy and gentle female dog. Zena was nervous and timid, remaining close to her handler. Sweet Tooth displayed piloerection and approached Zena first; however, Zena remained still and the two sniffed each other, beginning with face and then Zena allowed Sweet Tooth to sniff along her body, but would shy away when Sweet Tooth attempted to sniff her rear end. Sweet Tooth would follow her around attempting to sniff her. We walked a lap of the parking lot, during which Sweet Tooth mostly walked with a loose leash while approaching Zena periodically. Sweet Tooth remained quite calm and loose throughout their interaction. Zena was more fearful but tolerant of Sweet Tooth's approach. Per volunteer 4/12: looks deep into your soul, gives great hugs 04/08/2025 Per volunteer 4/8/25: Zena is as sweet as can be! Got out of the kennel so easily and then sat right next to me. Walks very very well – does not pull. Seems housebroken and peed and pooped right when we got outside. Took treats right from my hand, loves snuggles and took pets very happily. Knows “sit” well and “come” sort of. 04/06/2025 Per adoption event volunteer: Zena was reluctant to get into the car, but once inside was a great passenger! Zena polite on the leash, not a lot of pulling. She did have a couple stubborn moments. But in general was good about doing her business and enjoyed being outside. She was very warm and friendly with strangers overall. When she was feeling overwhelmed and a strange man got too in her face she did bark to let him know that she was uncomfortable. She was definitely overwhelmed with the amount of people in the Pilates class, but was great one on one and super sweet. She greeted the other dog in the class well. Good sniffs and tail wags. She later barked at him, but again, she was very overwhelmed. In general she is an absolute lover! Very eager to please and very attached to people. I think she will need some patience being exposed to new things and larger crowds. She seems uncomfortable with people getting too close or touching her in ways she doesn’t like, so maybe no children? 04/06/2025 Per day trip 4/5: She was the sweetest dog I have ever met. Incredibly social and said hello to anyone who welcomed her on our walk. She was not reactive at all, no barking at dogs or people or yanking on the leash to get to anyone. Her nose works OVERTIME!!! She was constantly smelling something and was a perfect partner for a leisurely stroll as she always had some smell to occupy herself with. She’s a little stubborn on the leash and likes to go where she smells and isn’t always ready to move on until she’s done sniffing. She loves licking people and also holding them. She’ll stand on her back legs and put her front paws on your waist, no scratching or jumping, and just stay there and look at you. It’s overwhelmingly precious. 04/05/2025 Playgroup 4/5: Gentle and dainty. Steerable. Allowed greetings from other dogs. 04/04/2025 BEHAVIOR EVALUATION: Zena KNOWN HISTORY: Owner surrender KENNEL PRESENTATION: Zena was in her crate laying down when I approached. She came to the front with soft eyes and a low wagging tail. She was easy to leash and came right out once secured. LEASH SKILLS: Pulls minimally – needs some encouragement and to be picked up sometimes HANDLING: In the room, Zena was very social and friendly to everyone. She was super sweet, giving face kisses and big hugs. She allowed all handling and was super loose and wiggly. She sat as soon as she saw a toy and treat and was very patient and eager. She takes treats very gently and plays with toys just the same. PLAY: Engaged in play TOYS: Interest but does not take possession COLOR LEVEL & ANY RECOMMENDATIONS: Gold 04/03/2025 PGN: Zena was very soft and allowed greetings as well as showing interest in other dogs. A little fearful at times but did open up. I believe with more time in the yard we could help build her confidence. Medical Notes 04/07/2025 – Tech Exam: URI Shelter-acquired upper respiratory infection (URI) noted. Started on Doxycycline 100mg, 2 tablets PO SID for 14 days. Will require vet clearance prior to surgery if unaltered. 04/08/2025 – Diagnostic Test Canine Pneumovirus PCR: Negative 04/03/2025 – Intake Medical Exam Weight: 45.5 lbs Body Condition Score: 4 – Lean Microchip: Not found Eyes: Red Ears: Clean Nose: Clear nasal discharge Mouth/Teeth/Gums: Yellow staining and tartar Coat & Skin: Hair thinning on inner hind legs Urogenital: Intact female Gait/Mobility: No lameness Attitude: BAR Behavior Color: Green Vaccination History Rabies (Rabvac 1) – 04/03/2025 – SQ, right hind leg – Next due 04/03/2026 DHPP (Duramune Max 5) – 04/03/2025 – SQ, right front leg – Next due 04/03/2026 Bordetella, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza (Bronchi-Shield III) – 04/03/2025 – IN – Next due 04/03/2026 Treatments Doxycycline (100mg): 2 tablets PO SID with food – 04/07/2025 through 04/20/2025 Barrier for Dogs (topical Imidacloprid + Moxidectin) – Applied 04/03/2025 ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in Philadelphia. We are open for adoptions 7 days a week, from 10am to 6pm, and no appointments are needed! 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/ 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 Zena , please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.