Panda

My story

Panda is a high-energy sweetheart who adores people! Her previous owner shared that she’s eager to connect and would thrive in a home that can offer her the time, structure, and play she craves. Panda came to the shelter with her best friend, Lucky, and the two clearly find comfort in one another. If possible, they’d love to find a home together. Lucky helps Panda feel safe and confident, and Panda often follows her lead. While Panda has a playful, snuggly side, she’s been having a tough time adjusting to the shelter environment. At times, she’s nervous in her kennel and on leash. She shows signs of stress like lip licking, trembling, and hesitating at thresholds. But with a gentle, patient approach—and especially when Lucky is nearby—Panda warms up, walks more comfortably, and shows her desire to connect. In quieter spaces, she solicits affection and even play, though she can still be unsure. She’s learning to trust, and each day brings little wins. With a calm, experienced adopter who can give her time to decompress, Panda’s loving personality is sure to blossom. She’s ready to bring joy, zoomies, and snuggles to the right home—ideally one with her best friend by her side. Meet Panda and Lucky at ACCT Philly any day of the week from 10 am to 6 pm VIDEOS: Jaylo meets Panda: https://youtube.com/shorts/pLhfVsdQZr4?si=v6ad8d3QJugydEg_ Playgroup 4/13: Thunder, Ellie, Tilly, and Panda Drop Leash: https://youtu.be/BEtRn4Qg3fU?feature=shared Panda fence meet 1 https://youtube.com/shorts/Lf8gstsWUPU?feature=share Panda fence meet 2 https://youtube.com/shorts/pypNbMxuE3I?feature=share BEHAVIOR Per volunteer 4/13: Panda has notes about being hesitant with barriers, but with some cheese I was able to easily leash panda. She got a little bit nervous about passing the large medicine cart , but was able to work through it because she came by my side and walked with me. Outside she seems to really perk up around other dogs. She did some play bows and gets excited to meet them.That also made her open up towards me- she was overall more comfortable. She takes treats really gently. Beautiful dog. I think she could be good for playgroup. 04/13/2025 staff notes, playgroup 4/13: Steerable at gate. High tail wags, tense but tolerant during greetings. During greetings in yard, high tail and ears, then ears back and very hunched while being greeted by Thunder. Hid behind a bench, hunched, ears back, tense. Removed shortly afterward from yard. Corrected Tilly, when she approached to greet while Panda was being guided out of the yard, with a lip raise and a nip. 04/12/2025 volunteer notes: experienced blue. Very fearful and shy. Opens up around her sister (Lucky) but her sister seems a bit annoyed by her. 04/12/2025 volunteer notes: KENNEL PRESENTATION: When I walked by Panda’s kennel earlier she was laying down but I heard her low growling, eventually she stood up and was barking at me. I went back later and she was laying down. I opened the door and she remained laying down. She was lip licking. I put the leash in and let her sniff it. She was dodging the leash. I opened the door further and she started to come out. She put her head through the loop. She did not want to walk past her crate door, she wanted to go the the other way. The other dog she was brought in with, Lucky, was in the kennel next to her. She sat down next to the kennel and didn’t want to move. I tried to encourage her away. She cowered, pancaked and froze. I was able to get her to walk a few steps. She followed treats on the ground but wouldn’t eat them. She then darted back into her crate. I returned her to kennel. I asked another staff member to come take Lucky out to see if she’d follow. When we approached the crates, panda was laying down and low growling. The staff member took out Lucky and stood near by. When I opened Pandas door, she walked right out and followed Lucky. LEASH SKILLS: Pull minimally, very nervous on leash HANDLING : Panda followed Lucky to the behavior office. In the office, Panda was wiggly around Lucky. Panda kept attempting to solicit play with Lucky. Panda was nipping at Lucky’s face and Lucky was correcting her. We decided to see if could get panda to walk outside without Lucky. Through the kennels, panda remained low and her tail tucked. She put on the breaks multiple times but was able to be encouraged with leash pressure. I took her into the volunteer office alone and kept her on leash. She kept jumping on the handler. She allowed pets but seemed uncomfortable. Looking away from the handler. She was trembling slightly and had a tucked tail. I walked her outside. She was very dodging. Lip licking and trembling the whole time outside. I walked her back inside. She put the breaks on at thresholds but moved with leash pressure. She walked quickly back into her crate next to Lucky. She was head shy and gave me whale eyes when I tired to remove her leash. PLAY: No interest. TOYS No interest 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 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 Panda, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.