Sage

My story

Sage is a sensitive soul looking for a chance to feel safe and loved. Surrendered when her family was forced to move out of state, this sweet girl finds herself unsure and worried in a bustling shelter. When you first meet Sage, you’ll see her sitting quietly in the back corner of her kennel, hunched down with her ears back, avoiding eye contact. But with patience and kindness, Sage finds the courage to trust and take small steps forward. Walking alongside her, Sage sticks close, her tail tucked, unsure of what’s ahead. She finds refuge by following someone who is calm, gentle, and understanding, someone who lets her set the pace. Sage is a delicate, vulnerable girl who needs someone to show her that the world can be a safe place filled with patience, compassion, and understanding. With time and a loving home, Sage will learn to trust, blossom, and become a loyal and devoted friend. All she’s looking for is someone who will appreciate her for who she is and give her the chance to bloom. Meet Sage at ACCT Philly any day between 10 am & 6 pm VIDEO Playgroup 6/14: Cocoa, Luffy, Sage https://youtu.be/qMHzddHHCaU Playgroup 6/14: Cocoa, Luffy, Sage, Kyler https://youtu.be/clPfTVo8eNg Playgroup 6/14: Cocoa, Luffy, Sage, Kyler, Red Dot (2) https://youtu.be/rkeDi5cJjX0 Playgroup 6/14: Cocoa, Luffy, Sage, Kyler, Red Dot, Tyson https://youtu.be/aJTG-FJMsp4 Playgroup 6/14: Cocoa, Luffy, Sage, Kyler, Red Dot, Rocker https://youtu.be/lS5KDQTg0V0 Playgroup 6/14: Sage, the wallflower https://youtu.be/UaQc4IqTe4M BEHAVIOR 06/15/2025 volunteer notes: When I initially approached She had her head low, whale eye, and snarled. I tossed in treats which she ate when I walked away.I came back an hour later, and she was laying at the back of the kennel. I attempted to coax her to the front, but she remained laying down with whale eye and ears pasted back. So I went around to the back where she remained in the same position and I was able to loop the leash around her neck. Once she felt leash pressure, she walked right out and walked with a tucked tail outside. She was pulling hard towards the parking lot, so we went into a pen and she was avoidant of me with ear pasted back, tail low not wagging, tense body, whale eye. She would not eat treats. I sat down and she sat next to me, her back towards me. I was able to do some consent petting very gently and intermittently. She was trembling, and her eyes were darting. She scrambled back inside and beeline towards her kennel, and hopped right in. 06/14/2025 volunteer notes: I was asked to get Sage for playgroup. When I arrived a the kennel, Sage was sitting in the back corner. Sage was cowered over. She was avoiding eye contact and had her ears back. I opened and the kennel and she started to involuntarily urinate while still sitting cowered in the corner. I put my leash in and slipped it over her head. She did not move and whale eyed me. I tried to give a little leash pressure but she remained unmoved. I offered her a treat which she did not accept. I went to get a higher value treat. I tried to give her squeeze cheese but she continued to ignore it. I decided to just start walking away with a bit more leash pressure and was able to get her out of the kennel. Sage walked with her tail tucked and staying low to the ground. Sage was extremely dodgey on leash. She seemed to be search for a way to hide and avoid contact with the handler(s). Sage was very hesitant through thresholds. She needed encouragement with baby talk and leash pressure. She needed the handler to go through first for her to follow. When we arrived at the yard, she was shakey and continued to avoid contact with any humans. She seemed to involuntarily poop. When another staff member got low and next to Sage, Sage did seem to seek comfort and go towards the staff member. She briefly allowed some sort, soft pets and then started search for a way out. Sage entered the play yard for playgroup and was returned to her kennel by a different volunteer. ACCT Philly is located at 111 West Hunting Park Ave in. 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 Sage, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.