Cocoa

My story

Cocoa, formerly known as Future, is a bright-eyed brindle beauty with a zest for life and a heart full of love. Originally found as a stray, Cocoa was timid and unsure when she first arrived at the shelter — but with time, patience, and kindness, she blossomed into a playful, affectionate young pup. Now back with us through no fault of her own, Cocoa is looking for a home that can offer the stability and understanding she needs to continue growing. Her previous family is heartbroken to say goodbye due to housing issues and life transitions that made it difficult to give Cocoa the structured environment she thrives in. Cocoa is crate trained, mostly housebroken, and knows a whole bunch of commands — including sit, lay down, off, wait, place, leave it, and even “go potty.” She’s extremely food motivated, which makes her eager to learn and a great candidate for continued training. Her energy level is high, and she absolutely loves walks, games of fetch, tug-of-war, puzzle toys, and snuggles with her people. While Cocoa has made incredible progress since her early days, she still needs a bit of help with her leash manners. A calm, adult-only home would be ideal. She’s looking for adopters who understand decompression, positive reinforcement, and can give her the time she needs to feel safe and settled. If you’re looking for a young, intelligent, and affectionate pup with the potential to become your best friend and adventure buddy, Cocoa is ready to bring love, fun, and snuggles into your life. Come meet her at ACCT Philly any day between 10 am and 6 pm and see if she’s the one you’ve been waiting for. Videos: Playgroup 6/3: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcnvoGYrJkIbnUMoOPA7g3wiglvuLEsJj Future knows sit, and maybe down & roll over: https://youtube.com/shorts/dKFtGpNqc1k?si=SldP0GhGArOTGjMf Future laying & playing with her toy: https://youtube.com/shorts/SdqChPg0VKc?si=4_bOeZFZYhzLP2jR Future loves fetch: https://youtube.com/shorts/XguncwbvheI?feature=shared First walk w Future: https://youtube.com/shorts/WaQOwXD4s5o?feature=shared Affectionate Future: https://youtube.com/shorts/6N4Vut27mes?feature=shared Petting Future: https://youtu.be/8M4r9tLuKs4 Future and Snow: https://youtu.be/GJIr_aCjGog Behavior notes: 06/05/2025 volunteer notes: While timid in her kennel Cocoa was very brave and came to the front of the kennel and was easy to leash and bring outside for a walk. After some go slow time as we got to know each other Cocoa happily accepted pets and we went for a long walk in the cemetery together. She was initially pulling strongly on leash but after 20 mins was walking nicely (she hadnt been out for 2 days) and we even enjoyed some sit down time on the grass where she rolled over and clearly relaxed. Lively, energetic, sweet dog who will make her new active family very happy I am sure. Cocoa was easy to return to her kennel and when I passed by later she was sleeping soundly on her bed. 06/01/2025 volunteer notes: Cocoa was very scared when I first approached her kennel. Her row was busy which didn’t help. After some time and treats she came to the door. I was able to easily leash her up and begin walking to the yard. Again very nervous making her way through the building. After a few minutes outside she became loose and playful. She knows sit, paw and likes to play with toys. I sat on the bench and she immediately jumped up and leaned in for pets. Much easier going back in the building. Once in her kennel she still seemed loose. Even jumped up at the door for my attention while I was writing notes. Very sweet pup. She just needs some time to know you are safe. 06/01/2025 staff notes: Experience Blue Volunteer took her out, she was at the back of the kennel with fearful behavior like cocktail and whale eye. He just gave her some time and sat and gave her treats and she eventually did come to the front and then was easy to leash. Once outside she was giving him kisses and playing with toys! She was easy to return to kennel 05/29/2025 staff notes, Playgroup: Cocoa was fearful outside with the handlers and was super steerable due to this. she was nervous and avoidant in the yard and handler orientated. after some time she starting shutting down and began exit searching 05/29/2025 staff notes: she has come back more fearful and warmed up to two female staff members but needs time to adjust to other people and the kennel environment Previous shelter stay notes: 12/8/24 staff noted: Future is a playful sweet girl. Possibly the best fetch partner ever. Definite puppy vibes. She would make a great running or hiking partner. 12/4/24 volunteer notes: I had the absolute pleasure of taking Future out for a walk and some playtime this morning. This young girl was such a good time!! She was easy to leash great walking through the kennels and the parking lot, once we got to the yard, she really started to show her fun personality! Future loves fetch — she brought the ball back every single time and dropped it for me so I could throw it again. Once I sat on the bench, she hopped right up with me was excited for pets all over and shared kisses galore. This petite little lady is a ton of fun and she’s going to make someone so so happy! Per staff 12/3: Brought Future out to see how she is doing since she was pcr pending for the last week! When approaching Future in kennel she was very wiggly and easy to leash. in the room she was very wiggly with her main handler and would solicit attention and do toe taps. She did well when a male staff member entered the room and ran up to him to solicit attention. She did much better hen previously noted and showed no reactivity to new people! Per volunteer 11/24: We see puppy cuddles in your future! Meet Future, a young pup who was found wandering in Philly. Future is very handler focused and tends to find comfort leaning into her person for pets. Since getting to the shelter she has been quite stressed with the hustle and bustle of new people, and is looking for a committed owner to give her the training and enrichment she deserves! Per Staff 11/24/24: Future greeted me very calmly at the front of her kennel and allowed leashing very easily! She walks really nicely on leash with minimal pulling. When we got out to the play yard she came right to me for pets and cuddles in my lap. Awesome dog meet with Snow! Very tolerant even though Snow came on pretty quickly. She sniffs then is able to disengage. Very calm around other dogs. Super easy for handling all over, no issues returning to kennel! Per Staff 11/23/24: Future was friendly with her main ACA handler but when anyone else entered the room she would begin to growl and lunge at them. Per staff 11/23/24: BEHAVIOR EVALUATION: Future KNOWN HISTORY: APO pickup KENNEL PRESENTATION: Future was on her bed when i approached with wide scared eyes and a tense body. She stayed on her bed very still when i tried to call her over and even threw the leash for her to sniff but she sniffed the air. I lasso’d her and once secured, needed a bit of leash pressure for her to get out. LEASH SKILLS: Pulls minimally HANDLING: In the room, Future was very nervous when I tightened the leash and turned around giving whale eyes and a tense body. Once I secured the leash more and gave her some leash room, she loosened up and gave me low wags. She jumped up for some affection but when i got excited she flinched and ran away. She’s a bit nervous and fearful but seems to warm up quickly. While writing her eval she laid in my lap and rubbed her head into me when I wasn't petting her, giving the occasional face kiss. She allowed all handling, even on her hot spots and scars/scabs and remained tolerant. She did not take any treats but showed interest. PLAY: Minimal interest – images in play– gets tense and stiff at times with wide eyes and lip licks and sometimes play bows and rolls over showing her belly TOYS: Minimal interest Per staff 11/22/24: Scared - does not appear aggressive Will reassess back at the shelter 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 Cocoa, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.