Sage

My story

Rocky (formally known as Alton) may seem like a timid girl at first—she hides under her bed in her kennel, trembling at the unfamiliar. But once she steps outside, she transforms into a completely different dog! This sweet girl comes alive in the open air, zooming around with pure joy, running, playing, and soaking in every moment of freedom. She appears to be house-trained and is doing her best to keep it up! While she’s overwhelmed in new environments, Alton allows gentle pets, comes when called, and takes treats very gently. All this gal needs is a patient and understanding friend who will help her gain confidence at her own pace. Email foster@acctphilly.org to express interest in fostering. Videos: Alton and Sookie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwt7lBqKL4c Alton is so cute: https://youtube.com/shorts/XFHhMFmQQ8U?feature=shared Alton chases the ball https://youtube.com/shorts/bku9RGtDyqk?feature=shared Slow motion Alton https://youtube.com/shorts/NU6e7YBbcts?feature=shared Behavior notes 02/05/2025 staff notes: We brought Alton out today for some activity time. while nervous in kennel Alton came out on her own today and in the room was confident enough to explore and sniff around. she was still timid and quite nervous, but would solicit attention in small spurts and engaged with both handlers in the room. Sweet shy girl, but warms up with time! 01/31/25 volunteer notes: found sweet Alton hiding under her bed in her kennel. I sat at the door for a little bit, giving her treats & letting her come to me. It didn’t take too long before I had her leashed up and we were on our way outside. Once out the door Alton relieved herself right away and we headed to the yard to play. This gal does a complete 180 outside! She got zoomies and ran around the yard! She was so happy and playful and quite interested in other dogs though the fence although we did not do a full dog meet. Another volunteer joined me in the yard and Alton was just as sweet and wiggly with them too! She was easy to return to her kennel and did enjoy some treats on top of her bed. But when I checked her later she was hiding again. This time I said her name and she came right out for another treat. Baby steps and good treats are def the way to Alton’s heart! 01/31/2025 staff notes: KENNEL PRESENTATION: Alton was hiding under her bed, trembling when I approached. SHe would not come out, so I opened the door and crouched down. She stuck her nose out for a minute to sniff my hand, but retreated quickly back under the bed. I moved the bed slowly, trying not to scare her more. She trembled harder and crawled closer to me with wide, dilated eyes. She allowed me to place the leash over her without issue, and army crawled out of kennel once secured. LEASH SKILLS: Pulls moderately, but mostly due to fear and trying to run away from sounds and people HANDLING : When we got to the room Alton anxiously paced around, trembling. She got all over potties out, and it seems like she’s trying to stay house trained! She gave me some wags when I used a bay voice, but got quickly overwhelmed and ran away again. She was too overwhelmed for any treats, and anxiously paced around when I wasn’t actively interacting with her. Her trembling slowed with time, but she was still very anxious and vigilant of her surroundings. Alton came when I called her and allowed all handling with a neutral body and low tail. She is one of the softest dogs I’ve ever pet! She showed some interest in toys, but did not engage with them. Another staff member entered the room and Alton stayed on the opposite side of the room, but just laid down and watched them with neutral eyes. Overall, Alton is a very fearful girl that will need and understanding adopter who's willing to help her work through her fearfulness. PLAY: No interest, too fearful TOYS Interest but no possession 01/30/2025 staff noted: Dog is scared but so sweet She is hiding under her bed I made her a fort to see if that helps She is very young - puppy like 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.