Stella

My story

Meet Stella, a beautiful lady who has been in ACCT foster care since May 2025. Since her time in foster care, her foster family has noted that she is such a sweetie who loves getting attention. Another bonus, she’s shown she’s house trained! Stella is a big, beautiful sweetheart who was surrendered to the shelter on April 26th due to chronic skin issues. Despite her medical challenges, Stella’s loving spirit shines through. She previously lived with a family and young children, and her former owners described her as incredibly friendly and affectionate with both strangers and kids. At the shelter, she has continued to prove herself to be a gentle, low-energy companion who simply wants to be near her people. When volunteers approach her kennel, Stella greets them with tail wags and sleepy eyes, slowly rising from her bed to go for walks. She’s excellent on leash—walking calmly and never pulling—and once in the yard, she shows no interest in toys or treats, preferring instead to lean in for affection and cuddles. She’s easy to handle, enjoys being pet all over, and just wants to be close to someone who will love her back. Stella has participated in dog playgroups and is tolerant and social, though selective with some dogs. Medically, she’s being treated for a shelter-acquired upper respiratory infection and has chronic skin issues likely caused by a hypersensitivity condition. She also suffers from brachycephalic airway syndrome and is overweight, making her prone to respiratory difficulties and heat sensitivity, so she'll need a calm, cool environment and ongoing veterinary care to thrive. If you’re looking for a snuggly companion who will reward you with endless love, Stella is ready to steal your heart. Videos: Meet timestamped Stella: https://youtube.com/shorts/x_g9VKw_zs8?si=r-oCASNllha5PxQS Belly Rubs For Stella: https://youtube.com/shorts/WnwDHzE3ofc?si=0oTbppr3Zi3pHu79 Petting sweet Stella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOAFSOgjPQo Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Maia, Stella https://youtube.com/shorts/WzdoA7Hs1Bo Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Maia, Stella 2 https://youtube.com/shorts/NvZaMQs9zIE Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Maia, Stella 3 https://youtube.com/shorts/7TxzV1zWHKA Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Stella, Mia (gate greetings) https://youtube.com/shorts/6dYv0IgPg7w Playgroup 5/3 Buddy, Koga, Bing, Blue, Stella, Mia 1 https://youtube.com/shorts/xsUA3Satt0U Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Stella, Mia 2 https://youtube.com/shorts/mBeXabRluPE Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Stella, Mia 3 https://youtube.com/shorts/qPcTgz-QtIc Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Stella, Mia 4 https://youtube.com/shorts/ie41Y-zNFeg Playgroup 5/3 Koga, Bing, Buddy, Blue, Mamas, Stella, Mia 5 https://youtube.com/shorts/_NKoalQMnWA Behavior Notes: Per Foster 5/29/25: Stella is doing well! She has a great appetite and is easily taking her meds. Her skin is looking a lot better too! She has a vet exam scheduled for next week. Stella is a very, very sweet girl who loves lots of attention. She has walked past the cats in my house with no problem to go out for walks and walks alongside our resident dog really well. When she sees cats or dogs outside of the house she does seem to hyperfixate a little bit, but no signs of aggression. She is also very house trained and has not had any accidents. All in all she is a sweet cuddle bug who seems to be settling in well! Per volunteer 5/19: Very sweet chunky girl!!! Loved going for a walk and was very easy to walk. Loved getting pets and exploring outside Per volunteer 5/4/25: Kennel: Stella was laying on her bed sleeping when I approached her kennel. I made a noise with my mouth and she started wagging her tail, but didn’t get up. I then opened the kennel door and she wagged some more then finally got self up, which took some effort as she’s a big gal! Leash: I leashed her very easily and she’s really great on leash. She walks very slowly and seems to be quite low energy and doesn’t pull at all. Handling: When we got to the play yard, she really showed no interest in anything other than cuddling! Takes pets all over with no sensitivities. Such a sweet girl and just wanted to be close to me. Not treat motivated, but she is sick so not sure if that contributed. Had to use some leash pressure to get her back in the kennel. Playgroup Notes 5/3: Very steerable with spray bottle and shake can. Tolerated attempts to solicit play. Loose, sociable. Some interest in reciprocating greetings, with mid-high wags. Seemingly engaged in some power-play with Mia: responding to her frustration at the gate with some grumbles/snarls, then once Mia was muzzled and in the yard, sticking close to her, briefly mounting once (which Mia tolerated). Per staff 4/26/25: Owner stated stella is prone to heat strokes and showed clear signs of respiratory issues while getting processed in intake area. Owner surrender 4/26/25: Stella was surrendered by her owners of 4 years due to her chronic skin issues. They noted that they got her from a friend and she lived with kids under 5, loves strangers and children. She is selective of other dogs and has never been around cats. Medical Notes: 5/11/25: BAR & friendly, heavy panting related to excitability. Persistent hoarse, honking cough- difficult to obtain accurate respiratory rate due to persistent coughing/panting. SpO2 reading: 86 / 138 Offered hot dog, cheese slice, and I/D wet food by hand. Ate hot dog and cheese slice readily, ate wet food but seemed to search through-- suspect she is eating but specifically avoiding the pills. Asked nurse to hand feed her her meds, otherwise injectable medication may be considered. 5/6/25 Exam: On doxycycline, but URI signs seem to be worsening and dog may not be taking medication Assessment: Complicated URI w/ concern for infectious pneumonia 5/1/25 Vet Exam: Shelter acquired URI 2. Brachycephalic airway syndrome 3. Superficial pyoderma, diffuse 4. Otitis externa AU 5. Obese 6. Suspected chronic skin hypersensitivity disease 7. Low normal TT4, borderline low Patient will need to be managed chronically for a few conditions, such as identified skin issues and weight with proper diet management. Patient's TT4 is borderline low, but given absence of non-regenerative anemia, hypercholesterolemia, and an elevated ALT, true hypothyroidism is not suspected. Should this be desired to further evaluate, recommend FT4, TSH, thyroglobulin antibody (standard thyroid panel). 4/30/25 URI: This dog has been observed to have shelter acquired upper respiratory infection (URI), or a "doggy cold". They have been started on medication, and will be monitored for resolution of the respiratory infection. 4/27/25 Intake: Weight: 74.7 lbs Body Condition Score: 7 - Overweight Assessment Eyes -clean red due to stress Ears -right has dry blood and clear crust Nose - bit dry Mouth/Teeth/Gums - clean white Coat & Skin - missing hair all over smells yesty Urogenital -female intact Gait/Mobility -no lameness Attitude: bar Due to being significantly overcapacity with dogs and cats and higher than usual intake, extensions are unlikely to be granted. If you are interested in an animal please contact ACCT Philly immediately. Due to limited space, timestamps may also be proceeded with early so it is imperative to let us know if you are considering adopting or tagging a dog or cat. 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 Stella, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.