Suzie

My story

Suzie ACCT-A-220236 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to length of stay and lack of space for incoming dogs. Suzie must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER, EXPERIENCED FOSTER, or EXPERIENCED ADOPTER by FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH at 10AM. Should Suzie’s medical or behavioral status change, his urgency and timeline for placement may also change. Suzie is a sweet, gentle girl who is looking for a calm, patient adult only home. She was surrendered on May 14th after her owner passed away and a relative could no longer care for her. She came to us very fearful and anxious but has shown that with time and love, she can begin to feel safe and comfortable. Suzie is shy and nervous, especially around new people and loud noises, and she finds comfort in quiet spaces where she can relax. She is gentle with all handling and seeks affection once she trusts you. While she doesn’t show interest in toys or play right now, she responds well to soft voices and gentle pets. Suzie needs a calm, experienced home where she can build confidence slowly and feel secure. She prefers to be near a trusted person during walks. This special girl just needs someone who understands her needs and will give her the patience and love she deserves. Due to her length of stay, Suzie is urgently seeking placement with a rescue partner, experienced foster, or experienced adopter. VIDEO: Suzi loves cheese: https://youtube.com/shorts/IleF69xPEVU?si=km7XMMM0GRBkuVYx Suzi gets pets 1: https://youtube.com/shorts/MH6Y2AoUig8?si=Z22PesTBx_hN47xL Suzi gets pets 2: https://youtube.com/shorts/z1IwNiodoXQ?si=0AAsN1tuWXJ2neFg Suzie and Nightengale: https://youtu.be/O7X0P5s_TAY Suzie and Sugar Dumpling Drop Leash: https://youtu.be/ZNZhoBNv7Yw BEHAVIOR: Per staff 6/1: Did a drop leash meet with Suzie and Sugar Dumpling. She had to be carried out and put the brakes on with any leash pressure. She did not acknowledge SD through the gate, but we know how SD is with other dogs, so let Suzie in. We though SD would ignore Suzie if she didn't want to engage, but SD followed her closely around the yard. Suzie was exit searching the entire time as SD followed her. At one point, SD attempted to hump Suzie and Suzie did not correct her. At the end, Suzie allowed some pets from a handler, but did not want to walk once out of the yard. Per volunteer 5/26: Suzi has loose, wiggly body language in her crate. I was surprised due to previously meeting her in a very shut down state. I was able to easily leash her and walk outside. Once we got outside, her fearfulness kicked in. Suzie had whale eyes and a low tucked tail. She was not interested in going down the stairs and kept turning back towards the door. I encouraged her with baby talk and some cheese (she seems to love cheese). I would get her to go down a stair and then she would immediately go back to the top. She accepted some pets and her tail did raise to a mid level tail wag while petting. Eventually I went back inside and tried the other door. I popped down the stairs quickly and she followed. She immediately pulled back to the first door to go right back inside. Inside the ACA was cleaning her crate so we hung out in the hall way for a bit. Suzie spent most of the time standing near the door with a tail tuck. She was avoidant of me. When I called she would come over and wag her tail but then quickly return to waiting at the door. She went back in her crate with no issue. Back in her crate, Suzie was looser and wiggly, she even jumped up on the bars to seek attention while I was writing on her walk sheet. Per volunteer 5/20: Kennel presentation: Suzie is currently in a crate in the back near I row. I approached her crate and she came straight up to it with soft eyes and mid tail wags. As soon as I opened the crate door she retreated to the back with fear and started trembling. She allowed me to leash her but she didn’t want to move out of her crate as it was her safe place and she just pancaked in it. I sat with her for about 20 minutes but then was able to use a bit of leash pressure to get her out. Leash: Minimal pulling (had to carry half way). Handling: Once Suzie was out of her crate she began walking through the kennels very slowly but continued to walk. We got about half way and she froze up on me and wouldn’t walk. I decided to see how comfortable she was if I picked her up and she allowed me to pick her up with no issues. I brought her into the volunteer room since it’s quieter in there and she pretty much exit searched the entire time. She was very stressed and was lip licking a lot. Her tail was tucked but she continued to allow all handling and at times would come over to me. Going back to her crate she walked really well and went in her crate just fine. Once back in her crate she started to give me mid level tail wags again and just seemed less anxious/ stressed. Toys: No interest. Play: No interest. Per staff 5/19: Sweet but doesn't like restraint. Per staff 5/14: Suzie was weary coming into intake with a tucked tail, but after a few minutes of baby talk and soft pets she gave some shy tail wags and subtle stompies. She laid her head in the nurses lap seeking comfort and was nothing but sweet for all handling including vaccinations. Suzie seems to be a very sweet and calm girl who just needs a little love and confidence. Summary of surrender notes: “Suzie loves to run in circles. She loves gravey train dog food and bones treats. She doesn't like loud noises or other dogs she will get scared. She does not like to be walked afraid of the outside world.” She lived with a 7 year old child and was described as low energy. She is mostly housetrained, knows the command “come to me”, and “walks on leash fine if someone is by her side”. When asked if she had any behavior concerns, they said “No other than she is scared of everything”. She enjoys chew toys with noise. She is scared but friendly towards strangers, friendly and gets excited with children, chases cats, and is scared other dogs. They also noted, “Susie has lost her mother and is very calm in the home. She is great around children and loves to play around 4pm everyday I love her. All I want is someone to take care of her the proper way and she will be loved”. MEDICAL: On 5/18, Suzie was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection (URI) or "doggy cold" and started on medication. She tested positive for pneumovirus, but retested negative on 5/29 and has completed her medication. On 5/15, Suzie was spayed. During her intake exam on 5/14, Suzie appeared to be in good health with minimal staining on most of her teeth, moderate tartar on her canines, and a clean coat and ears. 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 Suzie, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.