Gus

My story

Gus isn’t the dog who will run up to greet you with a wiggly wagging tail—he’s the kind of dog who will steal your heart slowly & quietly. Found as a stray, Gus is struggling in the shelter environment. He’s scared, shut down, and spends most of his time curled up quietly at the back of his crate, trying to disappear from a world that’s overwhelmed him. When you look into his eyes, you can feel the hurt—and the hope—beneath the surface. Approaching Gus takes patience and gentleness. Treats and baby talk didn’t win him over at first, but with time and care, he slowly learns to trust. Outside, away from the noise and stress, we see little glimmers of the dog he wants to be—a few tiny tail wiggles, a little more ease in his body, a moment of peace. Gus allows handling and seems to take comfort just being next to you. During a quiet moment, he sat beside a volunteer on a bench—not asking for anything, just quietly existing together. And that moment? It meant everything. Gus needs someone special. Someone who understands that healing takes time. Someone who knows that love isn’t always loud or instant—but that the slowest bonds are often the strongest. In the right home—a calm, patient one—Gus will learn that the world isn’t so scary, and that people can be kind. If you’ve ever wanted to change a life just by showing up with quiet compassion, Gus is waiting for you at ACCT Philly. You can meet him any day between 10 am & 6 pm VIDOES Gus is a lover https://youtube.com/shorts/jVVTK4P9_ng?feature=shared BEHAVIOR: 05/21/2025 volunteer notes: Kennel presentation: Gus is in a crate in the eval room. When I approached his crate he was at the very back of his crate lying down. I opened the crate door and he did not get up. He was lip licking and just seemed uncomfortable. I tried to lasso him over the head but he dodged the leash. After a few minutes I decided to call him over to see if he would come and he did get up and slowly walk towards me. I lassoed him over the head and although still nervous he walked out of his crate. Leash: minimal pulling Handling: At first I took Gus into the volunteer room. In the room he began to exit search displaying pawing at the door, sitting at the door and if the door opened he would try to go out. I moved him into the adoptions room where it is quieter and he did much better. He allowed all over handling and although uncomfortable at types lip licking and standing still he was very tolerant of it. I sat on the bench and he ended up coming up and sitting next yo me on the bench not soliciting pets but seemed to find comfort just sitting next to you. He had no interest in play, toys or treats. I had no issues returning him to his crate and he went right back in with no issues. Play: no interest Toys: no interest 05/21/2025 staff notes, playgroup: Fearful, uninterested in the beginning, steerable, avoidant, insecure when interacting, timid, showed interest in females later on, sexually motivated at times. Gentle Dainty 05/20/2025 volunteer notes: this sweet boy broke my heart tonight. He is so shutdown and scared in his kennel. When I went to open his kennel and gauge how he was feeling, he didn’t want to move from the back corner of his crate. I tried to pursue him with treats and soft baby talk but I could just tell from The hurt in his eyes that it wasn’t going to be that easy. Once I was able to leash him, he did slowly come out of his crate and walked throughout the shelter very cautiously to get outdoors. After sometime outside, he did seem to loosen up a bit and he did give me a few tail wiggles. He was definitely more relaxed outside but still very cautious of his surroundings. I know with time and patience, his true personality will shine and everyone will adore him just like I do. 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 Gus , please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.