Star ACCT-A-249024 is a two-year-old black Lab mix who came to ACCT Philly as an owner surrender on May 2nd. At home, Star was mostly housebroken, fully crate trained, knew several commands, and lived peacefully with cats. She is described by her owner as loyal, protective, and always loving. Star is a medium-energy dog with a lot of heart, but she needs time and patience to come out of her shell. She is understandably stressed in the shelter environment and has shown fear-based behaviors including tense body language, whale eyes, and avoidance of handling. With a slow, treat-based approach she can be leashed and taken outside, and once out of the kennel her body loosens up and her tail begins to rise. She has met other dogs with tolerance, offering appropriate greetings at the fence before becoming overwhelmed. Star would do best in an adult-only home with an experienced handler who understands fearful dogs and can give her the space and consistency she needs to decompress and build trust. VIDEOS: Star and Saint Francis https://youtu.be/eltU5Fjd3t0?si=doAmA7gEAXphl2xb Star and Benji R https://youtu.be/AokqVDdLRsg?si=jlCWB1ezeQGyk1CG https://youtu.be/stWaAY7GFm8?si=kGB6tvrXalJiKvrF https://youtu.be/72JjyrvKgMo?si=KwNRIvAFAeylkND1 Star and Draco Plato https://youtu.be/KKBpq61rpDU?si=WptJztXbeiRF4i9m Playgroup 5/12: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfMCm6kgAGI61DQGJMml0Y89YNA_C7IZt BEHAVIOR NOTES: Per staff 5/12: Star and Draco Plato. Good greetings at the fence, head whipped when Draco sniffed ear. Avoidant and unsure. Per staff 5/12: Playgroup 5/12. Steer test: 3/5 with water. Loose body with soft eyes and ears to the side at the gate. Good greeting, gave a play bow then became overwhelmed. Tense body, tail down and ears back when the other dogs came up to her. Per staff 5/5: Kennel Presentation: Standing on her bed when I approached her kennel. Her eyes were wide, ears back and tail down not moving. I offered a treat and she came up to the front slowly taking the treat gently. Leash Skills: When I opened the door she retreated back, I tossed a few treats and she came forward to eat them. I was able to do a treat lure to leash up. Star came out of the kennel slowly. Walking through her tail was tightly down, eyes darting and ears back. Sociability: Asocial. I was able to handle all over, however she did not solicit for pets. She takes treats gently. While out in the yard her tail began to come out and her body loosened up. Play: N/A Dog Interaction: Met Saint Francis. Stood still when Saint Francis came up to her, wide eyes with ears back and tail down. Flinched when he sniffed her back end and then moved away. Return to Kennel: Went right into her kennel and I was able to slowly remove the leash with my hand. Color Level: Blue Per staff 5/2: New behavioral information from the medical nurse is provided, changing status to evaluate as when I approach the kennel, dog has well averted gaze, ears to the side, tense, laying down, mouth closed barking and low growling. Scheduling on a few days of meds for FAS to see if behavior improves. Per staff 5/2: Star came in and immediately started to back up, had whale eyes, tense body posture and timid behavior. Didn't like to be touched and was reactive to any type of movement. Tried a slow and steady approach and she would react with quick turnaround movements especially with head as if she wanted to bite. Agreed to muzzle her and bear hug restraint while she was already sitting. Once beginning admin of vaccines, she became even more tense and started to growl. She even snarled at the ACA who was restraining. ACA tried to remove red leash muzzle, but she began to jump uncontrollably and growl. They had to escort her with red leash muzzle remaining on all the way to kennels. Per owner surrender notes 5/2: Owner surrendered Star due to lack of time and an upcoming move. Star has been with the owner for two years. She is mostly housebroken, fully crate trained, and medium energy. Pulls a little on leash. Knows her name, sit, down, lay down, go potty, wait, and stay. Sleeps in a dog bed on the floor. Enjoys squeaky toys and chew toys. Likes going for walks, hanging out with owners, playing with kids, playing with other animals, being petted, and napping. Behavioral concerns noted: escaping from the yard or house, food guarding, and fearfulness of strangers. Reacts nervously or fearfully toward strangers, neutrally toward children, and is described as super friendly toward other dogs and cats. High prey drive toward wildlife. Previously lived with adults and cats. Per owner 4/29: Energetic, shy, and protective. Very affectionate and loyal. - 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 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.