Petulia is an 11-year-old pittie who was brought to the shelter as a stray. Staff noted that she was extremely fearful upon intake, trembling with soft eyes, ears back, and her tail tucked. Despite her fear, Petulia has shown gentle behavior and slowly begins to relax with patient handling, soft voices, and tasty treats. Petulia would benefit from a calm, patient home where she can continue to build confidence at her own pace. Videos Petulia has some swagger: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FSZIKiLB_BI Meet Petulia: https://youtube.com/shorts/RGfgeTUzhkU?si=YmpBBUoig_t8BQtv Petulia enjoying treats: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cnE8ir77B20 Petulia and Guava fence meet: https://youtube.com/shorts/IPhliGAPKJQ?si=EY0i1Vv-v4SMeu5t Petulia and Freya walk along: https://youtu.be/DCC1aP_L4zg?si=i9uN00Hei4ZVH2En Petulia Freya 1: https://youtu.be/0CBo_3XhB8o?si=yyF_C48ItrO37Vdn Petulia and Freya drop leash 2: https://youtu.be/qz96--uLJ8U?si=BVwfF_R8bjqhL6MS Behavioral Notes per overnight 5/24-5/25: -Activities: Car ride; walk around Home Depot; walk around the neighborhood a few times; hanging out watching TV; snack time and 2 meals. -Where did you go, and would you recommend it to others? Why or why not? I highly recommend taking Petulia out on a day trip cuz her body language was relaxed and curious as soon as she got in the car. She jumped in the car on her own everytime but needed a small assist to leave. Petulia happily walked at stores who take dogs and around my neighborhood. She's easy on leash, notices other dogs but does not pull toward them, and was tolerant of people who politely approached her. Petulia saw my 2 dogs through a glass door and approached them. She was also observant of other dogs on our walk. She did stop and pull some toward 6-8 squirrels playing in a yard. It was a lot of squirrels so I counted them. -While inside the house and overnight, she was not crated and stayed calm and slept. She did have a pee and poop accident in the AM which was fine because pee pads were on the floor. -How was the dog's energy level throughout the trip? 2 / 5 -How was the dog in the car? While in the car, Petulia was calm and quiet and looked out the window most of the time. No whimpering or barking or pacing. She stayed in the backseat with a tether. -How comfortable was the dog in new surroundings? Somewhat comfortable -How did the dog react seeing other animals in passing (cats, dogs, squirrels, birds, etc.)? Was excited but did not react -How did the dog react seeing people, such as runners, bikers, or children? We passed a stroller and joggers and Petulia had no reaction. She definitely saw them but did not pull or react, but kept walking. -Describe the dog's leash manners: Walks at a slow to medium pace with a steady and straight direction. There was one time when she lost her balance around a step- she can seem a little wobbly at the start of a walk or with uneven surfaces -How did the dog take treats? Very gentle -Favorite moment from the overnight? Seeing her jump right into my car and look out the window with relaxed ears was a wonderful thing to see since she's been shutdown at the shelter. Also, while in a store, a man approached her with his hand and she was relaxed and enjoyed a soft head pet. It was so nice to see her be a dog. -Please share any information about the dog that would be helpful to know One more favorite moment, is she jumped up in the sofa and hung out for some TV time. She was not cuddling, but she initiated the moment and later their till it was time for bed. Petulia seems familiar with cars and some home etiquette. She's also hand shy so please go slow and chin pets are a great option. Per volunteer 5/23: Named for a 1968 romantic drama, the socialite aspect of her name fits her well. She is gorgeous, an absolute model. She's a bit older, but doesn't really show it. A little cloudiness in her eyes, perhaps, but her mobility is excellent. She had minimal tension during her massage and took treats very gently. Anyone would be lucky to have this beautiful dame in their home. She's not bothered by the fuss of the shelter; she's just getting massages, sleeping peacefully and waiting for that amazing human who will come get her. Volunteer notes 5/21: Petulia was sleeping on her bed & woke up with the leash placed. She took 30 secs to get up and then slowly trotted to the door. Petulia took a little maneuvering around corners and doors but she was calm and followed along. When outside, Petulia's gait picked up and her tail had a low wag. We went into a run, and she immediately walked toward the dog nearby, sniffed and lingered. Most of the time outside, Petulia walked the perimeter but would pick her head up when I clapped or vocalized. She was more perky today than when Inhad her out before. With that said, Petulia still got small when I approached for pets and so I backed off and tried baby talk but no change in body language. She took treats from my hand several times but shrunk her head and body when I was close so I backed off again. This poor pup. She trotted back inside w/ a low tail wag and nice cadence. Really nice to see some pep in her step. Petulia entered the kennel on her own and looked at me for treats. No issues with over the head leash removal. Per volunteer 5/16/2026: very sweet old lady! She was laying down in her kennel and came to the door slowly, allowed me to secure her easily. She walks a bit stiffly due to her age, but no pulling on leash. Generally aloof and exit searching in the yard. Tolerated handling and petting but did not solicit it. Very gentle and independent. Opened up and ran up and down the fence with a loose body and some play bows when she saw Guava Great dog meet with Freya (notes below), easy to return to kennel. Leveling down to exp gold. Per volunteer 5/16/2026: good dog meet with Freya. Loose body with a mid to high tail. Very tolerant of Freya's jumpiness, returned with some brief jumpy play. Both did good play pauses to check in with each other and were done playing after a few minutes, then ignored each other. Per volunteer 5/13: Petulia was standing in her kennel when I approached and I leaned in to leash her. She calmly exited her kennel and the shelter. Once outside, she started sniffing the ground. With some soft tugs on the leash, Petulia was directed away from the door and out to the yard. She's a slow walker and was wobbly at times. Petulia peed on the grass several times and sniffed it. We made our way to an outside run where Petulia watched some people, but did not engage with any Toys. She stared toward the parking lot or at the building. She shrunk a little in her body stance when I pet her. She seemed more relaxed when I offered chin scratches. Petulia perked up for hot dog treats and took them gently. As we headed back to the shelter, Petulia pulled to stay outside in the grass so we did. She sniffed and peed several times. As she was walking along the fence, she tripped over a hole and fell on her side. I helped Petulia roll back over and she stiffened a bit but recovered back to standing. Petulia calmly walked back to her kennel without issue and took more treats. Per staff 5/10: Kennel Presentation: Sleeping on her bed, did not wake up when calling to her or opening the door. Woke up when a treat was tossed in, trembling, wide eyes, avoiding eye contact, ears back, ate the treat that was offered. Leash Skills: Needed a treat lure to leash. Once leashed, laid down, trembling, wide eyes, ears back. With a treat trail she slowly came out of kennel. Once out walked on a loose leash, head low, tail low, ears back, wide eyes. Once outside went to the bathroom. Stopped frequently to sniff. Sociability: Asocial in the yard. Would not come over when called, ears back, nose to the ground, low tail, wide eyes. When petting, skin crawled, tense body, low still tail, ears back, closed mouth. Would move away when I stopped. Did not eat any treats that were offered outside. Play: No interest in any toys. Dog Interaction: Saw a dog walk by the yard, ears forward, low tail, softer eyes, sniffed in the direction of the dog. Return to Kennel: Walked back on a loose leash, head low, wide eyes, tail low. Hopped right into kennel and leash was removed easily. Color Level: Blue Per staff 5/8 2:40pm Dog is very fearful, was scared to come out of crate upon our arrival, dog has soft eyes, ears back, tail tucked, dog trembling the whole time 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