Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
Not good with kids,
Not good with dogs,
Not good with cats,
Story
Meet Debo, a shy and sensitive young soul who has found himself terrified in the shelter. Debo has understandably had a tough time since getting here, being very shut down and not too open to handling at first. We've found that after giving Debo a little time to decompress and providing some yummy treats, he is a very sweet boy who's doing his very best to be open and brave! Debo has befriended volunteers and shown them his gentle cuddly side. He enjoys pets and is pretty gentle with taking treats. Once he has a slow approach, he just needs a small amount of time to come around.
Debo is hoping to get out of this loud environment and into a home where he doesn't need to feel defensive and scared. He's now available for adoption at ACCT Philly!
Video:
Debo gets pets: https://youtu.be/-Axj-WrUZd4
Debo & Nippy fence meet:
https://youtube.com/shorts/IMT9j29yRoI?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/2Xj5eAJSG_o?feature=share
Behavior Notes:
5/17/25 Per Volunteer: He was at the other side of the kennel when I approached. I called him over and made a few noises, but he did not come forward. I went to the other side of the kennel and dropped some hotdogs which he ate immediately. He was then more eagerly waiting at the front of the kennel door, and I easily leashed him with no issue! We walked outside to the play yard and he was great on leash. He was interested in exploring while also staying pretty close to my side. He takes treats super gently out of my hand and did sit sometimes. Didn’t show much interest in toys. He took pets from me and would solicit them by coming over to me and leaning against me. Really sweet boy and had loose body language the whole time. Just a little unsure at the beginning! No issues returning to kennel even when he got a little tangled in my leash.
5/16/25 Per Staff:
Debo was out in the yard with an ACA handler so we decided to try a meet. We brought a sweet older girl Nippy to try it out, and an ACA she was really attached to came with. Both dogs came close to the fence and Nippy showed very loose body language after a few seconds of sniffing. Debo sniffed and lightly wagged his tail, but his body language was consistently tense & he let off a few growls the handler noticed. We led her away for a second, and then brought them back together. This time, he was a little looser but his haunches were still up & his body language was still stiff, so we elected not to do a face to face meet without the fence.
Per Staff 5/15/25:
BEHAVIOR EVALUATION: Debo
KNOWN HISTORY:
Owner surrender
KENNEL PRESENTATION:
Debo was sitting against the door on the backside of his kennel. He was facing away from me so i couldn't see his face or eyes. i dropped the leash on top of head and gave him lots of space as he came out.
LEASH SKILLS:
Pulls minimally to moderately – fearful to unleash, exit searching
HANDLING :
In the room, Debo was very nervous and avoidant with us, sniffing around with his nub low. He was curious and wanted to come up as soon as he saw people but slowly approached. He is a very timid and gentle boy, pushing his body into the handlers for comfort and walking away when he gets too nervous. He took some cheese very gently and would even it for it. In certain moments, us standing and giving him cheese would frighten him and he would stand very still and tense but relaxed once we lowered ourselves. He is very head shy and unsure of handling at first but warms into the biggest cuddle bug. He allowed all handling from the 3 handlers and was happily wagging his nub. This scared boy needs a quiet environment and lots of time to gain some confidence.
PLAY:
Minimal interest
TOYS:
No interest
COLOR LEVEL & ANY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Blue
Per Staff 5/12/25: I spent some time getting him to eat high value treats, so that he would move to the other side of the kennel, so the backside could be cleaned. He would only eat when I walked out of sight, so it took a few minutes, but he did eventually move. I came back a few minutes later and open the gate and showed him the leash, and he laid down in the corner and put his head in the corner. I left some treats and did not proceed.
Per Staff 5/11/25: TTA - Attempted to leash patient and lunged , attempting to bite. patient seems to be very nervous , scared . Hard barking and whale eyes. will attempt again after medication .
Per Staff 5/10/25: Debo was very fearful when he came in. No reactivity or aggression, but concerned that he could escalate if pushed at that point. Opted to move him to a kennel, start meds, try intake tomorrow.
Per Staff 5/10/25: sweet loves treats knows sit
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
