ashton

Meet Ashton, a happy, outgoing, and playful young male who is ready to find his forever home! Found as a stray in January, Ashton was adopted shortly after but returned again as a stray on March 15th. He is now looking for a new family! He’s great with kids, friendly with other dogs, and loves to greet everyone he meets. Ashton is smart and eager to please—he quickly learned commands like sit, lay down, and give paw, and he enjoys showing off his skills.

This big, wiggly, and joyful boy loves playtime and engaging with people, and he thrives with consistent exercise and positive attention. Ashton would do best in a home with a family ready to provide structure, fun, and lots of love. Could you be the one to give this friendly pup the home he deserves?

Videos:
Phoenix and Ashton drop leash 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtfYgZ96c2I
Phoenix and Ashton drop leash 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4ycNxk90lw

Playgroup 3/19:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfMCm6kgAGI50VnSKX7wkaTyt9b0MCrvt&si=rSMcy_7X6fJJv7x9

Playgroup 1/11: Sneezy, Ashton
https://youtu.be/ZvDLsvyV_XE

Playgroup 1/11: Sneezy, Ashton, Keno
https://youtu.be/n9hQ3rDS-sY

Playgroup 1/11: Sneezy, Ashton 2
https://youtu.be/eB3fwP3tqFs

Behavior Notes:
3/22 volunteer behavioral eval:
Kennel Presence:
Ashton was lying down when I arrived. His body remained still and loose. Ashton accepted a treat when offered, taking it calmly without snatching or pawing at the front of the kennel. Ashton had not been out of the kennel for three days due to a pending PCR test (came back negative and he did not seem sick).

Leash Handling:
I was able to place the leash on Ashton without resistance. As the kennel door opened, Ashton moved forward quickly, requiring me to use my leg to block the doorway. Once leashed and exiting, Ashton moved with forward momentum, creating tension on the leash, particularly when passing kibble scattered near the kennel entrance. Ashton continued pulling behavior while moving toward the outdoor area. Once outside, leash tension decreased intermittently. Ashton’s energy level remained high.

Sociability (Human Interaction):
Ashton consistently moved into my space and initiated contact by pressing his body against my legs and hands during petting. In the yard, Ashton engaged with toys briefly, picking them up and releasing them after short intervals, and frequently redirected to hopping / galloping around the yard. Ashton displayed repeated jumping behaviors. During these interactions, Ashton’s did not bite or nip and his body remained loose. I was able to redirect the jumping with a toy. He got the zoomies a few times. Ashton’s body language was consistent throughout — a neutral to elevated tail, relaxed ears, and fluid, wiggly movements. No freezing, hard staring, or avoidance behaviors were observed.

Dog-to-Dog Interaction:
Ashton was introduced to another dog (“Munchkin”) through the fence. Ashton approached the fence with a loose body posture. His tail was at a neutral height with movement, and he remained in proximity to the fence while the other dog barked. Ashton did not retreat or show escalation and continued to display tolerant behavior in response to the other dog’s vocalizations.

Return to Kennel:
When returning to the kennel, Ashton paused at the entrance and did not immediately step inside. I used a treat to guide him, and Ashton followed the treat into the kennel space. He allowed me to reach over his head while he was eating the treat to remove the leash. He remained in his kennel with his treat as I closed/locked the door.

Assessment Summary:
Ashton is an Experienced Gold due to leash pulling, high activity level, jumping behaviors during handling, and the need for food-based coaxing to re-enter the kennel. Ashton demonstrates frequent proximity-seeking behavior with people, sustained environmental engagement, and loose, non-escalatory body language during both human and dog interactions.

Per owner 3/11/26: Very outgoing, happy dog very good with kids And greet with other dogs. He’s very easy to teach - I taught him to sit lay down and give paw he listens very good.

Playgroup Notes 3/19:
Steer test: 2/5 with water.
Loose and wiggly at the fence greeting. Play bows with soft eyes and ears to the side. Came into the yard fast and ready to play. Remained loose and wiggly in the yard, takes good play pauses.

Per staff 1/11/26:
Kennel Presentation: soft loose and wiggly at the kennel door.

Leash Skills: no issues leashing per the ACA. He's a big boy and does pull on the leash.

Sociability: loose wiggly with soft eyes. allowed all handling. Not jumpy or mouthy.

Play: n/a

Dog Interaction: did great in pg. Was loose, friendly and wanted to play.

Return to Kennel: needed some leash pressure and a treat to return to kennel.

Color Level: blue


Playgroup 1/11/26: Not steerable with water or shake can, good fence greeting, loose and wiggly, play bowing, spin moves, push/pull play style, mounting

Per staff 1/9/26: he was really sweet but very nervous during intake heavy panting ears were back the whole time and eyes really red.

Per staff 1/9/26: Really Jumpy and Friendly!


Per finder 1/9/26: Found by police and described as being friendly

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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