lilac

Meet Lilac (ACCT-A-249457)! Lilac is a sensitive, gentle soul who is looking for a patient home to help her feel safe and loved. While she can be shy when meeting new people, her true personality shines through once she knows she is in a kind environment.

When she first arrived at the shelter, she was very overwhelmed, but she has made wonderful progress. Volunteers have noted that while she may start a walk feeling a bit shaky, she warms up beautifully with some soft pets and positive reinforcement. She is very treat-motivated.

In the yard, Lilac really begins to blossom. She actively seeks out affection, staying close to her human friends and leaning in for pets. She has also spent some time meeting other dogs; while she can be a bit avoidant and prefers her personal space during introductions, she is tolerant and polite.

Because the world can feel a bit big and scary to Lilac right now, she would thrive in a quiet, loving home where she can settle in at her own pace. She is looking for a family who will continue her positive reinforcement training and provide her with the secure, cozy environment she deserves. If you have a soft spot for the shy ones, Lilac is ready to be your most loyal and affectionate companion.

📽️Videos📽️:
Lilac and Allie Meet: https://youtube.com/shorts/qHROiunx3P8?feature=share

Lilac and Alimae Meet: https://youtube.com/shorts/FFmfpZgvGCk?si=3ubFl31W7CkMwUKq

Lilac Video 1: https://youtube.com/shorts/cCK9KHSychs?si=4RGpiOAwcJyDwJkv

Lilac Video 2: https://youtu.be/-Fw35iMWnog?si=CCK-LwEaDbYTdXij

⭐Behavioral Notes⭐
Per volunteer 5/11: She was very shy, tail down, shakey. She needed to be lured forward in the kennel to leash, and I had to step away and come back for her, as she ran to the back of the kennel once I got my leash on her. She got outside quickly. She remained pretty shy and stubborn outside but she warmed up a lot. And she warmed up to me as handler a lot, too. She loved pets and she was treat motivated. She also seemed to be looking for gaps in the fence/yard to escape, and even fit her head under a looser fence. She would shine and do well once she is out of the kennel in a quiet and loving environment ❤️

Per staff 5/9: Laying at front of kennel, easy to leash and came right out. Did a dog meet in the eval room and she was avoidant when the other dog attempted to sniff her hind end. They had some good face to face sniffs. Needed to use a little leash pressure and a boost on her hind end to go into kennel.

Per staff 5/9: Meeting a husky: avoidant, tolerant, whale eye, moved away consistently.

Per staff 5/8:
Kennel Presentation: Found in large main kennel laying on blanket in tightly curled ball position. Displayed stress signals including whale eye, ears pasted back, and lip licking. Initially retreated when treats were tossed into kennel, staying seated and circling away from handler. After handler sat with back turned and continued offering treats, patient began eating from hand within a few minutes.
Leash Skills: Required lassoing for leash placement as patient retreated to back of kennel when leash was presented. Once leashed, exited kennel slowly with deliberate movement. Walked on loose leash once outside the kennel area.
Sociability: In outdoor pen, oriented toward handler and stayed close, actively soliciting touch. Allowed calm handling and touching all over body. Accepted placement of calming collar without resistance. Readily accepted food rewards (chicken and hot dogs) from handler's hand.
Play: Showed no interest in toys during assessment.
Dog Interaction: Not assessed during this evaluation.
Return to Kennel: Placed in crate in eval room rather than returning to main kennel area for quieter environment and easier future leashing access.
Color Level: Assigned experienced gold level.
Recommendations and considerations:
- Calming collar applied (30-day duration)
- Cleared for adoption availability
- Continue positive reinforcement approach with food rewards
- Allow dog to approach at own pace during initial interactions

Per staff 5/6: This dog is being started on behavior meds for FAS

Per staff 5/5: Unable to check in due to behavior, staff unable to get her out of kennel, she was hiding under her bed tense.

Per staff 5/5: Laying under her bed trembling, ears back, wide eyes, threw in some cheese and pepperoni, sniffed the cheese did not eat. Did not come out from under her bed. Switching to evaluate.

Per staff 5/4: Dog was cowering in corner of the crate, ears pinned back and defensive barking. She ducked the leash a few times but after a few tries she relaxed and allowed staff to leash her. Thrashed a little on leash outside the house, tried to hide under the truck. Allowed staff to lift her onto the truck without issue then laid down in the corner of the compartment. Scared, go slow.

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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