🆘🚨HELP KING KRINGLE🆘🚨

‼️URGENT‼️

👉 For the most up-to-date notes, please check the bio located in the comments.👈

King Kringle ACCT-A-208179 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to behavioral concerns. King must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER or ADOPTER by Sunday, December 15th at 10 A.M. Should King Kringle’s medical or behavioral status change, his urgency and timeline for placement may also change.

King Kringle is a spirited and affectionate male dog who arrived at the shelter on 12/1/24, surrendered along with his 10 puppies and their mother due to the puppies’ medical concerns. While his family has since found rescue placement, King remains at the shelter, urgently seeking his second chance at a loving home. Unfortunately, shelter life has been incredibly stressful for King, and he has started to decline behaviorally, putting him at risk. To prevent further deterioration, King needs to find rescue placement or an adoptive home soon.

At his best, King Kringle is a sweet, intelligent, and playful dog with a huge heart. Volunteers describe him as cuddly and loving, always eager to lean in for pets and attention. He’s got a soft, shiny coat, a winning smile, and a tail that never seems to stop wagging when he’s outside the kennel. King is incredibly treat-motivated and takes snacks gently, making him a great candidate for training. He has bursts of puppy-like energy but also loves to relax and cuddle, as one volunteer noted after spending time with him on an A-frame, where King happily climbed up and leaned in for snuggles. Although he hasn’t shown much interest in toys due to stress, King loves exploring and engaging in play with other dogs, displaying friendly curiosity during dog meets.

However, King’s behavior in the kennel tells a different story. The high-stress environment has caused him to become reactive, with staff observing him lunging at the bars, growling, barking, and baring his teeth. Despite being on medication to help ease his anxiety, the shelter environment is proving too overwhelming for him. Once outside his kennel, King often settles down and shows his true, affectionate personality, but his heightened energy and overstimulation can make him a bit mouthy when he gets too excited. He thrives with structure and activity, but he struggles to contain his emotions when confined. Staff and volunteers alike have noted that his behavior improves significantly when he’s given time and space to decompress, suggesting that he would do best in a calm, adult-only home where he can feel safe and supported.

King Kringle has lived in a home before, and his previous owner described him as nervous and needing a slow approach but overall friendly. He has experience living with cats and small dogs, though he can be selective with them. He has also lived with children of all ages but would likely benefit from a quieter home environment where he can decompress and rebuild his confidence.

King Kringle is an affectionate, intelligent dog who is struggling in the shelter and needs a family or rescue to help him thrive. He is timestamped due to his behavioral decline, but with the right home, King could shine as the loving, happy dog he truly is. If you’re looking for a dog with a big heart and a lot of love to give, King Kringle might just be the perfect companion for you.

Videos:

Petting King: https://youtu.be/HdlWr5stpDc

King on the A frame: https://youtu.be/O2hna98iiEQ

KK loves butt rubbs: https://youtu.be/UdXxUGPQaV8

King Kringle & Smores meet https://youtube.com/shorts/ounaNxRc_aA

King Kringle and Librani meet: https://youtube.com/shorts/j1t-l3Cfqks?feature=share

KK and Librani meet 2: https://youtube.com/shorts/LQxwXoyscBw

Behavior Notes:

Per staff 12/12: King has continued to be observed being very reactive in kennel to multiple people, despite being on meds as well. He has been noted lunging at the bars, growling, hard barking, and baring teeth

Per volunteer 12/7: King is the cutest, happiest boy! He has super soft fur and the best smile. He doesn’t know any commands, but is reasonably polite and mostly refrained from jumping on me. King is a very friendly guy, solicited all over pets with loose wiggly body. He had lots of sniffs to do as we walked around; pulls moderately but it’s manageable.

Per volunteer 12/6: Meet cutie cuddly King Kringle! King K is a super sweet and intelligent boy who was surrendered to ACCT Philly along with the puppies that he was used to breed and their mother. Fortunately, mama and puppies found a rescue partner, but Mr. Kringle here finds himself solo and looking for a forever family! KK is a super affectionate boy who is sure to brighten your holiday season and beyond, much like another K Kringle that we know!

Per staff 12/6: King was very good when getting out of his kennel with me. He walked nicely through the kennel area. Once outside, he pulled a bit on the leash. During a dog meet with Librani, he was very interested, approaching to sniff and play bow, but he would quickly lose interest and run off to explore. After Librani went back inside, we stayed out a bit longer. King enjoyed exploring and allowed me to pet him. He jumped up a few times but responded well when told "no," turning away and going back to what he was doing. We did another meet with King and Smores. King was very interested, sniffing and following her, even when Smores wasn’t particularly interested in him. When it was time to go back inside, King was fine with me clipping the leash. Back at his kennel, he gave me sad eyes but was very good about going back in as I spoke to him in an encouraging tone, telling him how good he is. He seemed to like that.

Per staff 12/6: Got King Kringle out to see how he's doing. The ACA in his row mentioned that he has been significantly less reactive today. He had a couple moments of jumping up and barking, but on the whole he has gotten MUCH better. When I entered G row he was quietly waiting by his door with a mid level wagging tail. He was patient and easy to leash, and came right out. In the room he leaned right up against me and allowed all over pets. He did a very funny lean when I scratched his butt. After he said hi to me he sniffed around the room curiously. He seems much calmer today than he has been. He greeted two staff members who entered the room with mid level wags, and gently jumped up on them. He allowed all handling from them and even let them squish his jowls! Another staff member came in after they left, and King got a little more jumpy but stopped when told "no" and was not overbearing. He calmly walked around as we talked and leaned in for all over pets. He was SO SWEET!! He's doing so much better! When it was time to return to kennel he climbed in calmly and got a nice drink of water. Overall, King Kringle was a pleasure to hang out with!

Per volunteer 12/6: King Kringle greeted me with a loose body and wagging tail at his kennel! Very easy for leashing and walks well on leash. Super cuddly boy, he came to me to initiate pets immediately and took pets all over! He remained very wiggly. A little bit jumpy for attention. Takes treat super gently and seems pretty treat motivated. Not interested in toys that I saw. Such a sweet cuddly, dude! I really loved having him out. We stayed on the A frame cuddling for a while. He went up and over the A frame following treats too! We had to wait for someone walking a dog to go by before leaving the play run and he was very calm. No issues returning to kennel! He is in TTA but seemed very well adjusted today

Per staff 12/5: King remains very stressed in kennel. Throughout the day today I have observed her on several occassions up on the bars growling, barking, screaming at people and other dogs passing by.

Per staff 12/3: Brought King out again today to see how he is doing. In kennel King was very reactive and began to jump on the bars growling, barking, and baring teeth with hard eye contact. He calmed down though once he saw the leash and allowed for easy leashing. He was very aroused in the room once again. He was social and friendly with both handlers allowing all handling and soliciting often, but would still get overstimulated fairly quickly and with too much handling would get mouthy and make some snorty/ grunting/ frustrated noises. He is a very active and high energy guy, likely will deteriorate here quickly so would benefit from continued activity time from his kennel.

Per staff 12/2:

KENNEL PRESENTATION:

King Kringle jumped up on the bars baring teeth, hard barking, panting, growling, and huffing. The handler leashed him from high up since he tried to push out.

LEASH SKILLS:

Pulls strongly– very aroused

HANDLING:

In the room, King Kringle was very aroused and gave hard eyes and grumbled while trying to jump up on the handler. She used the barrier to give some space between them. He cannot keep himself focused on anything or be still. The handler tried to pet him through the barrier and he was a bit stiff. She gave him lots of space and time but he continued to pant heavily, jumping up and was just so aroused. He cannot contain all the feelings and energy he has. He took treats nicely and sat for them. Over time he became mouthing with handling and began putting a little bit more pressure with time.

PLAY:

Engages in play

TOYS:

No interest – too stressed

Per staff 12/2: This dog would do best in an adult only home.

Per staff 12/1: strong and excitable but friendly while putting him in kennel.

Per owner 12/1: Has lived with cats (but is selective with them), small dogs (but is selective with them), kids under 5, kids 5-12 yrs, teenagers 13+. Nervous/fearful, needs slow approach, separation anxiety,

Medical Notes:

12/9: Objective

P is still reactive in kennel, jumping and excessive barking, didn't allow much handling while obtaining PCR and needed to be muzzled

Assessment

This dog was observed to be doing the following behaviors: (describe observed behavior)

These behaviors suggest this dog is experiencing severe kennel stress. A veterinarian has reviewed their record and confirmed that there is no expected adverse effects of beginning this medication. Staff will monitor for excessive sedation, vomiting or diarrhea, please report any of these to medical if observed.

While on the medication trazodone, this dog may appear artificially calm and more social than if they were not on this medication. ACCT Philly will only provide a few days of this medication to an adopter, who must plan to follow up with an experienced trainer and veterinarian to continue to work with this dog to manage anxiety related behaviors.

ACCT Philly cannot guarantee that this dog will revert to social and relaxed behavior out of a kennel setting, however behaviors observed in a home environment have been determined to be most predictive of how a dog will behave in a home, especially when compared to the artificial environment of a kennel or animal shelter.

12/9: This dog has been observed to have shelter acquired upper respiratory infection (URI), or a "doggy cold". They have been started on medication, and will be monitored for resolution of the respiratory infection.

12/5: Visual exam in cage. Patient very reactive, jumping/growling/barking at everyone passing by.

~Rx Trazodone ~5 mg/kg PO BID

~Consider increasing dose (up to 10 mg/kg PO BID) if needed

-Gabapentin 11 mg/kg PO BID

~Consider increasing dose (up to 30 mg/kg PO BID) if needed

-Re-evaluate in 3 days

12/4 Intake:

Eyes - eyes red, no ocular d/c, no cloudiness notd

Ears - clean

Nose - clean, no nasal d/c, no sneezing/coughing noted

Mouth/Teeth/Gums - no ulcers found, slight tartar & yellow staining on teeth, gums pink/moist

Coat & Skin - no hairloss, no live fleas found

Urogenital - male intact, 2 testicles

Gait/Mobility - clear, no lameness noted

Attitude: BAR

Due to being significantly overcapacity with dogs and cats and higher than usual intake, extensions are unlikely to be granted. If you are interested in an animal please contact ACCT Philly immediately.

Due to limited space, timestamps may also be proceeded with early so it is imperative to let us know if you are considering adopting or tagging a dog or cat.

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 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