🆘🚨🚨DRAGO URGENTLY NEEDS OUT 12/24/24🚨🚨🆘

Drago ACCT-A-209120 is currently considered urgent and at risk of euthanasia due to behavioral concerns. Drago must have confirmed placement with a RESCUE PARTNER or EXPERIENCED ADOPTER by TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH at 10AM. Should Drago’s medical or behavioral status change, his urgency and timeline for placement may also change.

Drago was found as a stray on December 14th. The finder described him as friendly, cuddly, shy, scared, playful, and calm on leash. Unfortunately, since arriving at the shelter, Drago has been extremely stressed, displaying behaviors such as chewing the divider in his kennel, hypersalivating, and pacing. Because of how stressed he is, he is at risk of further behavioral decline the longer he stays at the shelter. Drago will need an experienced adopter who can give him the training, structure, and ample exercise he needs to thrive. He is open to meeting other dogs, but is looking for a home without any children. Due to his behavioral concerns, Drago is urgently seeking placement with a rescue partner or experienced adopter.

BEHAVIOR:

Per staff 12/21: Drago did so well for his dog meet today! He was much calmer and easier to leash in kennel, waiting patiently by the door to be leashed. He was very tolerant of the other dog who was very aroused and frustrated, and would not stop barking at him. He allowed the other dog to sniff his butt, even though the other dog was quite forward and rude.

Per staff 12/20: High energy and cautious but allowed exam.

Per staff 12/19: When I went to get Drago’s picture, he slowly came to the kennel door after I called his name and quietly sniffed my finger. He then stayed by the kennel door and stared at me with soft eyes. I went around to the other side and called to him, and he came slowly there as well, and gently lifted himself up, putting his paws on the kennel door. Very friendly to me, if quiet.

Per staff 12/19: Very very stressed in kennel. Chewing on his metal kennel divider and pacing back and forth when not chewing.

Per staff 12/19: I visited Drago today while he was with the behavior team in the multipurpose room. Drago is very energetic & was all over the room playing with tennis balls & jumping on the chair having a fun time. He listened when I asked him to sit & he sat right in front of me quietly. He allowed for pets all over. He is a wiggly boy & will definitely need some type of structure & training. Drago also met Britney while I was in the room. He was very happy to meet her & was a bit hyper but definitely knew her boundaries. He was well behaved with her & very interested in engaging in play with her. Drago had good behavior the whole time Britney was with him-never showed any concerning behavior.

Per staff 12/19: Brought Drago out today for some activity time. In kennel Drago was very stressed and was hyper salivating and pacing back and forth and reacting to his neighboring dogs. He remained easy to leash though and exited without issue. In the room with us Drago remained very stressed, but showed good sociability with us, soliciting attention and allowing handling. He leaned in slightly when petting his back and did some toe taps. He lost interest in us pretty quickly and was very focused on exits. When a male handler entered the room Drago did not display any fixation today and greeted him with relaxed body language and approached with mid level wags, allowing handling. Drago also engaged in play with us and showed interest in toys today. When a female staff member entered the room he was curious of her but remained relaxed and did not display any concerning behavior.

Per staff 12/19: Drago is hyper salivating in kennel, leaping at the sides at the other dogs, licking the walls, and appears very stressed.

Per staff 12/17: When I brought Drago into intake and closed the door he fixated immediately on another male staff member. A different female staff member also pointed out his tense body language and hackles. He allowed me to double leash muzzle him and was fine for majority of the check in besides the microchip where he freaked out and was able to get out of the muzzle. I called it after this because i didn't want to escalate it anymore and still fixated on that same male staff member.

12/15 BEHAVIOR EVALUATION:

KNOWN HISTORY:

Stray

KENNEL PRESENTATION:

Drago was up on the bars with a wagging tail and neutral eyes. I reached in with the leash and he got very tense and was still. I closed the door and grabbed some treats as a distraction. I used a lasso leash next time and once secured he came right out.

LEASH SKILLS:

Pulls strongly

Does not like to return – use a running start

HANDLING:

In the room, Drago was neutral in the room, randomly getting tense and another handler was walking around the room. His tail would stick right out and then relaxed fully down consistently through his evaluation. I offered him some treats which he took very gently and even sat for them. He was tolerant of all handling but would lip lick, get tense and hard stare. If we continued over a period of time, his uncomfortable signals would intensify. Another handler was able to run around the room with him and he was aloof, focusing on the door and the handler that wasn't with him. At no point was he dropped due to unpredictable behavior shown previously. When a staff member entered the room through the front door he got very forward and tense with a straight out stiff tail and hyper fixated on her every move, following her around the room. We were able to distract him away but he would side eye us and continued to be tense and stiff. We decided to put him back to this consistent behavior and due to his frustration and whining as we continued to try and interact with him.

PLAY:

Interest

TOYS:

Interest but no possession

Per staff 12/15: According to medical, when the nurse entered dog intake Drago "bit" her, no puncture on 12/14.

MEDICAL:

On 12/20, Drago was prescribed a course of gabapentin and trazodone to help his levels of stress.

Drago appears to be in good health overall. During his intake exam, his eyes, ears, nose, and coat were clean, although his ears were a little red. His teeth had mild staining.

VIDEOS:

Britney and Drago meet pt.1: https://youtube.com/shorts/GS2i0WXm7iU?feature=share

Britney and Drago meet pt.2: https://youtube.com/shorts/EBQKReR0kOc?feature=share

Tank and Drago Meet: https://youtube.com/shorts/FB74yw6m0t8?feature=share

Drago getting pets: https://youtube.com/shorts/H-WLJcpF-kE?feature=share

Due to being significantly overcapacity with animals 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 an animal.

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.

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