Dog of the Week: Stephon

STEPHON (A14578323) is a 1- to 2-year-old male terrier mix. He has a pretty, soft, rust-colored coat; gorgeous matching eyes; and a red nose. But sadly, the ends of his ears have been snipped.

Please don’t judge this young dog by his funky ears. He has not been treated so well in his young life, but still has a heart of gold. He was found as a stray on the streets of Philadelphia looking for somewhere warm to sleep and something to eat. Stephon is on the thin (very thin!) side and has some scars on his body. Though he physically shows evidence of a difficult life, his personality shows him to be a very gentle, eager to please, and people-friendly dog.

During his evaluation, Stephon laid his head in the evaluator’s lap and, though he wasn’t originally interested in toys or playing, he did do some tail wagging. After being at the shelter for a bit of time, Stephon is now a playful guy who loves to chase toys and romp in the run with a person or dog!

He has learned sit, and is working on down too. He is very treat-motivated, but is a gentleman when taking something delicious for someone’s hand. He also had the chance to meet a family with six kids of all ages in it! Stephon did excellently with the children – no jumping, gentle with toys and treats, etc.

Stephon shows signs of being housetrained, as he does prefer to do his business outside and will go the first chance he gets upon walking out the door. Stephon showed no issues with food and was only distractedly interested in cats. He has had a few play dates while at the shelter and seems to be a rough-and-tumble kind of boy, which may be too much for some dogs. It doesn’t appear as though he has had much chance in his past to actually play with other dogs, so Stephon is learning how to now with the help of his Pen Pals and the other great volunteers at ACCT.

He can be re-tested with cats if you’ve got any at home, and bring any resident dogs down to the shelter so we can ensure that everyone will be besties! Kids in the family under the age of 13 should also come to meet Stephon to make sure everyone loves each other! Currently Stephon’s adoption fee is just $25 which includes vaccinations, neuter surgery and a microchip!

For more information email Stephon’s Pen Pals at larakelly AT comcast.net or katherine.ACCT AT gmail.com

These animals are located at Philadelphia’s animal control shelter, ACCT. They need immediate adoption or foster care. ACCT is located at 111 W Hunting Park Ave and is open 365 days a year. Adoption hours are Monday-Friday; 1pm-8pm; Saturday and Sunday; 10am-5pm. To check the status of an animal, call 267-385-3800. Check in every week with NEast Philly to see the cat and dog of the week.