Harpo - Pit Bull Terrier Dog for Adoption in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Meet Harpo, an energetic and fun-loving boy waiting for his forever home! Harpo was found as a stray and brought to the shelter, where he has shown that he's quite playful and affectionate! He's a treat motivated boy who seems to be ready to learn. Harpo has participated in our dog play group where he showed some humping tendencies, and would need further dog testing to understand what kind of dog he'd do well with. He is now at ACCT Philly and available for adoption or rescue partner. Meet him any day from 10am-6pm!

Video:
Cuddling Harpo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfGzoqO3gRI

Good boy Harpo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFw1QR-Lbpk

Playgroup 7/28/2026: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMR3OZAsxYYc&si=uOcGp2h6P4-e6XFZ

Dog meet 7/26/2026: https://youtu.be/vgiBr_nZTSs

Harpo and Wraith leashed meet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TzW67OplLw

Playgroup 7/25: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGUnegEFCnp8

Behavior Notes:
Per Volunteer 8/1/2026: Was sleeping in his bed when I approached and didn't come to the front until I started to take my leash off. He was trying to push out with his nose, so was a little difficult to leash. When I finally got him leashed he jumped right out of the kennel and pulls quite a bit on the way out. Would recommend a harness. In the play yard he is very affectionate and pretty jumpy trying to solicit attention. He is in the isolation area so likely doesn't have much interaction or exercise and might be more energetic than usual. When I was taking out my treats, he did try to muzzle punch me a few times, however kept his body loose and wiggly. He's very treat motivated and can be a little snatchy with them when you are taking too long. Definitely has some puppy antics however very sweet guy! Jumps up to solicit pets from you. Hesitated to go back into kennel heavily and I had to drop treats then used leash pressure to go inside.

Per Staff 7/29/2026: While the good dog introduction attribute is added, his intent has only been on mounting so the dog introduction should be ultimately considered inconclusive

Playgroup 7/28/2026- water 4/5 can 0/5
High stiff tail, ears back, hackles raises
Good fence greetings
In yard: tail up and loosely wagging, whining
Tolerant of spirit
Not engaging in play, looks like trying to hump.

Behavior Eval 7/26/2026:
Kennel Presentation: At the front of his kennel jumping up on the door with ears back, loose body, mid tail wags. Took a treat snatchy through the bars.

Leash Skills: Tried to push out when leashing, tossed some treats back which he went for and when he came back up, able to leash easily with a treat. Pulled moderately on leash, mid tail, ears back.

Sociability: Would come over when I called to him in the yard and jump on me with ears back, soft eyes, mid tail wags. Stopped when I moved away. I moved over to the bench and he came over and jumped up on me with the same body language, tossed a treat and he hopped down then returned and jumped up on the bench where he allowed all handing with mdi to low tail wags, ears back, loose body. Very snatchy with treats, tossing them is best. Jumped up on me again and was sniffing into my treat pouch.

Play: Would chase the toys then lost interest.

Dog Interaction: Met Merlin, mid to high tail fat wags, ears back, pulled moderately towards him. Able to move away with calling and light leash pressure. Later into the meet attempted to mount.

Return to Kennel: Walked back pulling mildly, clipped leash due to walk sheet notes of being hard to return. Stopped outside his kennel and pulled back on leash, went to his kennel for a treat and did not hop in. Needed leash pressure to return and tried to push back out once in, removed leash with the clip method.

Playgroup 7/25/2026: Mildly steerable with water (1/5) moreso with shake can (4/5). At gate: excited, ears up/back, mid/high tail wags, loose mouth, panting, shuffling around. Mounted Tice asap, received an appropriate low growl after the second attempt. Mounted Pluto also. Pluto tolerated the several first few attempts, gave a clear growl eventually. Harpo heard and eased off a bit, but was steered away the rest of the way by staff. Continued trying to mount but remained responsive to being steered by the spray bottle.

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

The Pit Bull Terrier is a resilient and loyal breed known for its muscular build and loving nature. Originally bred for bull baiting and later dog fighting, Pit Bulls today are beloved family pets cherished for their gentle temperament and playful personality. With proper training and socialization, Pit Bull Terriers make affectionate companions that thrive on human interaction. Recognized for their strength and agility, these dogs require regular exercise and mental stimulation to channel their energy positively, reinforcing their reputation as devoted and trainable pets.

Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia is the region's largest high-volume, open-admission animal shelter.  Open every single day of...