ACCT Philly is working to track down dogs transferred to a New Jersey rescue that appears to have shut down, while investigating reports that one of the dogs was shot following a biting incident.
The Philadelphia animal shelter is also considering changes to how it approves rescue partnerships as questions remain about the whereabouts of dogs sent to Gone Rogue Girls Rescue.
ACCT Philly Executive Director Sarah Barnett said the organization’s immediate priority is finding the animals.
“The biggest thing right now is everyone’s trying to figure out where are the dogs and working backwards from that that’s our concern,” Barnett said.
Among the dogs transferred to Gone Rogue Girls Rescue was Biggie Smalls, who originally arrived at ACCT Philly after being found as a stray. According to ACCT Philly, Biggie had no known behavioral issues but did have health concerns related to a mass.
Gone Rogue Girls Rescue, which ACCT Philly had vetted and worked with since 2024, took in Biggie Smalls earlier this year. The rescue had received more than 100 dogs from ACCT Philly during their partnership.
In May, the rescue shared a social media post announcing Biggie’s death. But this month, Barnett began investigating tips that Biggie had been shot following a biting incident. The circumstances surrounding Biggie’s death have not been verified by police or animal control.
Barnett said ACCT Philly has been unable to get answers directly from the rescue.
“We were not able to reach the rescue. We reached out to our partners directly to get information,” Barnett said.
NBC10 contacted Pemberton Township police – where the rescue was located – about the case, but police declined to comment. NBC10 also attempted to contact the rescue and its owners through multiple listed phone numbers, but the numbers were disconnected.
The Gone Rogue Girls Rescue website is blank, and its social media accounts have been taken down. An NBC10 reporter also visited a listed address but received no answer.
While the rescue’s closure has not been independently confirmed with its owners, ACCT Philly has received information from other rescue partners that Gone Rogue Girls Rescue transferred dogs to them.
As the search for answers continues, ACCT Philly has created an online portal containing the medical histories of dogs transferred to Gone Rogue Girls Rescue.
The goal is to make that information available to whoever is currently caring for the animals.
The shelter is also reviewing how it works with rescue organizations and considering changes to its partnership approval process.
For now, Barnett hopes the people who operated Gone Rogue Girls Rescue will come forward and help account for the dogs.
“Do what you can now to make it right. Tell people where the animals are,” Barnett said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.
