Date of intake:: 5/5/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender

Previously lived with:: 1 adult 1 SMB

Behavior toward strangers:: prefers contact on her terms, will lunge, snap and bite

Behavior toward children:: shy, contact on her terms

Behavior toward dogs:: familiar dogs is tolerant and unfamiliar dogs will snap and lunge

Behavior toward cats:: no experience

Resource guarding:: when her food is touched she will growl/hard bark and bite

Bite history:: The owner states that there have been a few times where the dog has gotten out of the harness and chased after ppl who would pass by . The owner stated that one time when Grace escaped her harness, she chased a person down and ripped their pants, scratching the person's knee but not drawing blood . On another occasion, she chased someone and they jumped on a car to avoid the dog . The owner states that he would try his best to walk Grace in the early morning to avoid being around too many people. Grace is unable to attend dog parks as she is also concerning when around other dogs. There were another resident dog and the owner stated that sometimes they get along,  sometimes they don't . Both dogs were fed in their own cages due to Grace trying to attack the other resident dog while they were eating. Last month the dogs were in one room, and the client was in the other when he heard commotion. Both dogs had gotten into an altercation; when the owner attempted to separate, Grace then redirected and tried to bite him, and the other dog ended up with a puncture on his leg.

Housetrained:: Partially

Energy level/descriptors:: Grace is noted to have a very high energy level in the prior home.

Other Notes:: She has destructive tendencies, will lunge and growl/hard bark at strangers, dogs and small animals. When restrained will Barks/Growls, disturbed Isn't bothered, when startled is Fearful, when moved from Furniture Isn't bothered, when paws Touched Isn't bothered and when her collar is Grabbed Fearful She is vocal, likes to spend time in the living room, has escalated during grooming and doesn't allow her nails to be trimmed.She goes on 30 min walks 1-2x daily with hard pulling. She is crate trained up to 6 hours and doesn't do well. She loves car rides but doesn't enjoy being put in the car. She knows the cue for sit and no and she eats Beneful dog food

Date of assessment:: 5/13/2026

Summary:: Due to grace multiple bite hsitory and defensive behavior in care, a handling assessment will not be condcuted at this time.

Summary (6):: 5/14/26: Grace is at the front of her kennel when the handler approaches, and when baby talked will back away, whale eye and begin to tail wag with a high tail. Grace is then left alone due to her discomfort. 5/13: Grace is curled up tightly in her bed when a handler approaches. She ignores the handler and closes her eyes, potentially feigning sleep. The handler ends the interaction. 5/10 (pm): Grace is at the front of her kennel when a handler approaches. She sniffs the offered spray cheese before licking some that the handler places on the kennel door. The handler unlocks the door, and Grace continues to eat. She backs away when she notices the leash but returns for cheese. Grace continuously dodges and whips her head out of the lead, making it difficult to leash her even when offered cheese. She will come back to the front when the handler resets their lead, but during one attempt, she charges and snaps at the handler, and on another attempt, she bares her teeth and snaps at the lead. Due to her kennel being heavily soiled, the handler continues their attempts to remove her from the kennel. It takes over 10 minutes before the handler is able to successfully leash Grace. Once out of the kennel, she charges towards the handler's right leg, mouth open. The handler quickly stiff-arms her and walks her to the behavior office. A second handler in the office leaves to clean Grace's kennel, and she hard stares at the second handler. She does not readily accept any sausages or treats that are dropped. Grace is kept on the handler's lead, and she wanders under the computer desk after the handler sits. She explores scents under the desk and brushes past the handler. The handler moves to give her more space before Grace begins to growl and lunges, catching their pants above their ankle as they are in the motion of already moving away from her. After that, the handler holds her at a distance, and she finally begins eating treats that were on the floor. Once her kennel is cleaned, she is returned and a hook is used to remove the lead. 5/9/26: Grace is at the front of the kennel as the handler approaches. She is offered treats and sausages but does not eat them. The handler will get cheese and offer it to her. She will eat the cheese and the handler will use it to leash her. She is will then walk out of kennel and brought to the behavior office where she will walk around sniffing a little. After a while she is returned to kennel with no issue.

Summary (7):: 05/08/26: Grace is at the back of her crate with a tucked tail and trembling frame as handler approaches. Handler speaks to her in a soft tone as they crack open the crate door. Handler tosses in treats as they lower their leash into the door and Grace will charge forward and snap at handler's hand before retreating to the back of crate again. This repeats multiple times as handler attempts to lure her forward for leashing and Grace becomes increasingly frustrated, snapping and vocalizing closer and closer to handler's hand. Due to her reactivity, handler decides to disengage, leaving Grace in her crate to decompress. 5/7/26: Grace is laying down in the back corner of her crate as handler approaches. She comes forward as the handler unlocks the door and then retreats when the handler presents their leash. She begins to growl and bare teeth as the handler attempts to slowly lasso her. The handler then removes the leash and begins to toss treats inside. She would step forward and eat the treats and then retreat to the back each time the handler presented their leash again. When the handler slowly attempts to lasso her, she lunges forward and snaps at their hand. The handler then quickly removes their hand and leash. She begins to eat the treats again and then she continues to retreat to the back when a second handler tries to assist. The handlers then close and lock the door, walk away and end the interaction. 5/6/26: Grace is at the back of her crate with a tucked tail, shaking but will approach the front of the crate when the handler begins to open it. Grace when the handler tries to leash her immediately lunges several times as the handler tries to close the door, and when its closed she begins to try and bite the handler through the bars towards there knee, and grabs a small part of there clothing but releases immediately. Grace is coaxed out with high value treats which she eats but is extremely reluctant to approach near the leash. Grace after some time trying with

Date of intake:: 5/5/2026

Summary:: tucked tail, stiff body and stayed close to the owner.pancake thrashed on leash

Date of initial:: 5/6/2026

Summary:: Hard barking; tense; not interested with treats; high FAS; lunging

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Single-pet home,Recommend no dog parks,Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to Grace's bite history, we recommend that she be placed in an adult-only home. Single-Pet Home/Recommend No Dog Parks: Due to Grace's reported behavior towards unfamiliar dogs —snapping and lunging— and her bite history towards resident dog, we recommend that Grace be the only resident pet and not visit dog parks. The Behavior Department recommends that she be socialized in a more controlled setting until her behavior towards other dogs can be further addressed. Reward-based, force-free training can be utilized to help Grace associate dogs with things she enjoys like toys or treats. Place with a New Hope partner: Grace bite history is significant. Though the bites have not typically caused serious injury, they happen consistently and indicate a high level of stress for Grace when she is in these situations that escalate to biting. This is a behavior that has been rehearsed over her long lifetime and will require careful environmental management and likely significant lifestyle adaptations to prevent injury to her future humans and another dogs to increase Graces quality of life. We highly recommend consultation with a veterinary behaviorist and/or highly qualified behavior modification trainer.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Destructive behavior,Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Kennel presence,Low threshold for arousal,Bite history (human),Bite history (dog)

Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding: She is known to be a resource guarder and will growl,harrd bark and snap when her food is touched, she has bitten the resident dog in the home when the dog approached her bowl.This indicates a high level of sensitivity around resources and a need for strict management, including separation during feeding and structured training to build safer associations around valued items. Please see the handout on Resource guarding. Destructive behavior:Grace is noted to have destructive tendencies.Providing appropriate enrichment, supervision, and consistent outlets for energy can help reduce these behaviors. Please see the handout on Destructive behavior. Kennel presence/Fearful/potential for defensive aggression/Handling/touch sensitivity: In the care center, Grace is noted to growl, snap, and attempt to bite at handler clothing. In the prior home she is noted When restrained will Barks/Growls and become fearful when startled and when her collar is grabbed. Grace has escalated during grooming and doesn't allow her nails to be trimmed. These behaviors indicate significant fear and sensitivity to handling that may escalate to defensive aggression, particularly in high-pressure or restrictive situations. Handling should be approached cautiously with gradual desensitization and clear safety protocols in place. Please see the handout on Fearful/potential for defensive aggression and arousal. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Grace id reported in the prior home to lunge and growl/hard bark at strangers, dogs and small animals.Training should focus on distance management, engagement with the handler, and reinforcing calm, alternative behaviors to reduce reactivity. Please see the handout On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration. Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression/Bite history (human)/Bite history (dog): The owner states that there have been a few times where the dog has gotten out of the harness and chased after ppl who would pass by . The owner stated that one time when Grace escaped her harness, she chased a person down and ripped their pants, scratching the person's knee but not drawing blood . On another occasion, she chased someone and they jumped on a car to avoid the dog . The owner states that he would try his best to walk Grace in the early morning to avoid being around too many people. Grace is unable to attend dog parks as she is also concerning when around other dogs. There were another resident dog and the owner stated that sometimes they get along,  sometimes they don't . Both dogs were fed in their own cages due to Grace trying to attack the other resident dog while they were eating. Last month the dogs were in one room, and the client was in the other when he heard commotion. Both dogs had gotten into an altercation; when the owner attempted to separate, Grace then redirected and tried to bite him, and the other dog ended up with a puncture on his leg.