Date of intake:: 9/20/2025

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

Previously lived with:: adults, children, other dogs

Behavior toward strangers:: Shy and prefers contact on her own terms but can also be friendly and outgoing.

Behavior toward children:: Friendly and outgoing.

Behavior toward dogs:: She is playful, friendly and outgoing with familiar dogs and unfamiliar dogs off leash but prefers c

Behavior toward cats:: Friendly and outgoing.

Resource guarding:: Toys, food and random objects, she will have a tense body and hover over the items.

Bite history:: No known reports of a bite history.

Housetrained:: Yes

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

Other Notes:: Will relieve himself outside on a designated area of his home. On walks she is reactive to strangers who approach her family and will growl or bark at them, this also happens when strangers approach her yard/home. Is unbothered by being held or restrained, disturbed whole sleeping, startled, moved from furniture, having his paws touched or collar grabbed. She is a sweet, social, and affectionate dog who spends her time wherever his people are in the home. She loves bath time, water, socks and teddy bears just as much as she enjoys car rides. She is accustomed to going on 3-4 was a day for 20mins at a time during which she rarely pulls on her leash and has been crate trained to do well in a standard large crate for up to 3 hours. She knows all basic cues and eats both wet and dry food preferably Merricks brand.

Date of assessment:: 10/2/2025

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Loose Reactivity to humans: N/a Reactivity to dogs: N/a Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Social- seeks attention, wiggly Call over: Readily approaches- wiggly, jumps on handlers, leans in for pets Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Tolerant- move out of handling position, lip licks, whale eyes Exuberant handling: Tolerant- lip licks, whale eyes, wags tail, distracted with squeaker Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Did not conduct due to medical Arousal comments: Knock: No response Knock Comments: Toy: No response Toy comments:

Summary:: According to Kanga's previous owner(s), She is playful, friendly and outgoing with familiar dogs and unfamiliar dogs off leash but prefers contact on her own terms when meeting unfamiliar dogs on leash. 09/25/25 Kanga is introduced to a novel male dog while off leash at the care center. Kanga approaches the male dog with a soft, neutral body, attempting to sniff him as he moves away from her. As the male dog allows Kanga to sniff him, she displays a high-curved tail and proceeds to attempt to mount him. The male dog will correct her with an air snap and both dogs are moved away and returned to kennel.

Summary (7):: 10/03/25: Kanga is lying at the front of kennel with a neutral frame as handler approaches. She is leashed with ease and slowly exits kennel, walking with a tucked tail and slightly tense frame to the Live Room. Kanga is clipped to a drag lead and free to explore the space. She mostly keeps to self but will approach handler once and accept light petting along her neck with a neutral frame. She shows no interest in treats or a snuffle mat offered to her. After her session, Kanga is returned to kennel safely. 10/1/25: Kanga is at the front of the kennel with a furrowed brow, tense and growling at the handler when approached. Kanga is hovering a food tray, and once the handler begins to open the door an leash Kanga, she will begin to eat quickly, growling. Kanga is leashed and helped out of kennel with a bit of leash pressure, and once out begins to walk down the hallway. Kanga is easily walked down the hallway, and jumps into a new kennel. Kanga allows the leash to be removed and begins to sniff around both sections of the kennel, remaining stiff and tucked tail. 09/30/25: Kanga is growling/ baring teeth in her crate. ACs asked for assistance from the behavior team it is noted that she was Resouce guarding the food tray in her crate, once it was removed she stopped growling. When going to leash for her Pm walk she began to growl and bare her teeth. The behavior staff helped in leashing her to remove her out of her crate. 9/26/25: Kanga is observed to not want to walk back to the care center, planting on the sidewalk and hypersalivating outside. Kanga is coaxed slowly back into the building. 9/24/25: Kanga is laying at the front of her kennel as the handler approaches. She begins to get up as they open the door and attempts to dart out as the handler leashes her. Kanga pulls lightly to the behavior office where she is collared and clipped to a drag leash. She begins to engage with two handlers in the room, jumping, licking, and leaning in to petting. (see behavior assessment for further details) Once the assessment is complete, Kanga is walked to her kennel. When the handler attempts to clip the leash, Kanga flinches and head whips, she does this once and is successfully clipped the second time. Kanga is returned to her kennel where she is secured safely.

Date of intake:: 9/20/2025

Summary:: intially social, but began barking at staff when leashing

Date of initial:: 9/20/2025

Summary:: Tense, furrowed brow, shies away from handsScreams/vocalizes and thrashes a bit when trying to give

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): We recommend Kanga be placed in an adult-only home at this time. Place with a New Hope partner: Kanga came into the care center as an owner surrender due to not being able to care for her anymore. In the prior home she is noted to be sweet, social, and affectionate dog who spends her time wherever his people are in the home. She loves bath time, water, socks and teddy bears just as much as she enjoys car rides. In the prior home and in the care center Kanga is noted to resource guarding. She has repeatedly growled, bared teeth, and stiffened when approached in-kennel, especially around food, escalating to guarding her tray and resisting leashing due to guarding her kennel. Kanga is available for rescue through one of our new hope partners.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Kennel presence

Potential challenges comments:: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Kanga jumps up non-stop, indicating a need for training to improve her impulse control and basic manners. Consistent training to teach her to sit or stay when greeting people, using positive reinforcement and redirection, will help manage this behavior. Please see the handout on Basic manners/poor impulse control. Resource Guarding: Kanga growls and bares her teeth in her crate, particularly around her food tray, indicating resource guarding. Once the tray is removed, the behavior subsides. She also growled during leashing, requiring assistance from behavior staff. Training should focus on desensitization to handling and feeding routines, using high-value rewards and gradual exposure. Teaching cues like “trade” and reinforcing calm behavior around resources can help reduce guarding tendencies. Please see the handout on Resource Guarding. On-Leash Reactivity / Barrier Frustration: Kanga displays reactivity toward strangers approaching her family or home, both on walks and in the yard, often growling or barking. This behavior suggests protective instincts and barrier frustration. Training should focus on desensitization and counter-conditioning to approaching strangers, using focus cues and reinforcing calm behavior. Increasing distance from triggers and managing exposure will help reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation. Please see the handout on On-Leash Reactivity / Barrier Frustration. Kennel Presence / Fearful / Potential for Defensive Aggression:Kanga has been observed barking at staff during intake and growling while lying at the back of her kennel, showing signs of fear and potential defensive aggression. Training should prioritize building trust through low-pressure interactions, enrichment, and allowing her to approach at her own pace. Using calming tools and consistent routines can help reduce fear and improve her comfort with staff presence. Please see the handout on Fearful / Potential for Defensive Aggression.