Date of intake:: 11/30/2025

Spay/Neuter status:: Yes

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner surrender (10 days)

Previously lived with:: 1 adult, 3 dogs

Behavior toward strangers:: He is shy, avoidant, and prefers contact on his own terms.

Behavior toward children:: No experience.

Behavior toward dogs:: He is friendly, outgoing, and playful around familiar and unfamiliar dogs.

Behavior toward cats:: No experience.

Resource guarding:: Worthwhile was reported to guard food and stolen items, hovering over them with a tense body.

Bite history:: No bite history.

Housetrained:: Partially

Energy level/descriptors:: Worthwhile is noted to have a High energy level in the prior home.

Other Notes:: He is reported to pull hard while on leash, and be fearful of loud noises. He uses the bathroom outside. He is reported to occasionally pee inside. He is reported to have separation anxiety and destructive tendencies. He is not bothered when held/restrained, when woken from sleep, when his paws are touched, or when his collar is grabbed. He is fearful when started, and when pushed off furniture. He is a shy, fearful, mellow, dog who prefers contact on his own terms. He spends most of his time in the bedroom. He allowed his finders to bathe and brush him. While with his finders he went on four 30-minute walks a day. He is very clinging with the people he knows. He is not bothered when held/restrained, when woken from sleep, when startled, when pushed off furniture, when his paws are touched, or when his collar is grabbed.

Date of assessment:: 12/3/2025

Summary:: 12.3.2025 Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Moderate – dog pulls on and off; to get to scent; out the building etc Reactivity to humans: None – ignores Reactivity to dogs: None – ignores Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Highly social – stays near handler for whole time; solicits attention Call over: Approaches with coaxing Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Accepts contact – Soft body Exuberant handling: Accepts contact – Soft body Arousal Jog: Engages in play with handler (soft, exuberant) Arousal comments: Knock: Approaches (loose) Knock Comments: Toy: Grips, relinquishes Toy comments: 10/26/25: Due to Worthwhile's medical condition at the time in the care center, his determination will be based off of enrichment notes and his behavior in care. Worthwhile was removed on 10/26 and was neutral bodied, seeking attention from handlers when coaxed and allowed petting all along his back and rear. 10/16/25: Due to Worthwhile High FAS, a handling assessment will not be conducted at this time. 10/15/25: Worthwhile is taken to the behavior office for a handling assessment where he displays a tucked tail, low body and slicked back ears. He walks around the room and slowly approaches for treats, with fast or sudden movement he is noticed to flinch and display whale eyes. He is given more time to decompress.

Summary:: According to the previous owner Worthwhile is friendly, outgoing, and playful around familiar and unfamiliar dogs. 12.3.2025 Worthwhile meets an unaltered male large mixed breed dog through a gate. Worthwhile approached the other dog with a soft body and greeted the other dog. Worthwhile began to whine at the gate and was easily walked away. According to Worthwhile's finders, He is shy, avoidant, and prefers contact on his own terms. Familiar/unfamiliar dogs, on/off leash are unknown. 10/16/25 Worthwhile is introduced to a novel male dog while off leash at the care center. Worthwhile appears nervous, displaying a tucked tail, seeking an exit. Worthwhile will stay in a corner for the majority of his time out. As the novel male dog is guided into his pen while on leash, Worthwhile doesn't budge, remaining seated in the corner. At one point, Worthwhile will climb a bench, appearing fearful as he tries to create more distance between him and the male dog. Worthwhile is returned to kennel, concluding the interaction. 10/15/25 Worthwhile is introduced to an unfamiliar female dog while off leash at the care center. Worthwhile enters the pen appearing nervous as he displays whale eyes and a tucked tail. He is allowed into the female dog's pen on his own off leash reluctant to approach the female dog. She makes Worthwhile nervous, and he creates distance becoming avoidant while seeking an exit. Worthwhile is returned to kennel, concluding the interaction.

Summary (5):: 12/29 Worthwhile is panting and sliding in his own saliva upon approach. He jumps against the door, and a treat is used to lower him to the floor and he is leashed. Worthwhile pulls moderately and is brought to the yard. He stands next to handler and nudges their hand. He is offered treats for walking close to handler. Worthwhile jumps on handler with paws on their chest when treats are discontinued. He is easily redirected off and continues to follow handler around the yard. Worthwhile is easily returned to kennel. 12/21 Worthwhile is standing up and jumping against the kennel door upon approach. As staff member attempts to leash him, he keeps putting a front paw through the loop. Another staff member distracts him and he is leashed. He pulls moderately on the way out, mildly once outside in the yard. He explores the yard, finding a toy with treats inside, and begins trying to tear apart the toy to get to the treats. After a few minutes, he approaches staff member, who works on "sit" and "stay" and taking treats gently with him, then leashes him and brings him back. Upon arriving at his kennel, he balks slightly because of the lack of treats in the kennel, but staff tosses some in and he willingly enters. 12/15 Worthwhile is jumping against the kennel door upon approach. He attempts to push through door. He is easily and pulls hard leaving the room. Worthwhile is brought to the yard. he sniff around and comes over tom handler and begins jumping in their lap. He is lured to the ground and leans into petting. Worthwhile sits and is offered treats. He gives paw and lean in again for petting. 12/8: Worthwhile is on his kuranda bed on approach. He gets up and is easily leashed. He is brought to the yard, and a drag leash is attached. He remains by the handler, shying away from pets but seeking treats. He is still and keep his focus on the handler's hands. He is brought on a walk keeping a loose leash & returns without issue. 12/1: Worthwhile is laying on his bed on approach. He comes forward for treats and is easily leashed and walks past barking dogs. He is brought to the yard, and his tail is tucked, he approaches staff taking treats nicely, slowly warming up. Another staff member enters the yard and coaxes him over with treats. He accepts treats then returns to original handler remaining by her the rest of the session.

Summary (6):: Notes from previous stay at ACC: 11/9: Once out of his kennel, Worthwhile is seen jumping up on a handler persistently at their shoulder height, mouth open as if he was going to leash bite, but he stops to shake his head due to his ears. Worthwhile is also observed to pull in his water bowls and stick both his paws out of the slot. 10/28/25: Worthwhile was eager to go out and when spotting the handler, he began barking while wagging his tail. He was easily leashed and trotted along. He sometimes paused to shake his head and sniff the ground. He tried to interact with passing people and dogs. He attempts to go closer but is stopped. There is no reactivity, only glances. Once inside, he paused before being encouraged to go into his kennel. His personality has begun to bloom, and he is no longer as skittish as he once was. He spends much of his time looking for people in the window.

Summary (7):: 10/26/25: Worthwhile is standing at the front of kennel with a neutral frame as handler approaches. He is leashed with ease and walks out to the street for a walk. Worthwhile shakes his head intermittently while walking (has an ear laceration that is currently being treated). He relieves himself along a dirt path and spends the rest of the walk sniffing and exploring the space. Worthwhile maintains a loose lead throughout the walk and accepts petting from a second handler with a neutral frame. He takes treats gently from hand. After his session, he is returned to kennel safely. 10/23/25 Worthwhile was sitting up in his kennel and approached the front. He allowed handler to leash him with ease and remove his e-collar. He walked out of the kennel with slightly tense body but walked outside at a moderate pace. He was curious about his surroundings and sniffed around. Upon returning inside he sat while tethered to the wall as handler cleaned. He seemed a little nervous but eager to follow handler. He allowed his e collar to be placed back on his head and returned to kennel. 10/16/25: Worthwhile is sitting at the back of his kennel as handler approaches. He continues to have a tense body as the handler leashes him, and he slowly steps out of kennel. He is then taken to the play yard for play group. In the yard, he has a tense body and tucked tail and would avoid the handlers and the other dog by siting and trying to hide in the corners of the pen. He would jump up on the bench and quickly sniff the dog for a quick second with a tense body and goes back towards the corners of the pen while shaking. Please see dog to dog notes for more details. He is slowly taken back to his kennel with no issues. 10/15/25: (assessment) Worthwhile is standing in the back of his kennel with a tense frame as the handler approaches. His head is lowered, and he will look away multiple times as readies their leash. He is leashed with ease as he pushes his head into the door while it is being opened. He will walk slowly to the behavior office for his assessment. He is clipped to a drag leash, but the assessment is not completed due to FAS. Worthwhile will take some cheese from the handler once it is tossed on the floor and will take string cheese out of a second handler's hand. He is walked back to his kennel on the drag leash and is unclipped and secured safely.

Date of intake:: 11/30/2025

Summary:: Soft body and approached saff

Date of initial:: 10/13/2025

Summary:: Bright, scared, shivering, nervous, but very sweet. Allowed all handling and exam was well tolerate

ENERGY LEVEL:: Worthwhile is described as active and enthusiastic. He will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm. We recommend feeding with puzzle feeders and food-dispensing toys. And we recommend only force-free, reward-based training techniques for Worthwhile.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 4

Recommendations:: No children (under 13)

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): We reccomend Worthwhile be placed in an adult-only home at this time.

Potential challenges: : House soiling,Resource guarding,Destructive behavior,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Fearful,Separation anxiety,Strength/leash pulling

Potential challenges comments:: HOUSE SOILING Worthwhile is noted to have accidents in the house, and will likely need guidance with house training. We recommend positive reinforcement, reward-based training only. Please see handout on house training. RESOURCE GUARDING His previous owner notes that he may hover and become tense when his food or stolen items are approached. We recommend that Worthwhile be left alone while eating, and that food guarding behavior modification steps be utilized if this behavior is problematic in his future home. Nothing should ever be taken directly out of his mouth, and any time something is removed he should be rewarded with a high value treat or toy. He should be taught the "drop" cue and trade-up games. Please see handout on Resource Guarding. DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR Worthwhile is reported to show destructive behavior in the home, such as chewing on furniture, and destroying other household items, reportedly caused by separation anxiety. We are unaware of what, if any, attempts were made to remedy this behavior but we suggest to future adopters that Worthwhile will need to be provided with physical and mental stimulation and with a variety of appropriate and engaging chew toys so he can engage in necessary chewing behavior without damage to human objects. Please see handout on Destructive behavior. BASIC MANNERS/POOR IMPULSE CONTROL He has been noted to be jumpy and display poor manners in the care center. Please see handout on Basic Manners/Poor impulse control. FEARFUL Worthwhile displays fear responses such as a low body posture, lip licking, and pinned-back ears, especially when startled or exposed to loud noises. Training will focus on creating a predictable, low-stress environment with gradual desensitization to common triggers. Using positive reinforcement and confidence-building exercises will help him feel more secure and reduce his reactivity to sudden stimuli. Please see the handout on decompression period. SEPARATION ANXIETY Worthwhile is reported to experience separation anxiety in a home environment. When left alone he bark and whines and has destroyed a create, couch and other items around the house. We recommend that potential adopters feel comfortable with separation anxiety behaviors and prepared to manage and positively modify them should they appear in a home environment. He would do best in a home where a person is home for a large part of the day or with a plan so he is not alone for long periods of time. Please see handout on separation anxiety. STRENGTH/LEASH PULLING Worthwhile pulls hard on leash, making walks challenging. Training will include the use of no-pull equipment and teaching loose-leash walking through consistent reinforcement of calm walking behavior. Structured walks with frequent rewards for checking in and walking beside the handler will help improve leash manners and reduce pulling. Please see the handout on leash manners.