Date of intake:: 7/25/2025

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray; history unknown

Date of assessment:: 7/27/2025

Summary:: 7/27/25: Sunflower continues to display a high level of fear and shutdown behaviors. She avoids interaction with handlers and stays near the exit. Out of concern for her stress levels, a handling assessment is not attempted. ***07/26/25: Sunflower is taken to the behavior office for a handling assignment. Sunflower displays shut down behavior not wanting to walk when leave the kennel and stays near the exit door not wanting to move. she does allow the handler to collar and remove her harness. She is given extra time to decompress.***

Summary:: Due to entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-to-dog history recorded. 08/04/25 Sunflower is introduced at the gate to a male greeter dog while off-leash at the care center. Sunflower will stand at a distance, watching the greeter dog with her paw raised, appearing nervous with a slightly tucked tail. While she lingers near the gate with her back turned, Sunflower will spend the remainder of the time seeking attention from the handlers present. This concludes the interaction.

Summary (5):: 8/4/25: Sunflower is taken out for play group, and she displays the same behaviors as this morning (8/4). She greets the other dog at the gate with a tense body and sits with her back turned away from the dog. Please see dog to dog notes for more details. She returned back to kennel with a tense body and entered with no issue. 8/4/25: Sunflower is standing at the front of her kennel as handler approaches. She retreats to the back and sits on her bed with a tense body as the handler unlocks the door and tries to coax her over to the front to clip her collar. She remains tense and refuses to come forward. The handler is slowly able to lasso her and opens the door wide open for her to come out. She then lays down on her bed and comes forward and walks out of kennel on her own after a minute or two. She then pulls ahead with a tense body and tucked tail on the way to the yard. In the yard, she continues to have a tense body and tucked tail as she observes around and stayed close to handler as they kneeled down and gave her pets. She pulls back to her kennel quickly with a tense body and enters with no issue.

Summary (6):: 08/01/25: (PM) Sunflowers behavior remains consistent. please refer to the previous note dated 07/30/25 for more details. 07/31/25: Sunflowers behavior remains consistent. please refer to the previous note dated 07/30/25 for more details. 07/30/25: When the handler approaches, Sunflower is seated at the back of the kennel on her blanket. As the kennel door opens, she begins to tremble. The handler tosses treats into the kennel, and Sunflower slowly approaches, eating the treats that are offered. With gentle coaxing, the handler is able to clip her collar while she remains near the kennel door. Sunflower willingly exits the kennel with a lowered posture, following the handler while trembling. The handler successfully escorts her out of the care center. While on leash, Sunflower walks beside the handler, her body gradually relaxing over time. She frequently checks in, often pausing when she moves slightly ahead, waiting for the handler to catch up. Sunflower is then brought back to the care center, where she is safely kenneled and secured.

Summary (7):: 07/28/25: Sunflower is lying on her blanket at the back of kennel as handler approaches. She trembles as handler opens the kennel door and kneels down. Sunflower slowly inches her way forward and eats pieces of chicken offered to her but will retreat to the back of kennel again when the neighboring dogs begin barking. Sunflower is coaxed forward again, and handler is able to slowly clip her collar. Sunflower exits the kennel with a low, trembling frame. She walks right behind the handler to the Canine Behavior Office. She sits in the corner of the room trembling. After several minutes, Sunflower slowly walks over to familiar handlers and will sit next to them under the desk. She takes pieces of chicken gently from hand. After her session, Sunflower is coaxed back to kennel, returning safely. 7/27/25: Sunflower was lying on her blanket in back of kennel as handler approached. She was trembling mildly and did not eat a piece of cheese tossed into kennel. Handler crouched in doorway and coaxed her to front of kennel a few times before clipping leash to collar. Sunflower followed handler to the BA room, hesitating before passing through thresholds. Sunflower stood by the door for a few minutes before beginning to cautiously explore the room. When she approached handler they let her sniff them without attempting to pet and spoke to her in a soft voice. Sunflower relieved herself and then began to wander around the room. She stood under handler 2's chair and after some time accepted light pets along her back. Sunflower ate pieces of chicken breast when tossed on the floor in front of her. Handlers encouraged Sunflower back to kennel where her leash was unclipped without issue. "Clip my collar" signage and a leash were placed on kennel. 07/26: When the handler approaches, Sunflower is lying at the back of her kennel. She is easily lassoed but reluctant to approach. Treats are tossed to encourage movement, but Sunflower remains in place. The handler applies light leash pressure to gently guide her forward. Once outside the kennel, Sunflower follows the handler out of the room, pausing briefly to scan her surroundings, appearing fearful in response to other dogs barking. With coaxing, she hesitantly continues. At the threshold of the assessment room, Sunflower halts and resists entering; the handler again uses minimal leash pressure to guide her inside. Once in the room, Sunflower appears shut down—remaining near the door, showing little interest in exploring. She allows the handler to remove her harness and fit a collar without issue. Sunflower is then escorted back to her kennel, which she enters willingly and is safely secured. -

Date of intake:: 7/25/2025

Summary:: fearful, initially reluctant to walk

Date of initial:: 7/25/2025

Summary:: shy but approachable and allows tasks to be performed

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to the high levels of fearfulness and shutdown behaviors displayed in care, we recommend that Sunflower to be placed in an adult-only home at this time. Place with a New Hope partner: Sunflower has not acclimated well to the kennel environment and has allowed only minimal handling since intake. We recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification (force-free, positive reinforcement-based) and re-evaluate behavior in a stable home environment before placement into a permanent home. No cats: It is noted that Sunflower will chase rats. We recommend that she be placed in a room with no small animals or cats.

Potential challenges: : Fearful

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful: Sunflower displays high levels of fear and stress (FAS) in the care center, which significantly impacts her well-being and ability to interact with handlers. Her fearful behaviors include avoidance, seeking exit, some reluctance to walk, and shutting down when approached. The focus will be on creating a safe and supportive environment that gradually desensitizes her to human interaction. Techniques will include positive reinforcement to reward calm behavior, gradual exposure to handling, and the use of calming aids or techniques to reduce her anxiety. Monitoring her progress closely will allow for adjustments to the training plan, ensuring that Sunflower feels secure and supported throughout the process. Please see the handout on decompression period.