Date of intake:: 7/7/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

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

Previously lived with:: 1 adult, 1 dog

Behavior toward strangers:: Riley is shy and prefers contact on his own terms

Behavior toward children:: No experience

Behavior toward dogs:: Riley is tolerant of familiar dogs. He lunges and barks at unfamiliar dogs

Behavior toward cats:: No experience

Resource guarding:: No Resource Guarding

Bite history:: No Bite History

Housetrained:: Partially

Energy level/descriptors:: High Energy

Other Notes:: He uses the bathroom outside and inside on weewee pads. He is reported to jump frequently, to pull hard on leash, to escape the house/yard, and have separation anxiety. While on walks he lunges towards strangers and moving objects. He barks and lunges at birds and small animals. He is not bothered when held/restrained, when woken from sleep, and when his paws are touched. He is fearful when pushed/pulled off furniture. He lunges when his collar is touched. It is unknown how he will react when startled.

Date of assessment:: 7/10/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: tries to approach neighboring dog kennel with soft body Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Fearful Call over: Approaches with coaxing Sociability comments: Seeking exit, near door, accepts treats collared while distracted with cheese. Soft handling: Tolerates contact Exuberant handling: Tolerates contact Comments: Tolerates contact while distracted with spray cheese Arousal Jog comments: Runs toward office door but walks in the opposite direction hesitantly. Knock Knock comments: Approaches and sniffs handler Toy Toy comments: No response

Summary:: According to Riley's previous owner(s), Riley is tolerant of familiar dogs. He lunges and barks at unfamiliar dogs. 7/25/26: Riley is introduced to a novel spayed female and approaches the fence with a forward tense frame and high wagging tail. He gently paws the gate while intermittently freezing with a tight closed mouth and hard eyes. He then begins muzzle punching the fence while fixating on the other dog remaining tense.

Summary (4):: 8/31/26: Riley is standing at the front of his kennel with a loose, wiggly body when the handler approaches. He readily accepts an offered treat with a gentle mouth and is easily leashed. Riley exits the kennel and follows a treat trail while leaving the room and passing neighboring dogs with no reaction. In the hallways, Riley walks alongside the handler on the loose leash and shows no interest to pop-up crates or staff members. While in the elevator, he willingly sits beside the handler and continues accepting treats. His body remains relaxed and he is focused on the handler. Riley is taken to the yard where he is placed on the drag-line. He starts discovering the pen and eventually relieves himself. He does not display any reactivity toward other dogs or staff members in neighboring pens. Riley remains social with the handler and is actively participating in pattern games. He readily accepts treats and consistently responds to the verbal cues "sit", "down" and "paw". He is responsive when called and goes back to the handler when needed. He allows petting and leans into the handler while seeking more attention. He gets down on the ground showing his belly for more pets. His body remains loose and wiggly with a soft face. He exuberantly jumps onto the handler asking for more pets and stops when handler cues him to sit. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and Riley readily goes back into the kennel by his own with ease.

Summary (5):: 8/28/26: Riley is observed to be jumping up in the corners of his kennel when a staff member enters the kennel room. Some of the other dogs are vocalizing at this time. Another staff member attempts to get his attention but he is not easily redirected. 8/23/26: Riley is at the front of his kennel with loose body, paws at the kennel door as the handler approaches. He gently accepts an offered treat, is easily leashed and willingly exits the kennel. Treat trail on the ground helps him to stay focused and distracted from neighboring dogs and Riley exits the room with no issue. In the hallways, Riley pulls strongly toward the exit but has no interest in pop-up crates or staff members. Once he gets to the driveway, he immediately relieves himself. Riley is slightly panting due to puling; handler cues him to sit and gives him time to regulate his breathing and Riley follows. After the walk resumes, Riley walks slightly ahead of the handler with mild to none leash tension. When he notices another dog, he stops and hard stares at the dog but quickly disengages after recall and returns his attention to the handler. He does not react toward toward passing people. Riley is social, engaged, and responsive. He readily accepts treats and follows the verbal cues "sit", "paw" and "down." During the walk, Riley maintains a loose and wiggly body with slightly wagging tail. Upon return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and Riley goes back into his kennel by his own with ease.

Summary (6):: 8/21/26: Riley is reported to kennel fight by going backwards towards dog in the adjacent kennel. 8/16/26: Riley is at the front of his kennel with loose and wiggly body when handler approaches. Handler offers a treat and Riley gently takes it. He is easily leashed with a treat lure and taken out of the kennel. He follows a treat trail while exiting the room and is distracted from other dogs in neighboring kennels. Once in the hallways Riley walks next to the handler with no interest to pop-up crates or staff members; when he gets in elevator he willingly sits next to the handler and accepts treats. Once outside, Riley pulls with mild leash tension while crossing the street; when he gets to certain area, he relieves himself. Riley visibly slows down and continues walking with no leash tension a little bit ahead of the handler. When he sees another dog, he hard stares at them but is distracted with recall and quickly disengages. He doesn't react toward other people passerby. With handler Riley is focused on the handler, is social and engaged. He takes treats, follows command "sit" and "down". He allows petting and leans onto the handler seeking more attention. Riley remains loose body and soft face. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Riley back into his kennel with ease. 8/9/26: Riley greets handler with a loose and wiggly body at front of kennel where they are easily leashed and taken for a street walk. Coming out of kennel Riley pulls towards the other kennels while vocalizing. While walking Riley pulls moderately and maintains a neutral body. Riley doesn't accept any treats handler offers him. He tolerates pets on his head and back. He is returned to kennel with no issue. 8/01/26: Riley is at the front of his kennel hard barking and jumping when handler approaches. He starts vocalizing more while handler unlocks the kennel. Riley is leashed with a treat lure and taken out of the kennel. He pulls hard while exiting the room and attempts to kennel fight with the dog in front and had to be muscled out of the room. Once in the hallways Riley pulls hard forward and pants heavily in elevator. Outside, Riley pulls hard while crossing the street; he pulls towards certain spots to sniff and eventually relieves himself. Riley continues pulling hard ahead of the handler. When he sees another dog, his body tenses and shifts forward. He is not receptive to treats, squeaker or recall and is not disengaging until dog is out of his vision. Handler is able to pull him away and cue to sit to give him some minute to settle. With handler Riley is social and responsive. He takes treats with mild pressure and sometimes exuberantly jumps int them but stops after verbal cues. Riley is not interest in people passerby or other different stimuli. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Riley back into his kennel with no further issues

Summary (7):: 7/30/26: On the whiteboard, Riley is noted to be dog reactive. 7/20/26: Riley is at the front of the kennel with a soft body and wagging tail. He is easily leashed and taken out of the kennel. He is walked out into the hall where he jumps up on his hind legs onto handler in an anxious manner, panting. Handler tries to direct Riley down with treats but they do not respond. He is then taken to the street where he walks with a loose leash. Riley relieves himself. Occasionally, Riley will press into the handler, handler touches head and he whale eyes and shakes. He remains aloof towards handler for the rest of the walk, taking treats that are tossed in front of him. Riley walks back to the shelter. He pulls towards a small dog tense but is kept away. Riley then stares at a dog in a pop up crate with a tense body. He is kept away as he is not receptive to the handler tossing treats. After, Riley is then returned to kennel without issue. 7/10/26: Riley is at the front of his kennel with a soft body and wagging tail; he is easily leashed and brought out the kennel. As soon as he exits his kennel, Riley goes to the adjacent kennel and sniffs the dog with seemingly neutral body; the handler pulls him away and they walk out the room. On the street, Riley walks with mostly mild leash tension; he doesn't react to dogs or people. Riley also remains neutral when a loud sound is may; he allows a brief pet from the handler. Upon entry, the handler brings RIley inside for his assessment (see notes). Afterwards, he is returned to his kennel. 7/9/26: Upon kennel approach, Riley was seen laying down. Once the handler began to leash, Riley stood up and was easily leashed. They exited the room with no issue and headed towards the backyard. Once in the yard, Riley maintained a tense body posture and walked slowly. Riley was reluctant to enter the playpen area and instead spent most of the time walking along the perimeter of the yard. Riley explored minimally and remained cautious during the outing. Riley began mildly pulling back into the building so they headed back inside where Riley was easily brought back into kennel

Date of intake:: 7/7/2026

Summary:: Pulling/lunging toward birds, aloof and accepts treats, walks to kennel without issue

Date of initial:: 7/7/2026

Summary:: Wagging tail and approaching intermittently, but for exam had tucked tail

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

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 4

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Recommend no dog parks

Recommendations comments:: No Children (Under 13): Due to his fearful disposition and need for contact on his own terms we recommend a home with no children. Recommend No Dog Parks: Due to the concerning behaviors that Riley has shown during playgroup (see DOG-DOG SUMMARY), we feel that he should not visit dog parks. The Behavior Department recommends that he be socialized in a more controlled setting until his behavior towards other dogs can be further addressed. Reward-based, force-free training can be utilized to help Riley associate dogs with things he enjoys like toys or treats.

Potential challenges: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful,Separation anxiety,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration

Potential challenges comments:: Basic Manners/Poor Impulse Control: Riley is reported to frequently jump up on handlers by his former owners. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", "Down" are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach him to control her impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward based training only is recommended. Please see handout on Basic Manners and Poor Impulse Control. Handling Sensitivity: Riley's previous owner states that they will lunge when their collar is grabbed. Positive reinforcement, reward based training should be used to pair touch with good things such as food rewards in order to teach Riley to be more comfortable with this. Please see handout on Handling and Touch Sensitivity. Fearful: Riley's former owner reports that he is shy and slow to approach strangers. It is important to always go slow and give Riley the option to walk away from any social interaction. They should never be forced to approach anything that they are uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. It should always be their choice to approach a new person or thing. Riley would do best in an initially calm and quiet home environment and should be given time to acclimate to their new surroundings. Please see handout on Decompression Period. Separation Anxiety: Riley is reported by his former owners to be anxious when left alone for long periods of time. 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 at 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. On-leash Reactivity/Barrier Frustration: Riley's former owners report that he is reactive on leash to small animals and dogs and will also lunge at people on leash. Riley may need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach him to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior. Please see handout on On-Leash Reactivity/Barrier Frustration.