Date of intake:: 8/10/2025

Spay/Neuter status:: No

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray, No known history

Date of assessment:: 8/11/2025

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Moderate- pulls towards places to sniff Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: Inconclusive Leash walking comments: Pulling towards other dogs in the kennel room then spun and jumped on handler, had to straight arm him Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Distracted Call over: No approach Sociability comments: panting heavily, mounts handler Soft handling: Accepts contact Exuberant handling: Accepts contact Comments: Arousal Jog comments: Follows handler, neutral body Knock Knock comments: No approach Toy Toy comments: No interest, No reaction

Summary (6):: 8/19/25 (KSV)- Puffin is laying at the back of his kennel with a neutral body, handler calls to him and he comes to the front with a soft body. He gently takes treats from handler. Handler holds their hand up to his kennel door, he sniffs at it and is given more treats. He licks their hand a little, he follows the command and is rewarded. Handler ends interaction. 8/18/25: Puffin is standing at the front of the kennel when the handler approaches. The handler offers him treats and he takes then harshly with a hard mouth. When the handler unlocks to the door and begins to ready their leash Puffin muzzle punches the door and pushes against it hard. The handler closes the door, Puffin attempts to bite the leash and grab the toy the handler is holding through the kennel door. The handler then attempts to leash Puffin while using a toy. He begins to push out of kennel again before grabbing the leash, biting it, and tugging it into kennel. This behavior is not able to be redirected, the handler has to wait until Puffin stops leash biting. The handler then attempts to leash him while using spray cheese on the kennel door, and with spray cheese on a toy. He is not receptive to either method. When the toy is offered Puffin grabs it and then begins to leash bite. Puffin bites and tugs the leash into kennel. He then begins to use his back teeth to chew through the leash. The handler attempts to use a hook to take the leash out of kennel, Puffin snaps and bites the hook. He then goes back to chewing and biting the leashes. 8/17/25: Puffin is standing at the front of his kennel as handler approaches. He engages in spray cheese as the second handler unlocks the door. He begins to lower his head as the the handler double ropes him. As he comes out of kennel Puffin head whips and begins to bite the leash. Once out of kennel Puffin spins towards the handler in the back and they have to use a short leash to keep him away. In the hallway Puffin continues to try and spin to the secondary handler. He is then taken to the yard. In the yard, he would explore around with sniffing to mark his territory. He would turn around and face the handler that was behind him. He would stare at dogs and people that would pass by the fence. He was not interested in treats or toys. He has to be muscled back into kennel due to not wanting got go back in.

Summary (7):: 8/16/25: Staff were trying to remove Puffin from his kennel for his evening walks. Puffin is leash biting in kennel, treats, and squeakers were not successful in redirecting him. Puffin was reported to be vocalizing as he is biting the leash. Puffin pulls a leash into the kennel. Another handler offers their leash to loop through the first one to leash. When leashed, Puffin immediately jumps up towards the staff member upon exit and grabs their pant leg, there is no broken skin or marks left. The staff member then immediately returns him to the kennel. As the staff member is trying to retrieve the leashes, another handler arrives and used a hook to remove the leashes, Puffin is grabbing the leash and tugging it into the kennel as well as biting down on the hook. One of the leashes has blood on it when its removed. The other leash, Puffin had chewed through. 8/11/25- Puffin is sitting at the front of his kennel with a neutral body, he is easily leashed. He tries to cage fight when exiting the room and once in the hallway he jumps onto the handler a couple of times. Handler straight armed him and he stopped. He was taken for a street walk. He walks on a loose leash and pulls hard towards various spots to sniff. He is aloof with handler and has no reaction to people passing. Handler offers him treats but he shows no interest. He is taken for his assessment where he is easily collared. He explores the room a little. Another handler enters the room and Puffin goes to mount them. They were able to remove him and after a few moments he tried to mount again. They left the room and Puffin went to another handler, they were petting his back when they stopped he tried to mount them. They were able to move their body away and he jumped down. He went to lay by the door and started to whine momentarily. When hearing dogs barking outside of the room he would intensely whine then stop. He was easily releashed and again pulled towards the passing kennels when returning, he planted outside his kennel and handler muscled him in.

Date of intake:: 8/10/2025

Summary:: Allowed petting and handling, sought attention

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Puffin so we cannot be certain of their behavior in a home environment. However, they will need daily mental and physical activity to stay 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.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to the potential for redirection and low threshold for arousal we recommend a adult only home. We recommend placement with a New Hope rescue partner who is able to provide an experienced, adult-only foster home. Force-free, reward based training and/or consultation with a professional trainer/behaviorist is highly recommended.

Potential challenges: : Anxiety,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Leash-biting,Low threshold for arousal

Potential challenges comments:: Anxiety: Throughout the assessment Puffin was observed to be heavily panting. If Puffin displays anxious behavior in their future home, we recommend puzzle toys, long walks, and giving them other things to focus on to alleviate their anxiety. Positive reinforcement, force-free training should be used. Please see handout on Generalized Anxiety. On Leash Reactivity: Puffin is observed to pull towards the other dogs in the kennel room, he then spins towards the handler and jumps up on then with a tense body. The handler has to straight arm him to keep him away. Puffin will need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach them to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness to help manage this behavior. Please see handout on On Leash Reactivity and Barrier Frustration. Leash Biting: Puffin has been observed to be highly rope reactive. Treats, squeaky sounds, and stray cheese did not work to redirect him. After exiting kennel Puffin bit the handlers pant leg. In kennel Puffin is noted to jump up and pull the leash in kennel, biting so intensely he caused his mouth to bleed. He also chewed through a leash. We recommend walking them with a toy to dissuade them from grabbing the leash. Positive reinforcement, force-free training is advised to teach them to focus on you rather than grabbing the leash. Please see handout on Leash Manners. Arousal: Puffin has been observed to jump up and mount handlers. Puffin should be rewarded with treats when calm. If they escalate to jumping or mounting, people should immediately walk away from and separate themselves from Puffin. Please see handout on Arousal.