Date of intake:: 10/11/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

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

Date of assessment:: 10/15/2026

Summary:: In the Care Centers, Malcolm was observed to growl, bare his teeth and have a tense body when staff attempt to remove him. Due to these behaviors, he will not recieve a handling assessment.

Summary:: Due to entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-dog history recorded. 10/19/26 Malcolm is introduced to a novel greeter male while on a loose leash (does not tolerate collaring). He approaches the gate with a neutral frame and when the male sniffs him through the gate, Malcolm will immediately tense and become square, his tail raising and becoming stiff. Malcolm remains tense and hard stares at the male and is guided away by handler.

Summary (5):: 10/23/26: Malcolm was sitting at the back of his kennel on his bed. When handler opened kennel door he stood up and moved to the corner of his kennel. As handler was trying to leash him he would doge the leash and would also use his paw to knock leash aside. Once he was leashed he came out of kennel. While on walk he maintained a neutral body and walked next to handler. 10/22/26: Malcolm is at the back of his kennel lying down on his bed. As handler opens kennel door he gets up and walks to the back corner of his kennel. Handlers tries a couple of times to lasso Malcolm and is successful on the third attempt. Malcolm tried to dodge leash and would lower his head and turn away.. Once leashed he quickly comes out of kennel and pulls hard out of the room and to outside. While walking Malcolm has a tense body and a tucked tail. He stops a few times to sniff and investigate his surroundings. He displays no interest in the treats handler offers. After his walk he is returned to kennel with no issue.

Summary (6):: 10/19/26( PG Note): Malcolm is lying down at the back of his kennel and will avoid the handler as they attempt to lasso him. He will also bare his teeth and growl at the handler. The handler will toss the leash over his head and secure it before guiding him out of the kennel. Malcolm will then be brought to the play yard for a playgroup session. Once inside the yard and his playmate arrives, he will approach the gate for a nose to nose greeting. Upon noticing his playmate approaching the gate, Malcolm's body will become tense, his tail and head will rise, and his ears will move upward. He will then stand on his tiptoes while maintaining a hard stare toward his playmate. The interaction will be discontinued, and Malcolm will be brought back to his kennel safely without any issues. For more information, see Dog to Dog Assessment. 10/17/26: A handler from the medical team askes for assistance with Malcolm due to him not wanting to be leashed. When the behavior team handler approaches, Malcom is siting on his bed at the back of his kennel with a tense body and widened eyes. He begins to growl as the handler unlocks the door and is then able to eat treats that the handler tosses inside. When the handler presents their leash, he then retreats to the back corner while growling and would snap at the leash as the handler attempts to lasso him. He would jump up and snap the leash and stick his paw through the loop. On the third attempt, the handler is able to quickly lasso him as he still attempts to stick his paw through the loop. Once leash, he is then taken to medical for his exam. During the exam, he has a tense body as he would back away and would slowly approach for high value spam. He is able to get through the exam while being distracted by spray cheese and spam. He is then taken back to his kennel with no further issues. 10/16/26: Malcolm is at the back of his kennel standing on his kuranda bed with a tense body as handler approaches. Treats are tossed in his direction and he consumes them. Treat are continuously tossed and he continues eating them and approaching the front of kennel. Handler attempts to hold a large loop in a stationary position while throwing treats to the ground. Malcom will retreat quickly with any movement from the leash. Handler manages to leash him but he attempts to bolt out and his body becomes tangled on the leash, handler quickly closes the kennel door and loosens leash pressure to allow Malcolm to step out of the leash. Handler resets the leash position and continues attempting to coax him forward. A lasso leash is attempted but he raises his paw and shows his teeth while retreating to the back of his corner. Second handler attempts to leash him by holding the leash behind the door, trying to be as least invasive as possible. He continues eating treats throughout the interaction but is very quick to retreat and flail the leash off. Treats are tossed, the kennel door is closed, and interaction is ended.

Summary (7):: 10/13/26: Malcolm is at the back of his kennel standing on his kuranda bed as the handler approaches. They toss some treats onto his bed but he will only eat them if the handler is out of sight. They will then offer him cheese which he will eat if the handler is standing at the door so they use cheese to attempt to coax him to the front. He approaches slowly and will begin to eat treats and cheese from the center of the kennel. The handler will then try to use a large loop on the ground with treats in the center but he will back away and retreat to his kuranda bed when the leash is lifted slightly. The handler will then attempt to lasso him while he is on his bed but he will low growl and press his head into the corner the first attempt, lip curl, whale eye, and turn away the second attempt and the third attempt will bare teeth and lift a paw while growling. The handler closes the door for a few seconds and tosses treats into the kennel, most of them landing at the front. He will approach the front and begins to eat them so the handler will slowly crack the the door open enough for their hand to slowly lower the leash in with a large loop that grazes the floor as he is eating the treats. Once the leash is in front of him as he continues to eat, they toss a few pieces of cheese in front of the leash opening, causing him to place his head through the loop that is being held wide enough to not touch his ears. Another small amount of treats is placed on the ground for him to eat as the loop is closed and the ring touches the back of his neck. He will then exit the kennel and will pull moderately on his walk. Malcom is hypervigilant, pulling anytime there is a loud noise and will zig zag frantically in front of the handler. He is brought to a play yard and once he relieves himself he will seek exit. When the handler attempts to clip the leash ring, they accidentally touch his fur with the ring and he will whip his head towards them while dropping his shoulders down. The handler will move their hand away and wait for him to become distracted to clip the ring. They do so gently and release the clasp gently so it does not make a noise. Malcolm is returned to kennel where he is secured safely.

Date of intake:: 10/11/2026

Summary:: Nervous, but allowed handling

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Malcolm 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),Recommend no dog parks,Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to Malcom's behaviors in the Care Centers, Malcom should go to an adult home. Place with a New Hope partner: Malcom should go to a New Hope Partner that can manage his behaviors. Recommend No Dog Parks: Due to the concerning behaviors that Malcolm 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 Malcolm associate dogs with things he enjoys like toys or treats.

Potential challenges: : Fearful/potential for defensive aggression

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Malcolm was reported to be fearful in the Care Centers, displaying whale eyes, growling, baring teeth, and tense body when staff attempts to remove him from his kennel. Positive reinforcement should be utilized to teach Bella to associate new people with things she likes such as treats and toys. Please see the handout out on Fearful/potential for defensive aggression.