Date of intake:: 7/19/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

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

Date of assessment:: 8/28/2026

Summary:: 7/22/26 Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Hard Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: Inconclusive Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Highly social Call over: Approaches handler readily Sociability comments: Explores around the room, checks in with handler often, receptive to treats Soft handling: Tolerates Exuberant handling: Fearful Comments: Head whips, Become tense during exuberant contact Arousal Jog comments: Follows handler exuberantly Knock Knock comments: Approaches handler readily Toy Toy comments: No interest, No reaction

Summary:: Due to entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-to-dog history recorded. 9/5/26: Shrub is introduced to a novel spayed female and pulls hard heavily panting as she walks along the yard. He approaches the fence with a slightly lowered wiggly body with mid level wags while sniffing nose to nose. He high pitched barks and is pulled away from the fence and brought across the yard. He pulls strongly towards the fence whining as he waits. He is not redirected by treats or attention. The other dog is let into the yard and he flags over and both dogs stand on their hind legs briefly before jumping down and mutually sniffing. Shrub is tolerant of the other dog knocking him and does a chin over, then continues sniffing with a loose body and mid level wagging tail. The other dog spins to be face to face and Shrub will toe tap backwards and reapproach from her side, continuing to sniff and do occasional chin overs. The other dog shows signs of discomfort, increasing vocalizations and the dogs are separated. Shrub pulls strongly towards her while she is brought out of the yard. He is then introduced to a novel intact female and is loose and wiggly at the fence with fast mid level wags, he is pulled away quickly to reduce frustration. The other dog is let into the yard and exuberantly begins spinning and play bowing. Shrub attempts to leap on the other dog, then sniff but the other dog bounces and spins repeatedly. Shrub begins engaging in play, toe tapping and following the other dog and doing chin overs. He is tolerant of the other dog being in his face and becomes more appropriate with time, taking breaks and adapting to the other dog's playstyle. They run laps across the yard together, bounce and spin, and do light play slapping. After several minutes of play, the other dog begins becoming overwhelmed, vocalizing more, and the two are separated. 8/29/26: Shrub is introduced to novel intact male and pulls strongly with a forward leaning body while heavily panting when at a distance. Once at the fence, he is loose with mid level wags and toe taps. He nudges the fence and gives a demand bark. He is brought away from the fence to reduce frustration and is pulling strongly to go back towards the other dog. The other dog is let into the yard and Shrub pulled strongly towards him heavily panting. He remained loose when sniffing the other dog from behind. He did a chin over and attempted to leap on the other dog and when corrected, he continued to pull towards them. He sniffed the other dog's back and the other dog bounced and spun, giving a growl correction. Shrub continued to pull towards the other dog heavily panting and the other dog shook off and gave a short bark. As Shrub was taken out of they yard, he fixated on the other dog, high pitched barking and whining, and was not redirectable.

Summary (1):: 7/28/26: Shrub is introduced to a novel neutered male and approaches the fence with a loose body and mid level wagging tail. He begins play bowing with the other dog, bouncing along the fence line with perked ears, intermittently toe tapping. He then begins displaying vocal frustration, barking through the fence in close proximity, persisting once the other dog stops playing.

Summary (6):: 9/9/26: Shrub is reported to pull hard while returning to kennel. 9/9/26 (midday): Shrub is at the front of his kennel with a loose body, barking as the handler approaches; he is leashed and brought out the room. The handler brings Shrub to the yard for playgroup (see D2D notes). After the interaction, Shrub continues to pull hard and fixate on the dog he interacted with; his tongue was turning blue earlier due to how hard he was pulling. The handler Shrub away even as he continues to pull. Afterwards, the handler returns Shrub to his kennel. 9/5/26: Shrub is at the front of his kennel with a loose and wiggly body. He is easily leashed and pulls hard out of the kennel and towards the backyard. Shrub is placed on a drag leashed and he walks around the yard, he engages with the handler with a soft body and wagging tail. He plays with the hose, chasing and biting at the water. He does a few interactions with other dogs (see dog-dog notes). Shrub is then taken back into the shelter. He remains fixated on the dog left in the pen as he is taken out. Handler has to use leash pressure to keep him away. Treats and squeakers are not successful to redirect him. He is then taken back to his kennel and is returned without issue. 8/29/26: Shrub is at the front of his kennel with a loose body as the handler approaches; he is easily leashed and brought into the yard. while is on a dragline, Shrub approaches the handlers with a loose body, jumping on them to solicit pets. After the D2D interactions (see notes), Shrub continues to fixate on and vocalize towards the dog her just engaged with; as the handler pulls him back, he continues to stare and whine towards the dog. The handler clips their leash and returns Shrub to his kennel. 8/26/26: Shrub is at the front of his kennel with loose body when handler approaches. He is easily leashed with treats and taken out of the kennel. He focused on the treat trail on the ground and passing neighboring dogs with no issue. Shrub is taken to the yard; he walks alongside with handler with no pulling. When he gets to the first pen he immediately relieves himself. Shrub is placed on the drag line and starts walking around the pen and discovering specific areas. He is not receptive to treats but is social, allows petting and responds when called. His body is soft with relaxed face. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Shrub back into his kennel with no further issues.

Summary (7):: 8/16/26: Shrub is at the front of the kennel with a soft body and slow wagging tail. He is demand barking as the handler unlocks the kennel. He jumps up on hind legs while leashing attempting the mouth the leash and the handler's hand. Handler leashes Shrub with a treat lure. He pulls hard out of the room. He is taken to the street. Shrub observes a dog where he briefly stares with a tense face. He is redirected with squeakers briefly. He relieves himself and another dog is observed. He has a tense face and body while relieving himself. Handler uses squeakers but he does not respond. Shrub is briefly redirected with treats. A treat is put in front of his face to coax him to break line of sight. Shrub takes the treat but immediately returns to staring back at dogs tense. A leash is easily attached to his harness. He pulls hard on the harness. Shrub relieves himself again and is walked back to the shelter. More dogs exit the shelter and Shrub pulls forward with a tense body tense. He pulls very hard on the harness. Shrub is then walked back into the shelter and is returned to kennel without issue. 8/11/26: Shrub was observed to pull hard towards another dog in the driveway vocalizing loudly (screaming). 7/31/26: Shrub is at the front of his kennel with neutral body when handler approaches. He is easily leashed and taken out of the room. Shrub walks slowly next to handler with no leash tension. He stops to sniff certain areas around and eventually relieves himself. He is not receptive to treats and is not seeking interaction with handler remaining aloof. His body is neutral with slightly lowered head. Shrub ignores other dogs or people passerby. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Shrub back into his kennel with no further issues. 7/30/26: Shrub is reported to be jumpy while being leashed, as well as being mouthy. Outside he fixates on, pulls hard towards, and vocalizes when he sees a dog; he is un-redirectable. 7/23/26: It is reported via whiteboard that Shrub needs a harness; he pulls hard and chokes himself. 7/22/26: Shrub is in his kennel with a loose wiggly body as the handler approaches. He attempts to push out of the door then is leashed. He is brought to the street where he pulls hard and sniffs around. He ignores passersby. He is brought to the assessment room (see notes) then returned to kennel with ease

Date of intake:: 7/19/2026

Summary:: Friendly, seeking attention

Date of initial:: 7/19/2026

Summary:: Wiggly during exam and medical handling but tolerated them

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Shrub 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 addition to physical exercise, to positively direct their energy and enthusiasm.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 3

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): We reccomend Shrub is placed in a home with No children (under 13). Recommend No Dog Parks: Due to the concerning behaviors that Shrub has shown during playgroup (see DOG-DOG SUMMARY) and his on leash reactivity, 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 Shrub associate dogs with things he enjoys like toys or treats.

Potential challenges: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition,Fearful,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Strength/leash pulling

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful: Shrub was observed to headwhip during contact and become tense during exuberant contact. They should never be forced to approach anything that they are uncomfortable with or submit to petting or handling. It should always be their choice to approach a new person or thing. Shrub 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. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Shrub has been observed displaying significant reactivity toward other dogs while on leash. When encountering a dog, he will fixate on the trigger, pull toward it, and vocalize loudly, including screaming. He has difficulty disengaging once focused on another dog and is often not responsive to redirection in these moments. Training should focus on increasing distance from triggers, proactively moving him away before fixation occurs, and reinforcing calm engagement with the handler in lower-arousal situations. Please see the handout on On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration. Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition/Basic manners/poor impulse control/Strength/leash pulling: Shrub is reported to be excitable during handling and leashing, often becoming jumpy and mouthy when preparing for walks. He demonstrates poor impulse control and struggles to regulate his arousal, particularly when exposed to environmental triggers. While outside, he pulls strongly on the leash and becomes highly focused on other dogs, making it difficult for handlers to redirect his attention. Continued training should emphasize impulse-control exercises, calm leashing routines, loose-leash walking skills, and reinforcing appropriate behaviors as alternatives to jumping and mouthing. Please see the handout on Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition/Basic manners/poor impulse control/Strength/leash pulling.