Date of intake:: 1/29/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray; with previous owner history (in the home for 1 year)

Previously lived with:: 2 adults, 3 children (14, 16, 18), 1 cat

Behavior toward strangers:: Friendly, outgoing

Behavior toward children:: No experience with young children

Behavior toward dogs:: Familiar dogs: Playful Unfamiliar dogs: Pull towards them

Behavior toward cats:: Tolerant

Resource guarding:: Kong will not resource guard food or toys. However, Kong will sometimes take in sticks or pick up random things off the floor. When the owner tries to take it from him, he will growl.

Bite history:: Kong was reported to have bitten the cousin of the person he was rehomed to when attempting to put him in a crate. Further details (including if skin was broken or blood was drawn) about this incident are unknown.

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: Kong is reported to have a high energy level.

Other Notes:: Kong is reported to snap when his collar is grabbed. Owner has not attempted to trim nails. Kong will snap if restrained at times. He will use the bathroom outside, but sometimes has accidents inside if he is not walked in time. Kong has lunged at a runner passing him on a walk previously. Sometimes he will bark at dogs while on walks. He will bark when strangers approach the home. He is known to be destructive in the home. He is known to be fearful of cups because her son would force a cup of carbonated drinks into his face and she believes he is scared of cups since then. Kong is known to be playful, quiet, and very active. He allows the owner to bathe and brush him. While on walks, Kong will pull moderately. He was walked twice a day for 20-30 minutes at a time. Initially, Kong was crate trained and would go in on command. Now Kong will go into his crate at times but will sometimes snap if forced into the crate. Kong does well in car rides but sometimes becomes car sick. The previous owner's favorite thing about him is that he is a protector and once he is exercised and fed, he will calm. Kong loves to play tug with toys and play fetch outside. He enjoys chewing on wood. Kong was fed Rachel Ray Nutrish dry food and raw wet food.

Date of assessment:: 2/1/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Hard pulling for the duration of time on the leash Reactivity to humans: none - ignores Reactivity to dogs: inconclusive - did not pass Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): loose bodied, pants, paces, has difficulty settling or focusing Call over: approaches with coaxing Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: brief lean in, pants, moves away Exuberant handling: brief lean in, pants, moves away Handling comments: Arousal Jog: immediately jumps up and leash bites, does not readily recover, pauses when hearing a squeaky toy, positions to resume leash biting, but does not follow through/distracted Arousal comments: distracted by the assistant leaving room to move to the knock portion Knock: no response Knock Comments: Toy: grips, moves away Toy comments:

Summary:: According to Kong’s previous owner(s), he has interacted with different dogs and is often described as Playful with familiar dogs and pulls towards unfamiliar. 02/17/26: Kong was introduced to a novel female dog. Kong holds position at the gate, exhibiting prey bows, vocalizing with barks, and chomping in conjunction with muzzle punching the gate. Both dogs are separated, concluding the interaction.

Summary (7):: 2/15/26: Staff report that Kong is increasingly becoming more reactive outside towards other dogs, slamming on his kennel door and vocalizing during cleaning. He is also reported to be more aloof and not pay any mind to staff even when coaxed. 2/13/26: Kong is at the back of his kennel laying down and when the handler approaches begins to paw at the door and bark. Kong is easily leashed and pulls hard out of the building and into the yard. Kong pulls hard towards other dogs, and does not react when they are at distance. Kong is brought into the yard and allowed to sniff around, leans into contact when coaxed and tries to jump on the handler. After, he is brought down the ramp and pulls hard towards another passing dog and begins to tense but is easily walked swiftly past. Kong is placed back into kennel with no issue, but begins to paw at the door when they leave. 2/1 (assessment): Kong is standing at the front of his kennel when he sees a handler approach. He becomes wiggly, offering the handler play bows and bounces before he starts paw slapping the kennel door as it's unlocked. The handler offers him treats during leashing, and he is walked to the behavior office for his handling assessment. He pulls hard to the office. Once in the office, he explores the room before he begins the assessment. Once complete, he is re-leashed and walked back to his kennel. Due to heavy foot traffic from browsing potential adopters, the handler takes a different route back to Kong's kennel. He remains loose-bodied, but once in the room, he tenses and tries to go around the handler towards other kennels and towards other barking dogs. The handler moves quickly, and Kong walks into his kennel without issue. 1/30/26 (Assessment): Kong was lying down at back of kennel as handler approached. When Kong saw that handler stopped in front of his kennel he stood up and walked to the front of kennel with a loose and wiggly body. He was easily leashed and escorted to the behavior room for his assessment (Please see assessment notes). On the walk to the room he pulled hard. In the room he was social and took treats. He was returned to kennel with no issue.

Date of intake:: 1/29/2026

Summary:: intially wary of police, loose bodied, allowed leashing, took treats, readily walks into kennel

Date of initial:: 1/29/2026

Summary:: solicits attention, allowed for handling and tasks

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 behavior concerns reported in the previous homne including resource guarding, a bite history, handling/touch sensitivity, we recommend Kong to be placed in an adult-only home. Place with a New Hope partner: Due to all noted concerns displayed in a home environment, the behavior department recommends Kong be placed with a New Hope placement partner who is able to provide an experienced adult-only foster home. A period of decompression is recommended to allow Kong to acclimate comfortably to his new environment; force-free, reward-based training only is advised when introducing him to new and unfamiliar situations. Consultation with a professional trainer/behaviorist is highly recommended for guidance to safely manage/modify any behavior Kong presents with outside of the care centers.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Destructive behavior,Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Leash-biting,Strength/leash pulling,Low threshold for arousal,Bite history (human)

Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding: Kong is reported to guard random objects like sticks or other items he picks up off the ground. He is reported not to guard food or toys. When attempting to take a random object from him, Kong will growl. Due to Kong's guarding of random objects, it can be difficult to determine which item he may find valuable and require careful management. Nothing should ever be taken directly out of Kong's mouth, and any time something is removed he should be rewarded with a high-value treat or toy. He should be taught the "drop" cue and trade-up games. Please see the handout on Resource Guarding. Destructive behavior: Kong is reported to show destructive behavior in the home, but details were not provided. We are unaware of what, if any, attempts were made to remedy this behavior but we suggest to future adopters that Kong will need to be provided with physical and mental stimulation and with a variety of appropriate and engaging chew toys so he can engage in necessary chewing behavior without damage to human objects. Please see the handout on Destructive Behavior. Handling/touch sensitivity | Bite History (human): Kong is reported to snap when his collar is grabbed and when restrained at times. He has also escalated and snapped at the owner's son when he was trying to push Kong into his crate. Kong escalated to biting the cousin of the person he was rehomded to when they were attempting to put him in a crate. Details about that bite are unknown. Please see the handout on Handling/touch sensitivity. Fearful: Kong was reported to be initially wary of officers when brought to the precinct and needed some time to warm up. Upon his arrival to the care centers, he was loose-bodied and readily accepted treats. Though this fearfulness has not been displayed during his stay in care thus far, it is important to always go slow and give him the option to walk away from any social interaction. Kong should never be forced to approach anything that he is uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. Please see handout on Decompression Period. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Kong is reported to have lunged at a runner during a walk. He sometimes barks at other dogs while on walks and barks when strangers approach the home. Please see the handout on On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration. Leash-biting | Low threshold for arousal: During the jog portion of his assessment, Kong began jumping up and leash biting and was not able to readily recover on his own. But he was redirected with a squeaker toy. Please see the handout on Arousal. Strength/leash pulling: Kong is a very large, strong dog with the capability to pull over an average adopter. His adopter must be prepared and able to handle a dog of this size and strength. It is recommended that he be walked on a front clip harness or head halter, which help diminish his strength through leverage, and that he be trained using positive reinforcement only methods.