Date of intake:: 1/22/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray, Limited history

Other Notes:: On 1/22/2026, officers transported a small-medium dog in a crate to MACC due to having scratched the owners young baby/child. The owner was holding their baby in a seated position when the dog, who had been in the owner's possession for 3 months, scratched the child's right eyelid while excitedly jumping and bouncing its front paws onto the owner - the behavior was standard for the dog. The scratch on the child did not actively bleed but did leave an abrasion. No medical attention was sought out.

Date of assessment:: 2/15/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: None Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: Exuberant, reluctant to exit kennel Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Distracted Call over: Approaches handler readily Sociability comments: Jumps up on handler persistently, jumps up on the couch and begins to roll around. When the handler goes to unclip their dragline Pointer mouths their hand with hard pressure, the handler has to pull their hand out of Pointer's mouth due to him not letting go Soft handling: Tolerates contact Exuberant handling: Tolerates contact Comments: Jumps up on handler persistently, wraps his front legs around the handler's arm Arousal Jog comments: Baulks does not follow Knock Knock comments: Approaches handler readily, jumps up Toy Toy comments: Grips light and engages with the toy

Summary (5):: 2/22/26: Pointer is standing at the front of the kennel, as the handler approaches he lowers his body and lip licks slowly. He is easily leashed and plants in the kennel. Handler lifts his front body out of the kennel and he exits the kennel and immediately bounces around. He is taken out of the room. Pointer is taken downstairs where he jumps up on the handler repeatedly, he mouths their hands lightly and paws at their PPE. Handler directs him down with treats. Occasionally, Pointer follows the command "down" without issue. He also does the command "sit" as well. When he does not jump exuberantly on the handler he is given a treat. Pointer is then walked back to the shelter. A dog passes in front and walks around Pointer. Pointer ignores the dog, walking around and engaging with the handler. After sometime, he walks back to his kennel and is returned without issue. 2/15/26 (Assessment): Pointer greets handler at front of kennel with a loose and wiggly body. He is easy to leash, but getting out of kennel took lots of time, treats and patience. Once he was out of kennel he would walk fine. Pointer has a lot of energy and would zig zag back and forth between places to sniff and investigate. Every person he saw on his walk he would try to greet. He was taken to the behavior room for his assessment (Please see assessment notes for details). He was returned to kennel with no issue. 2/15/26: It is reported that Pointer is highly reluctant to exit kennel. While on leash Pointer is observed to baulk on leash and wrap his front legs around his leash. 2/14/26: Pointer can be heard vocalizing loudly and biting the kennel bars. A leash is easily clipped to his collar as he curls up in the corner, lying down. Licking his lips and rolling over exposing his belly. Handler reaches in and Pointer allows the handler to lift his front body and places it outside of the kennel. Pointer exits the kennel on his own and begins running out of the room. He jumps up on the handler exuberantly pawing at them and bouncing off the wall in the hallway. He jumps up on the handler again and he is directed down with treats. Pointer is brought to the street where he walks with a loose leash ahead of the handler. He will occasionally turn and jump up on the handler exuberantly. He is told down and is redirected with treats. Handler walks him back to the shelter, he begins to baulk slightly and the handler tosses treats to coax him forward. Pointer will continue jumping up towards the handler pawing them and licking their hands. He is ripping their PPE as he is pawing. Pointer is then walked back to his kennel and is returned without issue. 2/9/26: Staff reported that Pointer refused to exit his kennel and had to be lifted out of the kennel. Once he was out he walked outside without issue. It was also reported that Pointer does not like the stairs.

Summary (6):: 2/7/26: Pointer sitting in kennel as the handler approaches. He is easily leashed but doesn’t come out of kennel. The handler drops treats in front of him, which he stretches to eat, but pointer refuses to exit. Another familiar handler gives him treats and softly speaks to him. As Pointer comes closer to the front, the handler adds gentle leash pressure. After a few attempts, the handler is able to remove Pointer from his kennel. Once he’s outside the room, Pointer jumps on the handler licking the air; he also jumps on other staff members with a loose body. On the street, Pointer walks ahead of the handler with little to no leash tension. Upon entry, Pointer jumps on the handler again after they clip the leash. He slightly baulks but walks inside and returns to kennel. 2/2/26: Pointer is at the front of the kennel. He begins to crouch with a soft body and wagging tail, squinting his eyes and lip licking slowly. Handler clips a leash to his collar and he exits the kennel. He walks out of the room and jumps repeatedly up towards the handler as they go to the backyard. He is placed on a drag leash and bounces around the yard. He jumps up on the handler in a social manner and leans into their side and rests his head on their lap. His tail slowly wagging and allowing gentle petting. He jumps up on the handler and handler directs him down with a treat. Handler has him sits for treats which he does. Pointer is walked around the block and is walked back inside. He tries to jump on passing handlers in a social manner and is returned to his kennel without issue. 1/29/26: It is reported on the behavior board that Pointer is afraid to come out of his kennel and needs a sling to reenter. 1/29/26: Pointer is siting in his kennel as handler approaches. He is able to be leashed with ease and is then taken to the driveway. In the driveway, he would jump up on the handler with a loose and wiggly body. He would sit and stare at the handler to receive treats. He is able to return back to his kennel with no issues. 1/28/26: Pointer is at the front of the kennel with a soft body and wagging tail. He lowers his body as the kennel is unlocked and the handler talks to him. He begins to roll over on his back while slowly lip licking. He is easily leashed and stands up and exits the kennel. He pulls mildly out of the room and begins jumping up exuberantly onto the handler repeatedly in the hallway. Pointer is taken to the driveway, and continues to jump up exuberantly. A dog passes and he looks to them but does not react. Pointer is walked to the assessment room and sees familiar handlers. He jumps up repeatedly and exuberantly on them zooming around the office. he jumps up and off the couch and knocks over objects sitting on surfaces. He gets mouthy with mild pressure as the assessor clips the leash to his collar. He takes treats hard. After his assessment, Pointer then walks back to kennel and is returned without issue.

Summary (7):: 1/26/26: Pointer is at the middle of the kennel with a lowered head. He is lip licking slowly, avoiding eye contact and rolling over with a fast wagging tail. Handler clips a flat leash to his collar and he stands up and approaches the front. He backs away and crouches when handler reaches in to lift him. Handler manages to lift Pointer and he settles in their hands and is taken out to the backyard. He is placed in the snow and he begins jumping up and down on the handler. He circles them and jumps up and down repeatedly, ripping their PPE. Handler turns away from him when he jumps up and down. He bounces in the snow briefly. Handler begins to walk him back inside and he stops moving. He follows slowly before lifting his paws and lying down. He is picked up and carried back inside to the behavior office. He begins zooming around the office, jumping up towards the handler and bouncing around the couch and surfaces. Other handlers enter the office and he begins to run towards them and jump up on them exuberantly. Pawing at them and rolling over on the couch. One of the handlers picks up Pointer and places him on their lap, he settles and another handler trims his claws. He is then placed on the ground and bounces around again. Handler goes to return him to kennel. Pointer stays on the couch and lies down. Handler tosses a treat to coax him away and he follows the treat. He then turns and jumps back up on the couch and refuses to jump down again for more treats. Pointer is picked up and returned to kennel without issue. 1/25/26 Pointer is sitting in the back of the kennel. He wags the tip of his tail when the handler crouches down. He gets up to eat treats when they are placed in front of him. He is leashed but pancakes at any slight leash pressure. He is coaxed out of the kennel with treats and baby talk. He pancakes once out of the kennel. Behavior staff picks him up and bring him to the yard. He sits still with a very tight body. He occasionally jumps up and grabs the handlers leg with his paws or leans against the handler sideways. He takes treats. Walk is ended early due to both FAS and inclement weather. Pointer is coaxed back part of the way and is eventually picked up. He is set back down in the hallway and is coaxed into his kennel. He accepts more treats. 1/24/26: Pointer was in back of kennel as handler approached. As handler unlocked kennel Pointer lifted his head up and looked. He had a tense body with ears back. Handler used treats to leash Pointer and to get him to exit the kennel. He was escorted to the back yard for a walk, using treats to keep him moving along. It was very cold and after being outside for only a little while he was shivering so he was brought back. Using treats he was lead back to kennel.

Date of intake:: 1/22/2026

Summary:: Growled, tail tucked, pancaked and thrashed on leash

Date of initial:: 1/23/2026

Summary:: Tense and whale eyed, food motivated

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Pointer 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 fearful behavior and poor impulse control we recommend an 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: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression

Potential challenges comments:: Basic Manners: Pointer has been observed to jump up high on handlers persistently. This has resulted in a scratch to child occurring in pointer's previous home. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Sit" and "Off" are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach them to control their impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward-based training only is recommended. Please see handout on Basic Manners. Mouthiness: Pointer has been observed to mouth handlers hands with hard pressure. We recommend never playing with bare hands, always with a toy, and ending play or attention whenever Pointer puts teeth on skin. They should be rewarded with attention and treats when they stop and/or when they are seeking attention in alternate ways. Please see handout on Mouthiness. Fearful Defensive: During intake Pointer was observed to growl towards handlers with a tense body and tucked tail. Throughout his stay Pointer has continued to be observed to baulk on leash and is hesitant to exit kennel. While on leash Pointer would pancake and thrash. It is important to move slowly with Pointer, to build positive associations (treats/toys/praise), and to allow them to initiate interactions with new people. They should never be forced to greet or to interact if they are not comfortable and soliciting attention. Please see handout on Fearful and Defensive Aggression.