Date of intake:: 8/19/2025

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender

Previously lived with:: 2 adults, 3 children

Behavior toward strangers:: lunges towards strangers. As he gets to know people he becomes tolerant and shy.

Behavior toward children:: tolerant and affectionate around children.

Behavior toward dogs:: hard barks and lunges towards other dogs. He has no experience with other dogs off leash.

Behavior toward cats:: hard barks and lunges towards cats.

Resource guarding:: No history of resource guarding

Bite history:: No known bite history.

Housetrained:: Unknown

Energy level/descriptors:: Rocco is noted in the prior home to have a medium energy level.

Other Notes:: Rocco is not bothered when held/restrained, when woken from sleep, when startled, when pushed off furniture, when his paws are touched, or when his collar is grabbed. Rocco is a friendly and playful dog, who loves spending time with his family. He spends most of his time where people are. In his previous home he would go on two hour long walks a day. He pulls hard while on leash. He is reported to dig holes if left unsupervised in a yard. He loves playing with his toy ball, chew toys, and squeaky toys, and he especially loves a game of fetch. He eats pedigree wet food, and loves chicken treats.

Date of assessment:: 8/22/2025

Summary:: Due to Rocco's denfensive behavior and stranger danger handling assessment will not be conducted at this time.

Summary:: 08/24/25 Due to Rocco's reactivity shown while in care, Rocco could not attend PG at this time.

Summary (5):: 9/3/25: Rocco is at the front of his kennel and when baby talked begins to wag his tail with a low body, and once the door is being unlocked he is easily leashed and removed from kennel. Rocco pulls mildly outside and begins to explore his surroundings, and when tossed treat will eat them off the ground, but drop some of them as he was eating. Rocco does pull towards other dogs, and continues to pull even when coaxed away and once far away he disengages. Rocco will do this each time he sees another dog, but doesn't escalate past pulling harder. Rocco is returned to kennel with no issue.

Summary (6):: 08/27/25: Rocco is standing at the front of his kennel with a loose, wiggly body and will jump up, pawing at the gate as the handler leashes him overhead. He will then be brought out of his kennel and into the hallway to be escorted outside for an enrichment walk. While outside, Rocco will hard pull with forward momentum. He will also vocalize, barking intensely when seeing another dog pass by. At that point, he will pull harder, display raised hackles, and continue hard barking. Rocco will then return to exploring his walk, sniffing the trees and relieving himself. When the session is complete, Rocco will be escorted back to the care center and returned to his kennel safely without any issues.

Summary (7):: 8/21/25(PM): Rocco is in front of his kennel low growling when the handler approaches, the handler tosses him treats, which he ignores and displays whale eyes. When the handler opens up the kennel door Rocco attempts to rush out. The handler easily leashes him and runs him out of the kennel room due to him attempting to pull toward the neighboring dog in their kennels. Once out side Rocco begins to hard bark and lunge at people walking outside and then at handler with novel dogs. Rocco lunges at birds he see and pulls towards them. Rocco is taken to the playyard and begins to mark and scent. Rocco begins to lip lick then jump on the handler reaching towards their face. Rocco begins to lip lick, whine and display whale eyes while jumping, he is pulled off and the handler keeps him on a short lead. Rocco is taken back to center where he hard barks, growls and lunges towards other dogs, he is kept on a short lead and taken inside. Rocco is returned to his kennel. 8/21/25:(AM)Rocco is standing at the front of his kennel as handler approches. He begins growling with a tense body with his hackles raised as the handler unlocks the door. When the handler tosses a treat inside his kennel, he stops growling and sniffs the treat, but doesn't eat it. He is then able to be leashed and he pulls hard on the way outside or a walk. While outside, he would have a tense body, would pull hard, and bark and vocalize towards every dog that passed by. He is unable to be redirected with treats or toys. While in the yard, he is able to explore around and relieve himself. On the way back to his kennel, he continues to pull hard and bark towards dogs. He is able to enter his kennel with no issue. 08/20/25: Rocco is standing at the front of his kennel with a lowered posture, low growling as the handler opens the kennel door. He backs away to the middle of his kennel, maintaining a stiff body as the handler places the lead over his head. Rocco is then brought outside for a relief walk, where he demonstrates a lowered but not tucked tail while hard-pulling on the leash. He becomes reactive to passing dogs, barking and attempting to lunge. Throughout the walk, Rocco remains hyper-vigilant, maintaining a stiff frame while pulling forward with momentum. Rocco is escorted back to the care center and returned to his kennel safely.

Date of intake:: 8/19/2025

Summary:: fearful and anxious. Staff asked the owner to walk Rocco into the shelter, and then walked him back

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to Rocco's stranger danger, we recommend that he be placed in an adult-only home at this time. No cats: In the prior home Rocco is reported to Hard bark & lunge toward cats. We recommend that he be placed in a no-cat home. Place with a New Hope partner: Rocco came into the care center as an owner surrender due to having too much energy. Rocco is noted in the prior home to have stranger danger and on-leash reactivity he is noted to lung, hard bark at strangers,dogs, and cats. In the prior home Rocco is noted to be friendly and playful dog, who loves spending time with his family. He spends most of his time where people are.He loves playing with his toy ball, chew toys, and squeaky toys, and he especially loves a game of fetch. In the care center, his reactivity in the prior home remains present in care. In the kennel, he has been observed growling, displaying whale eyes, maintaining a tense body with raised hackles, and attempting to rush out when the door is opened. He has consistently ignored treats offered as a redirection tool. On leash, Rocco pulls hard and demonstrates persistent reactivity towards dogs, people, and birds, including barking, growling, and lunging. He is unable to be redirected with food or toys and escalates quickly in arousal, at times jumping up towards handlers' faces while lip licking, whining, and displaying whale eyes. He remains hyper-vigilant with a stiff frame throughout walks, requiring close management on a short lead. Rocco is available for rescue through one of our New Hope Partners.

Potential challenges: : Destructive behavior,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Strength/leash pulling,Kennel presence,Low threshold for arousal

Potential challenges comments:: Destructive Behavior: Rocco has been reported to dig holes when left unsupervised in the yard. This behavior may stem from boredom, excess energy, or anxiety, and would benefit from increased enrichment, supervision, and structured outdoor time.Please see the handout on Destructive Behavior Kennel Presence/Fearful/Potential for Defensive Aggression: In the kennel, Rocco growls and bares his teeth when approached by handlers, indicating fear-based defensive behavior. He may feel threatened in confined spaces and would benefit from slow, predictable interactions and trust-building exercises.Please see the handout on Kennel Presence/Fearful/Potential for Defensive Aggression On-Leash Reactivity/Barrier Frustration: Rocco has a history of lunging and hard barking at cats, people, and dogs in his previous home, and continues to display similar behaviors in the care center. His reactivity includes growling, lunging, and barking at staff, animals, and even birds during walks, suggesting a need for controlled exposure and redirection training.Please see the handout on On-Leash Reactivity/Barrier Frustration Low Threshold for Arousal/Basic Manners/Poor Impulse Control: Rocco demonstrates a low threshold for arousal, including lunging at handlers and jumping toward their faces. These behaviors highlight the need for impulse control training, clear boundaries, and structured interactions to prevent escalation.Please see the handout on Low Threshold for Arousal/Basic Manners/Poor Impulse Control Strength/Leash Pulling: Rocco pulls hard on the leash during walks, which may be due to excitement or lack of leash training. Using appropriate walking equipment and teaching loose-leash walking techniques can help improve his behavior and reduce strain on handlers. Please see the handout on Strength/Leash Pulling