Date of intake:: 1/8/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

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

Other Notes:: The responding officers reported that Vulcan was growling at them and that they were unable to place him in a crate. ESU called and they attempted to tranquilize Vulcan however they were unsuccessful. Ultimately a control pole was used to place Vulcan into a crate. **Previous assessments can be given upon request**

Date of assessment:: 2/17/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: Inconclusive Leash walking comments: Pulls hard towards the other dogs in the kennel room, body perpendicular, handler has to straight arm her Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Fearful Call over: Approaches with coaxing Sociability comments: Tense body Soft handling: Fearful Exuberant handling: Fearful Comments: Tense body, stiff tail, whale eye, begins to lowly turn towards the handler with tense face, shakes off after handling is concluded Arousal Jog comments: Follows handler exuberantly, attempts to jump at the handler's leg Knock Knock comments: Approaches handler readily, jumps up Toy Toy comments: Becomes tense and hovers over the toy with a stiff tail

Summary:: 1/14/26: Vulcan greets another dog at the gate with a tense body and raised hackles. Off leash, she begins to salivate and does not approach the other dog.

Summary (4):: 2/26/26: It was reported by a staff member that Vulcan was hard barking and whale eying at them when they approached her kennel. She then began to jump up and down on the kennel doors. KD 02/22/26: Vulcan is at the front of her kennel as handler approaches, she is leashed while distracted with a treat and upon exiting kennel pulls very hard toward the neighboring kennel. She pulls while standing on her hind legs and attempts to lunge intermittently at dogs she sees reacting in kennel. Vulcan walks with handler out to the street and pulls moderately outside. She walks with handler out to the street and will ignore most dogs but when. She follows handler for a while and toward the end of the walk she sees a small dog and pulls moderately toward them and is difficult to redirect. After a bit she is returned to kennel and pulls hard back inside, reacting to and lunging toward dogs as she returns.

Summary (5):: 2/17/26 (reassessment): Vulcan is at the front of her kennel with a loose body. the handler feeds her a treat, which she eats softly, and leashes her. While walking to the oom, Vulcan fixates on the kennels by turning her body towards and look at them; the handler straight arms the leash to create distance between Vulcan and the kennels. She disenages her focus after exiting the room. On the street, Vulcan walks ahead with mild to moderate lash tension; she doesn't display any people reactivity. She also jumps on a familiar handler with a loose body. Vulcan is then brought inside for her assessment (see notes); afterwards, she is returned to her kennel with ease 2/15/26: Vulcan is sitting at the back of the kennel. She approaches the front with a neutral body. Easily leashed and pulls very hard out of the room. Vulcan looks towards the neighboring kennels. She pulls down the hall and downstairs to the street. Handler distracts Vulcan with treats and leash harnesses her. She pulls very mildly on the harness. Vulcan relieves herself a few time and walks back to the shelter. A few people pass by her and she stares at them as they pass with a tense body. Vulcan is walked back to the shelter and the harness is undone. She pulls very hard back to kennel and is returned without issue. 2/9/26: It was noted on the whiteboard that Vulcan is resource guarding her food. 02/07/26: Vulcan is at the front of her kennel as handler approaches. She is leashed while distracted with treats and exits kennel following a handful of tossed treats. After eating a few off the floor and once finished quickly darts toward one of the dog kennel she passes on the way out to the hallway, handler pulls her away and she exits to the hall. She is taken out to the street for her walk, outside she pulls moderately and accepts tossed treats. She attempts to inquisitively sniff toward people passing in the street. Vulcan stops to sniff and to relieve herself during her walk and after finishing she begins pulling back inside, likely due to the extreme cold temperatures. She is brought back inside and stares at the dogs she passes when returning to kennel but does not pull toward them, she returns without further issue. 2/1/26: It is reported that Vulcan is highly kennel reactive. She is very fixated on dogs and will pull past the handler in an attempt to get closer to the dogs in the kennel room. This behavior is not able to be redirected easily.

Summary (6):: 1/31/26: Vulcan is at the back of her kennel standing on her kuranda bed facing the transfer door. She comes to the front neutral body when handler approaches. She is easily leashed and removed from kennel. She pulls hard towards the other dogs in their kennels, front paws slightly off the ground. Handler uses two hands to keep her away from the other dogs. She is walked on the street where she pulls hard from spot to spot. She will watch other dogs from a distance still body but neutral. Handler can call her away. She is aloof not seeking attention but will come when called by handler. Upon return, handler tosses treats ahead to get her back into kennel without cage fighting but that does not work and she pulls towards the other dogs. She goes into kennel without issue and goes to the back of the kennel to stare at the transfer door. 1/20/26 (reassessment): Vulcan is at the front of her kennel with a neutral body. She is easily leashed and brought out the kennel. On the street, Vulcan walks ahead with mild to moderate leash tension. She doesn't react to a cat nearby. Vulcan also slows down her walking speed as she walks past people, and pulls away after they're behind her. The handler brings Vulcan inside for her assessment (sees notes); afterwards, they return Vulcan to kennel with ease. 1/12/26-Vulcan is at the front of her kennel with a neutral body, she is easily leashed and taken for a street walk. She walks on a loose leash and gently takes treats that are offered. She is hypervigilant (tail tucked, ears pinned). She moves away from loud noises with her body/ head low. She is aloof with handler. She is taken for her assessment where she softens and is social with handlers. She continues to take treats. Handler tosses a toy and she chases it, picks it up and brings it back then drops it. She is leashed and returned to kennel without issue

Summary (7):: 1/11/26: Vulcan is standing in her kennel as handler approaches. She is able to be slowly leashed with ease and is then taken outside for a walk. On the walk, she would walk ahead of the handler with a neutral body frame. She would stare at dogs as they passed by and is able to continue walking with the handler. She doesn't have interest in treats until re-entering the driveway. She is able to return back to her kennel with no issues 1/11/26: Vulcan is laying in the middle of the kennel when the handler approaches. The handler unlocks the kennel door and Vulcan approaches the front. The handler is easily able to leash her and she is taken to the yard. Vulcan walks with a neutral body, when seeing another dog Vulcan becomes tense and fixates on them. She is not easily redirected, not receptive to treats and the handler has to use leash pressure to move her away. When returning to kennel the handler is able to clip their leash and she readily returned to kennel. 1/10/26: Vulcan is standing at the front of her kennel, neutral body. She is easily leashed and removed from kennel. Vulcan is walked in the yard where she is aloof, sniffing around, not checking in with handler. She is easily clipped but needs to be muscled into the kennel. 01/09/26: Vulcan is at the front of her kennel sitting down as handler approaches. She is offered treats and accepts them gently before handler presents leash, Vulcan sniffs the leash intently and allows leashing before exiting kennel with handler and stopping at the front of the room momentarily before walking to the yard with handler. Vulcan sniffs around the perimeter of the yard with a tightly tucked tail, she walks with handler and does not pull. Outside she does not react to people or dogs she sees but occasionally stops and stares at them as they pass. She enters the play yards and briefly sniffs around, sometimes approaching handler and beginning to sniff them around the leg. When she does this handler continues walking with her around the perimeter of the yard, after a while she is brought back inside and her leash is clipped. She returns to kennel without issue and interaction is ended shortly after.

Date of intake:: 1/8/2026

Summary:: Growling, hard staring, whale eyes

Date of initial:: 1/8/2026

Summary:: Low growling in kennel when spoken to. Opted to sedate

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Vulcan 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:: Level 4

Recommendations:: No children (under 13)

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to fearful behavior we recommend an adult only home.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Low threshold for arousal

Potential challenges comments:: Resource Guarding: Vulcan is observed to become tense and hover over food in her possession. During her assessment Vulcan was obsverd to become tense and hover over a toy. Nothing should ever be taken directly out of Vulcan's mouth, and any time something is removed they should be rewarded with a high value treat or toy. Please see handout on Resource Guarding. Fearful Defensive: Vulcan has been observed to growl and hard stare at handlers. ESU had to use a control pole and attempted to sedate Vulcan. During her assessment she was observed to thrash when handlers initiated contact. It is important to move slowly with Vulcan, 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. On Leash Reactivity: Vulcan has been observed to pull hard towards the other dogs in the kennel room, the handler has to straight arm her to keep her away. Vulcan will need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach them to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness to help manage this behavior. Please see handout on On Leash Reactivity and Barrier Frustration. Arousal: After the jog portion of the assessment Vulcan continued to run around the room and began jumping up on handlers. Positive reinforcement training should be used to teach Vulcan to remain calm during arousing situations. If they begin to escalate, people should pause the interaction, and create distance from the trigger. Pattern games such as 1-2-3 treat and the cue “mat” can be used to reinforce calm behaviors. Please see handout on Arousal.