Date of intake:: 5/24/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (3 years)

Previously lived with:: 2 adults and 1 other dog

Behavior toward strangers:: Prefers contact on own terms, tolerant; will hard work and growl at visitors when in crate

Behavior toward children:: Unknown

Behavior toward dogs:: Prefers contact on own terms, social with familiar dogs; hides at first with unfamiliar dogs on leas

Behavior toward cats:: Unknown

Resource guarding:: None reported

Bite history:: None reported

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: Xhyloh is reported to have a medium energy level.

Other Notes:: Xhylo is potty trained and will use the bathroom outside on walks (grass, cement, dirt, etc.). It is very rare she will have accidents outside. Xhylo is fearful of loud noises (ex. storms/thunder, fireworks, arguments). During walks she will react to bikes/skateboards/scooters/motorcycles/cars and/or traffic; she will react by becoming fearful and hiding. Xhylo is not bothered when held/restrained, disturbed while resting/sleeping, startled, pushed/pulled off of furniture, when her paws are touched and when her collar is grabbed/touched. She will allow her owner/family to bathe, brush and trim her nails/touch paws. Xhylo is a level 3 when out for a walk meaning she has mild to moderate pulling (on or off during walks) - the owner reported she will only pull to go back home.

Date of assessment:: 7/20/2026

Summary:: 7/20: Xhyloh enters the behavior office, tail tucked, body tense, ears pinned with whale eyes. She holds herself as far away from the hadnlers/at the end of the lead to put distance between them. She backs away when the assessor attempts to offer her sliced cheese and chicken breast, lip licking rapidly. Xhylo begins shaking while slowly moving towards the office door. Due to her fearfulness and avoidance, Xhylo does not allow collaring, and a handling assessment could not be conducted. 5/27: Xhyloh has not acclimated well to the shelter environment. She remains highly fearful, avoiding, and has escalated to growling and lunging in the kennel when a staff member attempted to leash her. When brought to the behavior office to attend a handling assessment, Xhyloh is stiff with a tucked tail and constantly lip-licks when handlers attempt to interact with her. She whines and attempts to increase the distance between handlers. Due to her behaviors and stress levels, a handling assessment is not attempted at this time.

Summary:: Xhylo arrived at the care centers as an owner surrender, and is noted to prefer contact on his own terms, social with familiar dogs; hides at first with unfamiliar dogs on leash. 7/23/26: Xhylo greets a novel male dog through the barrier off leash. Xhylo has a tucked tail, is fearful and is avoidant of collaring and leashing and greets the gate willingly. She will be moved away and left off leash while the male dog is loose/wiggly and soliciting play. Xhylo stands still, does not approach and the male dog will walk over and she will disengage immediately. Xhylo is moved out of the yard due to her fearfulness.

Summary (6):: 7/23/26: Xyhlo is laying down on her bed at the back of her kennel as handler approaches. She comes forward to the front as the handler unlocks the door and is able to be leashed with ease. She is then taken to the play yard for play group. In the yard, she greets the other dog at the gate with a tense body and tucked tail. She continues to have tense body as she stands still while trembling when the other dog is walking around close by her. Please see dog to dog notes for more details. She is able to return back to her kennel with no issues.

Summary (7):: 07/20/26: Xhylo is lying in the back of her kennel and will get up and walk to the front, allowing the handler to leash her with ease. She will then be brought to the assessment room, where she will remain on leash as she does not allow handlers to place a drag leash or collar on her, consistently avoiding their attempts. Xhylo will refuse treats throughout the session, limiting opportunities to build comfort or redirect her attention. Due to her avoidance of handling and refusal of food reinforcement, the behavioral assessment will not be conducted. Once this session is concluded, Xhylo will be brought back to her kennel safely without any issues. For more information, see Behavioral Assessment. 6/23/26: Xhylo is at the front of the kennel as the handler approaches. She is leashed with no issue and brought out to the play yard where she will stand with a tucked tail and will seek exit. The handler attempts to engage with her with treats and baby talk but she will just stand facing away from the handler. She is returned to kennel with no issue and is secured safely. 06/16/26: Xhylo is at the front of her kennel as the handler approaches. She is leashed with ease and brought to the play yard. She walks slowly and on a loose leash, but her tail remains tucked for the entire time that she is outside. She will look around in the yard, but spends most of the time standing in the same spot staring at the exit. She is returned to her kennel with no issue. 05/27/26 BA note): Xhylo is leashed with ease and brought to the assessment room. Once inside, she displays shy and fearful behaviors throughout the interaction. Due to her level of discomfort and stress, the behavioral assessment is postponed to allow additional time for acclimation. For more information, see Behavioral Assessment. 05-25-26: upon entry to kennel was growling and very timid. Lunged at lead and leash bit. Handler closed kennel and gave a moment to calm down. Tried again , same results. Closed kennel again, then proceeded to toss treats, she took to them. After going slowly and tossing treats on the ground I was able to lead her. Shes timid on walk, only took treats tossed in front on the ground at first but once warmed up on walk she began to take treats directly by hand on her own pace.

Date of intake:: 5/24/2026

Summary:: fearful, used slow approach

Date of initial:: 5/28/2026

Summary:: very tense and stiff, tucked tail; constantly surveilling room, take spam with whale eyes

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Recommend no dog parks,Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): due to Xhyloh's potential for defensive escalations, we recommend an adult only home at this time. Recommend no dog parks: Due to Xhylo's fearfulness and behavior in playgroup, we recommend she does not visit dog parks. Place with a New Hope partner: Xhyloh has not acclimated well to the kennel environment and has allowed only minimal handling since intake. We recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification (force-free, positive reinforcement-based) and re-evaluate behavior in a stable home environment before placement into a permanent home.

Potential challenges: : Fearful/potential for defensive aggression

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Xhyloh's previous owner reported that she can be timid with strangers. During her stay in care, she has been highly fearful and avoidant of interaction with handlers. On one occasion, she growled and lunged when attempting to remove her from kennel, biting the handler's lead. She gives clear warnings when she is uncomfortable and does seem to choose to avoid or retreat when given the opportunity, but if prevented from moving away there is a potential to escalate to higher-level warning behaviors and possible fear-based aggression. It is important to move slowly with Xhyloh, to build positive associations (treats/toys/praise), and to allow her to initiate interactions with new people. She should never be forced to greet or to interact if she is not comfortable and does not want to solicit attention. Please see hadnout on Fearful/potential for defensive aggression.