Date of intake:: 6/25/2025

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (4 years)

Previously lived with:: Adults, Children

Behavior toward strangers:: Hard barks and/or growls, Tolerant, Lunges

Behavior toward children:: Tolerant, Playful (with resident children), lunges

Behavior toward dogs:: Familiar dogs: No experience Unfamiliar dogs - on leash: Playful, Tolerant

Behavior toward cats:: No experience

Resource guarding:: Rex finds toys and random objects of a high value. Has a tense body or hovers over them, Growls or hard barks.

Bite history:: Rex has had a bite incident in his previous home. January of 2024. The owner believes the person rushed into the home and grabbed Rex by the collar which startled him. He jumped on the boyfriend and bit him on the upper arm, immediately released and backed away. The bite resulted in 2 punctures wounds, half a tooth long.

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: Medium - High

Other Notes:: Goes potty on: Outside on walks (grass, cement, dirt, etc.), Designated area in home Accident frequency: Few times a month Additional info: Pees in areas of home he shouldn't when he gets over stimulated. Behavior concerns: Jumps up often or non-stop, Pulls hard on leash, "General anxiety (paces, whines, unable to settle), Other Additional info: Barks a lot when strangers or people who don't live in the home comes around. Reacts to on walks: Strangers that approach you/family members, Strangers that approach the home/yard, "Small animals (squirrels, birds, rats, etc.)", Cats Reaction type: Lunging, Growling/Hard barking How this dog reacts when... - Held/restrained: Isn't bothered - Disturbed while resting/sleeping: Isn't bothered - Startled: Isn't bothered - Pushed/pulled off furniture: Unknown/Have not attempted - Paws are touched: Isn't bothered - Collar grabbed/touched: Isn't bothered

Summary:: Due to a high level of fear and bite history, Rex is not a candidate for a handling assessment at this time.

Summary:: Rex is reported to be tolerant and playful with unfamiliar dogs on leash but has no other experience interacting with other dogs in his previous home.

Summary (1):: Rex is a very active and playful male dog who generally prefers contact on his own terms and shows a strong sense of independence. He spends most of his time in his crate, in the bedroom, kitchen, or wherever people are. When it comes to grooming, Rex loves bath time and water, and he allows his owner or family members to bathe and brush him; however, he does not allow nail trimming due to fear and discomfort. On walks, Rex pulls hard to very hard on the leash, maintaining tension throughout, which makes him somewhat difficult to manage. He is walked 1–2 times per day for about 15 to 20 minutes each time. Although crate trained, Rex does not do well in the crate and spends up to 8 hours a day in a spacious, oversized wired or extra-large dog crate. He is nervous during car rides—both about getting in and being in the car—and since his family doesn’t drive, he often has to ride in strangers' cars, where he must be held on a leash and has trouble sitting still. Rex knows several cues including “sit,” “paw,” “down,” “be nice,” “go inside” (crate cue), “stop,” and “no” when he’s doing something he shouldn't. His previous owner’s favorite things about him include how friendly he is with household members, his attentiveness and protectiveness, and his good looks. Rex loves to bring his toy when he wants to play and will sit by your feet when he wants to be near you. His favorite activities include playing fetch—especially with his small rubber tire, tough stuffed animals, or rope ball—and enjoying treats like Beggin’ Bacon, beef strips, snacking bacon dog treats, and bone biscuit treats.

Summary (6):: 7/3: Rex is easily leashed and pulls to the yard. He is kept on leash and walks the length of the yard several times. He is able to be close to handlers and sniffs them, remaining neutral, sometimes wagging his tail. His handler sits at the bench and Rex puts his back end against them. He accepts pets with an open mouth. He is easily clipped and returns without issue. 7/2: Rex is brought to the yard with 2 familiar staff members. While on leash he approaches a staff member sitting down. He begins to lean into her with his chest but when she pets him, he lets out a grumble and walks away.

Summary (7):: 06.30 Rex is standing in the front of his kennel and is easily leashed. He pulls hard on the leash while leaving the building. He zigzags at the end of the leash, panting. He is brought to the yard where he is kept on leash and and continues to pants while pacing back and forth. He is brought into meet and greet and will lay down briefly in a sphinx position before getting up and pacing. He growls at the handler when they clip his and is easily returned to kennel. 6.29 Rex was standing in the middle of his kennel and slowly approached as staff presented the leash. Once the leash was presented, Rex began to hard bark and snap at the leash. Once leashed, Rex stopped barking and came out of the kennel with a neutral body and no reactivity. Rex was taken on a walk. During his walk, Rex pulled very hard, and moved back and forth in front of the handler. He ignored treats while on the walk. He had a neutral body, and a high docked tail. He pulled hard enough that he began to salivate and wheeze. Rex was then taken to a yard. In the yard, Rex was kept on leash. He tolerates pets from the handler but head-whipped and low growled when staff attempted to collar him. His leash was clipped and he was easily returned to the kennel. 6.28 Rex was standing in the middle of his kennel when staff approached. Rex was tense and shaking a little. When staff talks to him and touches the glass, he starts to do a very low growl. He won't let staff leash him, so Rex is transferred into the kennel next to him. He went over without any issue or having to use a treat. Rex's kennel was cleaned, and he was easily transferred over again.

Date of intake:: 6/25/2025

Summary:: tense, owner's leashed, attempts to follow them, walks neutral to kennel

Date of initial:: 6/26/2025

Summary:: Tense, muzzled as a precaution, allowed all handling

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 potential for defensive aggression, Rex should go to an adult only home. Place with a New Hope partner: Due to bite incident in the previous home, we recommend placement with New Hope Rescue Partner.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Anxiety,Strength/leash pulling,Bite history (human)

Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding: Rex is reported to guard toys. He would take toys from the baby's crib and bring him into his pop-up crate. If anyone would approach the pop-up crate, he would start growling. This would apply with food as well in the pop-up crate. Nothing should ever be taken directly out of Rex'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 handout on Resource Guarding. Basic manners/poor impulse control: Rex is reported to lack basic manners and impulse control. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", "Down" are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach him/her to control their impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward-based training only is recommended. Please see the handout on Basic Manners and Impulse Control. Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Rex gives clear warnings when he 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 Rex, to build positive associations (treats/toys/praise), and to allow him to initiate interactions with new people. He should never be forced to greet or to interact if he is not comfortable and soliciting attention. Please see handout on Fearful Potential for Defensive Aggression. Bite history (human): Rex has a bite history to a person. A familiar person entered the home and startled Rex. He escalated to biting the person on the arm leaving a bite mark on the upper arm with shallow punctures and bruising. Rex does best with slow, careful introductions even with those he has met previously. We recommend supervised, adult only interactions. Please see handout on Bite History. Anxiety: Rex's owner described him as an anxious dog, but did not give details on how the anxiety manifested. If Rex displays anxious behavior in his future home, we recommend puzzle toys, long walks, and giving him other things to focus on to alleviate his anxiety. Positive reinforcement, force-free training only should be used. Please see handout on Generalized Anxiety. Strength/leash pulling: Rex pulls hard on leash and is highly fearful. He requires someone who can manage his strength. Please see handout on Leash Manners.