Date of intake:: 8/28/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

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

Other Notes:: *Previous assessments can be given upon request*

Date of assessment:: 9/29/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Moderate — pulls hard to places he wants to sniff Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: Moderate Leash walking comments: Screeching and spinning and circles when seeing another dog, forward tense body with forward ears, when seeing another dog Excalibur kept glancing at them but was able to be redirected Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Moderately social Call over: Approaches handler readily Sociability comments: Receptive to treats Soft handling: Accepts contact Exuberant handling: Tolerates contact Comments: Slightly tense face during exuberant contact Arousal Jog comments: Follows handler readily Knock Knock comments: Approaches handler with coaxing Toy Toy comments: Sniffs, No reaction

Summary:: 9/29/26: While in care, Excalibur has shown high levels of dog reactivity. When seeing another dog, he will vocalize, lunge, raise his hackles, flick his tongue, and hard stare. In one instance, when seeing another dog he turned towards the handler and muzzle punched their leg. Due to his reactivity, staff manage his outings by limiting his walks to the Care Center pens to reduce exposure to other dogs. Due to the high levels of reactivity displayed and the risk for redirection, Excalibur is not a candidate to receive a dog-dog assessment at this time.

Summary (5):: 9/23/26: Excalibur is at the front of his kennel with a neutral body posture when the handler approaches. He gently accepts treats and is easily leashed, willingly exiting the kennel. He walks through the room and hallways at a slow pace and shows no reaction to other dogs in pop-up crates or to staff members. In the driveway, Excalibur immediately relieves himself. He continues walking alongside the handler on a loose leash. He shows no reaction to people passing by. When he notices another dog, he fixates and stares hard at them with a high, carried tail. Excalibur responds to treats and verbal cues from the handler and disengages. He remains responsive to the handler, accepts petting, and follows the cues "sit" and "down". During the return, the handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Excalibur back into the kennel with ease. 9/17/26: Excalibur is at the front of his kennel with neutral body when handler approaches. He gently takes offered treats and is easily leashed and willingly exits the kennel. Excalibur walks through the room and hallways with no reaction toward other dogs or staff members, slowly following the handler. Excalibur is taken to the driveway where he immediately relieves himself. He is not interested in other people passing by. When he notices a dog, he gets alert but handler is able to redirect him with treats and verbal recall. He follows and sits in front of the handler taking more treats. He jumps onto the handler placing his front paws on their treat pouch but stops after handler cued him to 'sit". Excalibur quickly disengages and continues sniffing and discovering his surroundings while staying in the driveway. Excalibur is responsive, allows petting and follows cues "sit" and "paw". After sometime handler is able to pre-clip the leash and return Excalibur back into his kennel with no further issues. 09/08/26: Excalibur is at the front of his kennel laying down as handler approaches, he is leashed easily and exits kennel following handler pulling moderately until he reaches the hall. From there he is taken to the street and follows handler to the street, outside Excalibur pulls toward the spots he wants to sniff suddenly and with moderate leash pressure. He walks for a while uneventfully passing people on the street, he walks for a bit until brought back inside, handler notes Excalibur begin to anxiously whine, he allows handler to clip his leash and returns to kennel without issue.

Summary (6):: 9/5/26: Excalibur is at the back of his kennel sitting on his bed. When handler opens the kennel door he comes forward where he is easily leashed and pulled from kennel. While walking he maintain a neutral body walking slightly ahead of handler while pulling lightly to moderately. He stops several times to sniff and investigate his surroundings. He ignores any treats that handler offers him. He is returned to his kennel with no issue. 09/02/26: Excalibur is at the back of his kennel laying down as handler approaches, he is offered a treat but does not accept it but walks up to the front of kennel and allows leashing with mild hesitancy. He follows handler out to the street for his walk, outside he is slightly tense with hunched shoulders but walks without issue down the street which is relatively empty. Excalibur walks with handler outside and loosens up in body posture as the walk progresses. He relieves himself and stops frequently to sniff spots, when people pass Excalibur follows leash pressure away from them. He walks uneventfully for a while and walks completely around the block. Upon reaching the care centers Excalibur continues to follow handler inside and he allows handler to clip his leash. Excalibur is returned to kennel and interaction is ended shortly after. 9/1/26: Excalibur is at the front of his kennel with a neutral body; he is easily leashed and brought out the room. To allow another handler and a dog walk through the hallway, the handler has to pull Excalibur into the closet, as he was reluctant to walk in. As they enter the street, Excalibur looks at a stranger standing nearby with a lowered head; he also whines until the handler crosses the street with them. Excalibur walks with mild leash tension; he doesn't react to people. When the handler calls his name for his attention, Excalibur is aloof, ignoring them; he shows slight interest when the handler uses their squeaker. Excalibur also whines when the handler takes pictures of him. Upon entry, Excalibur baulks in the hallway, so the handler jogs him towards the room; each time he stops walking, the handler jogs him in. Then they are able to return him to kennel.

Summary (7):: 8/31/26: Excalibur is at the front of the kennel with drooped ears and wide eyes. Handler tosses treats into the kennel and he eats them. Handler leashes him and he is taken out of the kennel. He pulls mildly out of the room to the backyard. (Note: the backyard is closed to all dogs for this interaction). He wanders around the kennel with a neutral body and a soft wagging tail. He is aloof, not responding to handlers when they call to him. He is wandering around the pen relieving himself. Excalibur sniffs around for a moment. Handler scatters treats and he eats them. He is taken back inside the building where he begins to slow down. A dog in a pop-up crate is visible and he is stops briefly hard staring towards the dog. Handler tosses a treat trail and he walks slowly back towards the kennel room, following the treats and eating them. Excalibur then stops at the entrance to the kennel room, he does not eat the treats inside and fixates on a dog in a nearby kennel. When leash tension is applied, he does not move forward. A sling is placed under his abdomen and it is used to get him to walk into the room. He plants his feet and does not walk with the handlers. Excalibur is then lifted into the kennel without issue. 8/31/26: Excalibur is at the front of his kennel with a neutral body as handler approaches. He is then easily leashed and removed from kennel, he has a moderate pull forward and is taken for a street walk. As handler is exiting the driveway, Excalibur spots another dog and begins to intensely vocalize, lunge forward with hackles raised and flicks his tongue. Once he is pulled away, he relieves himself and would then spot another dog which he displays the previous behaviors. Shortly after, he spots one last dog and turn towards the handler and muzzle punches their leg. He is then muscled away and assistance is called, when back in the driveway he is kept on a short leash and a neutral body whilst panting. Handler then jogs back to his kennel, which he readily follows and is muscled into his kennel as he would baulk in front of it. Interaction was then ceased. DZ 8/31/26: Excalibur is reported to be vocalizing very loudly when seeing another dog while walking on the street. 8/30/26: Excalibur was observed to baulk outside the room and refuses to move forward. Staff place a sling under his lower abdomen to return him to kennel. He continues to plant his feet as he is slowly returned to kennel. 8/28/26: Excalibur is observed to be dog reactive in the yard; he vocalizes (barks in a high pitch) when he sees a dog in the adjacent pen.

Date of intake:: 8/28/2026

Summary:: Loose body, wagging tail

Date of initial:: 9/1/2026

Summary:: Tense body for exam

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Excalibur 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 addition to physical exercise, to positively direct their energy and enthusiasm.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to his dog reactivity with the potential for redirection we recommend an adult only home. Single Pet Home/ No Dog Parks: Due to lunging and vocalizing towards other dogs with the potential for redirection, we recommend a single pet home with no trips to the dog park. 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: : On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration

Potential challenges comments:: On Leash Reactivity: Excalibur has been observed to vocalize loudly and lunge towards other dogs with raised hackles. During one instance after reacting to another dog, Excalibur muzzle punches the handler's leg. Excalibur 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.