Date of intake:: 4/26/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray (no known information)

Other Notes:: 5/2: Jimmy was taken outside to the yard by a familiar volunteer. Once in the yard, a necklace was put on him for pictures. He accepted treats softly, but his tail was on alert. When they went to remove the necklace, he let out a low growl. A hook was grabbed, and when he was approached, he began to hard bark and stepped forward towards the volunteer. The volunteer was able to grab the leash, let him reset, and walk Jimmy Chew back to his kennel. 4/30: During the socialization portion of his assessment, Jimmy was avoidant of handlers, standing across the yard with alert body language, his tail high over his back. Handler approaches him and walks him over, attempting to position him for handling and Jimmy Chew is low growling. Handler sits down, and he begins to approach them, closing the distance and growling. The assistant pulls him away, and the handling assessment is not conducted. 4/28: Jimmy Chew comes forward off his bed, ready to go out for a walk. He is taken on a walk around the building, marking frequently. They go into the yard, and a drag leash is attached. He explores on his own. He is seen across the yard with his tail up. He avoids the handler as they approach, but once leashed, he allows all handling to be returned to the kennel.

Summary:: During socialization portion of his assessment, Jimmy was avoidant of handlers, standing across the yard with alert body language, his tail high over his back. Handler approaches him and walks him over attempting to position him for handling and Jimmy Chew is low growling. Handler sits down, and he begins to approach them closing distance and growling. Assistant pulls him away and handling assessment is not conducted.

Summary:: 4/27: Jimmy is brought over to the gate to greet F LMB dog. He does not approach, standing neutral at a distance, ignoring the other dog.

Summary (6):: 5/4: Jimmy is standing at the front of his kennel on approach. Moving slowly and speaking soothingly, staff member leashes him easily and leads him out. He walks slightly faster while leaving the adoption room, stops to lift his right rear leg to urinate on the meet and greet door, and his left rear leg buckles slightly, cutting short his marking. He regains his balance and walks slower through the hallways, moderately tense. Handler brings him to the yard and slowly attaches a drag leash, talking softly and praising him. He explores the yard, marking frequently, even when his legs tremble. Handler offers treats on the ground, which he generally ignores. He shows slight interest in a few toys but doesn't engage beyond sniffing. He leans his rear end on the wall to defecate. His gait gets progressively more unsteady as he explores, but he does not sit or rest. He approaches the handler twice, where they sit, sniffing their hand. When they get up to move to another chair, he watches them tensely, then settles when they sit down. When the handler approaches him obliquely with the leash, he looks away slightly, but as they go very slowly with leashing him and unclipping the drag leash, he does not react. He walks slowly back to his kennel and enters easily, sniffing at his treats and bedding. 5/3: Jimmy was lying in his bed on approach. He quickly gets up, is easily leashed and walks out of the room. Jimmy is brought over to the gate to greet a female, large mixed-breed dog. At first, he keeps his distance, then he approaches with a neutral body, his tail high and flagging. He is brought on a walk and takes his time investigating scents. Handler allows him to take his time when returning; he stalls at the door, avoiding coming in. He needs some coaxing in the halls. He low growls at another staff member but is easily moved along and returns without issue. Later in the PM Jimmy Chew is at the front of his kennel. He is easily leashed and pulls out of DA. Once outside, he spends a lot of time sniffing and marking the grass on the ramp, sneezing. His tail is high and wags a couple of times during this. Jimmy Chew is almost constantly lip-licking while outside on the walk, doing it in approximately 15-second intervals. After the ramp he walks slowly and is brought into the yard and kept on leash. A staff member walks past the yard with a large female mixed breed dog and he becomes alert and pulls to the gate, staring as they enter the building. He lets out a few alert barks and fixates forward. While he is distracted and being clipped staff manages to unclip the necklace left on him. On the way back in he stalls a bit in the outside alleyway and, with a bit of coaxing, walks back. He is returned to his kennel without further issue.

Summary (7):: 5/2: Jimmy was taken outside to the yard by a familiar volunteer. Once in the yard, a necklace was put on him for pictures. He accepted treats softly, but his tail was on alert. When they went to remove the necklace, he let out a low growl. A hook was grabbed, and when he was approached, he began to hard bark and stepped forward towards the volunteer. The volunteer was able to grab the leash, let him reset, and walk Jimmy Chew back to his kennel. 5/1: Jimmy was standing at the front of his kennel with a neutral posture when an unfamiliar staff member approached. He sat down and watched as they opened the door, and he allowed them to leash him. He walked slowly out of the adoption room, urinated briefly on the meet & greet door, and continued walking at the same slow pace out of the building and to the yard. In the yard, he immediately urinates by the gate, then sits down and gives a slight side eye as the handler, moving slowly, clips the drag leash and removes the rope leash. He explores the yard, body tense, hind legs stiff, tail up and wagging slightly. Handler attempts to engage him with toys, and he shows some interest, following them with his eyes, but does not engage with them. Handler sits on a bench and tosses out treats. Jimmy comes over for the treats and eventually approaches the handler and takes treats gently from their hand. He allows brief petting to his cheek or shoulder, but shies away from contact with his neck, then walks away to explore the yard for a few minutes. (This sequence repeats a couple of times.) Another dog walks by and he watches from the gate, tail high and wagging moderately. He allows the handler to leash him again with a rope leash, but growls low as they try to unclip the drag leash. They talk to him soothingly and are able to unclip it on the second attempt. He walks slowly and stiffly back to his kennel, ignoring dogs in the other kennels he passes, and is easily returned. 4/30: During the socialization portion of his assessment, Jimmy was avoidant of handlers, standing across the yard with alert body language, his tail high over his back. Handler approaches him and walks him over, attempting to position him for handling and Jimmy Chew is low growling. Handler sits down, and he begins to approach them, closing distance and growling. The assistant pulls him away and handling assessment is not conducted. 4/28: Jimmy Chew comes forward off his bed, ready to go out for a walk. He is taken on a walk around the building, marking frequently. They go into the yard, and a drag leash is attached. He explores on his own. He is seen across the yard with his tail up. He avoids the handler as they approach, but once leashed, he allows all handling to be returned to the kennel.

Date of initial:: 4/28/2026

Summary:: Fearful, low level growl, did no escalate, allowed handling with gentle restraint, muzzled as a prec

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, we recommend an adult only home. Place with a New Hope partner: 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: : Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Anxiety

Potential challenges comments:: Handling/touch sensitivity: Jimmy Chew was not comfortable with handler's attempting to position him for a handling assessment. He has been tolerant of general handling to be taken out on walks. Jimmy would do best with a hands-off approach until he is more comfortable and seeking attention on his own. Fearful Potential for Defensive Aggression: Jimmy Chew 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 Jimmy, 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 she is not comfortable and soliciting attention. Please see handout on Fearful Potential for Defensive Aggression. Anxiety: Jimmy Chew appears anxious at the care center. We have no history on his behavior in a home environment, so we do not know if this will occur outside of the care center. If it does appear in a 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 the handout on Generalized Anxiety.