Date of intake:: 10/8/2026

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

Date of assessment:: 11/2/2026

Summary:: 11/2/26: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: none Reactivity to humans: did not pass Reactivity to dogs: did not pass Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): tail tucked, body low, slowly melts, whale eye Call over: does not approach Sociability comments: avoidant of assistant Handling Soft handling: presses into assessor Exuberant handling: presses into assessor Handling comments: after being given cheese Arousal Jog: follows with low body Arousal comments: Knock: hide behind assessor Knock Comments: Toy: no response Toy comments: 10/11/26: When Mercury is brought to the behavior office for his handling assessment, he has a tucked, tense body, pinned ears, and a tucked tail and continually seeks exit from the room, avoiding handlers. Due to his fearful behavior and out of concern for his stress levels, a handling assessment is not conducted.

Summary:: Mercury arrived as a stray, so his behavior with other dogs is unknown. 10/13/26: Mercury greets a novel female dog while displaying significant fearful body language, frequently seeking attention from staff and hiding in the corner of the yard. The novel female remains loose and wiggly while whining at the gate. Mercury chooses to approach and stretches her body toward the novel female to briefly greet before walking away and creating distance.

Summary (6):: 11/08/26: Mercury is barking and jumping at the front of his kennel as handler approaches. He continues to jump up at the door and tries shove his way out as the handler leashes him. Once leashed, he then pulls hard out of kennel and hard stares at the dog in a crate in the room while exiting. He then continues to pull hard ahead on the way outside to the yard. In the yard, he is able to be transferred to a drag leash and he would hard stare at dogs that would pass by the fence. He is able to be redirected with a squeaker. He would constantly jump up onto the handler and is able to take treats when the handler tossed them on the ground. He is then comfortable approaching the handler and would sit to receive more treats. He pulls hard on the way back to his kennel and is able to enter with no issues. 11/03/26: Mercury is jumping and barking at the front of his kennel as the handler approaches. He jumps and tries top push his way out of his kennel and follows a treat scatter to be leashed. He pulls out of the kennel, attempting to kennel fight with a dog in a pop up crate. Mercury meets a novel female and greets them at the gate (see D2D for more information). Mercury will meet a novel female with a loose body, but will not cross the threshold when the gate is opened. Mercury is re leashed and will pull strongly back to kennel

Summary (7):: 1/01/26(BA Note): Mercury is lying down at the back of his kennel and will get up and approach the front, allowing the handler to leash him with ease. He will then be brought to the assessment room, where he will allow the handler to place a drag leash on him. He will display fearful behaviors, lowering his body toward the ground while keeping his tail tucked between his hind legs. A secondary handler will need to provide distraction during the handling portion. He will run without becoming aroused and does not react to the knock. During the toy portion, Mercury will seek proximity to the secondary handler and hide behind them. For more information, see Behavioral Assessment. 10/27/26: Mercury is at the front of his kennel as the handler approaches. He is leashed with ease and brought out to the yard. In the yard, Mercury shows little interest in toys. He leans into the handler and sits on the handler's feet as the handler pets him. He occasionally stands up and watches other dogs and people pass by, returning to the handler for more attention. He is later returned to his kennel with no issue. 10/17/26: Mercury is laying down at the back of his crate as handler approaches. He slowly comes forward to the front when the handler tosses treats and unlocks the door. He is able to be leashed with ease as he eats the treats, and is then taken outside to the yard for play group. In the yard, he has a tense body and low tail as he greets the other dog at the gate. He then disengages and walks to the gate door to seek exit. Please see dog to dog notes for more details. He is able to return back to his crate with no issues. 10/11/26(BA Note): Mercury is standing in the middle of his crate, trembling, but will tolerate the handler leashing him. He will then be brought to the assessment room, where he will not allow handling and will continuously seek exit while avoiding the handlers. He will maintain a stiff frame with his tail tucked between his hind legs and ears pinned back. For more information, see Behavioral Assessment. 10/10/26 (Assessment): Mercury is in the middle of his crate as the handler approaches. He is coaxed forward with treats and leashed with ease. Mercury is tense, but he takes treats and licks spray cheese off of the couch. While he licks the spray cheese, a second handler is able to collar him. Because he had recently returned from his medical exam, his assessment was not completed at this time. He was returned to his crate without issue.

Date of intake:: 10/8/2026

Summary:: Conflicted and fearful

Date of initial:: 10/10/2026

Summary:: Nervous, body tense, timid with some cowering and whale eyes

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Mercury so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. However, he will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to his fearful behavior at the care center, we recommend an adult only home at this time. Place with a New Hope partner: Mercury 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 challenges comments:: Fearful: Mercury has shown highly fearful behavior at the care center, and during handling has shown a tense body to the point of shaking, a tucked tail, and pinned ears and whale eye. During his handling assessment, he was avoidant of handlers, and consistently sought exit from the room. It is important to always go slow and give Mercury the option to walk away from any social interaction. He should never be forced to approach anything that she is uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. It should always be his choice to approach a new person or thing. He would do best in an initially calm and quiet home environment and should be given time to acclimate to his new surroundings. Please see handout on Decompression Period.