Date of intake:: 8/7/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: No

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

Previously lived with:: 2 adults, 1 dog

Behavior toward strangers:: Spike will bark and jump toward strangers

Behavior toward children:: No experience

Behavior toward dogs:: Spike will bark and snap at dogs

Behavior toward cats:: No experience

Resource guarding:: Spike has tense body and hovers over toys and food

Bite history:: No Bite History

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: High Energy

Other Notes:: Spike would snap when attempts to pull him away from the resident dog were made.

Date of assessment:: 9/11/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: Mild Leash walking comments: Pulls hard to spots of interest, looks at and pulls mildly toward dogs inquisitively, redirected when called. Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Highly social Call over: Approaches readily Sociability comments: Approaches with soft loose body leans into pets. Soft handling: Seeks contact Exuberant handling: Seeks Contact Comments: Leans into handler and accepts all contact Arousal Jog comments: Follows exuberantly with loose body, recovers quickly Knock Knock comments: Approaches and sniffs handler Toy Toy comments: Hovers over toy with wagging tail and slightly tense body.

Summary:: According to Spike's previous owner(s), Spike will bark and snap at other dogs. 9/30/26: Spike is introduced to a novel intact male and approaches the fence with a loose forward leaning body and fast mid-high level wags. He toe taps briefly at the fence, then interacts with his handler, sitting for treats. The other dog is let into the yard and Spike leaps on him, play slaps, does chin overs, and mouths the other dog's face/neck with hackles raised and a forward leaning neutral-tense body. He will take pauses, allowing the other dog to sniff him, but when the other dog attempts start stop play, Spike is fixated on push/tackle play doing repetitive chin overs, leaping, mouthing, grunting and the meet is ended. 9/16/26: Spike is introduced to a novel intact male and is loose at the fence with fast mid-high level wags. He is let into the yard and pulls strongly to greet a handler, then stands on his hind legs pulling towards the other dog. He is loose and wiggly and immediately begins leaping in the other dog's face, putting his paws around their neck, and pushing/tackling. He is not receptive to the other dog lowering themself and turning their head away. The two are given a break and Spike engages with handlers, sitting for treats. He reapproaches the other dog and begins bouncing and leaping on him, becoming more aroused with time, doing continuous chin overs while grunting heavily. 8/27/26: Spike is introduced to a novel intact female and is loose and wiggly at the fence with mid level wags. He sniffs nose to nose through the fence and then greets his handler. When face to face, he begins play bowing and bouncing. The other dog bumps him and he is overwhelmed by her exuberant play style so the two are given a break. He reapproaches and briefly engages in play but soon stops reciprocating play when the other dog continues rough play. He remains tolerant of the other dog attempting to jump on him and being in his face before the two are separated. 8/26/26: Spike is introduced to a novel intact male and is loose and wiggly at the fence with mid level wags. The other dog play bows at the fence and Spike play bows in return and gives a playful huff. He is let into the yard and pulls strongly towards the other dog. The other dog begins bouncing and play slapping and Spike is overwhelmed by the other dog's play style, displacement bouncing backwards with raised hackles. The two are given a break, and Spike reapproaches and begins bouncing and circling with the other dog. He is tolerant of the other dog leaping on him and will give a couple play slaps in return. The other dog ends play and Spike follows them but is easily led away and pauses play, standing nearby the other dog remaining loose.

Summary (5):: 10/12/26: Spike is lying down and sleeping in his crate. He has shreds of plastic in his crate. He has pulled a plastic bag full of linen into his crate. Spike stands up and is at the front with a wiggly body and is stepping his paws repeatedly. He is easily leashed and rushes out of the crate into the hallway. He pulls moderately downstairs jumping up and down on the handler repeatedly. He is redirected with treats which he chases after eagerly. Spike relieves himself and is walked back to the shelter. He is then returned to his kennel without issue. 9/30/26 [playgroup]: Spike is at the front of his crate with loose body and wagging tail when handler approaches. He accepts offered treats (takes hard) and is easily leashed. He readily exits the kennel and walks with mild pulling through the hallways. He has no reaction to pop-up crates or staff members. Spike is taken to the yard for the playgroup (see D2D notes). During return handler pre-clips the leash and brings Spike back into his crate with no further issues.

Summary (6):: 9/28/26 - Per whiteboard Spike needs kennel due to dog reactivity. 9/27/26: Spike is at the front of his crate with loose body when handler approaches. He readily accepts treats (takes hard) and is leashed with a treat lure. Spike willingly exits the crate and walks through the hallways alongside the handler. Spike is taken to the yard where he immediately relieves himself and is placed on the drag-line after. He starts running back and forth, sniffing around and discovering the pen. Handler calls him and he is responsive. Spike immediately goes back to the handler and sits in front of them. He is rewarded with treats. When handler sits on the bench, Spike places his head on the handler's lap. Handler pets him and Spike starts showing tail wags. He sits next to the handler continue accepting pets. Spike has no reaction to other dogs or staff members in neighboring pens. His body is soft with relaxed face. Upon return handler pre-clips the leash and is able to bring Spike back into his crate with ease. 9/20/26: Spike is at the front of his crate with loose and wiggly body when handler approaches. Handler offers a treat and he accepts it (takes hard). He is leashed with a treat lure and taken out of the crate. Spike exits fast and pulls right ahead in the hallway once he is out of the crate. He is focused on moving forward and has no reaction to pop-up crates or staff members. When he gets in elevator, he sits in front of the handler and shows wagging tail when handler offers more treats. In the driveway, Spike starts sniffing around and pulling side to side and eventually relieves himself. After he visibly calms down and continues walking alongside the handler with mild to none leash tension. Spike has no reaction to dogs, people or other stimuli on the street. He is social with handler, allows petting and frequently looks back for check-ins. His body is loose with soft face. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Spike back into his crate with no further issues.

Summary (7):: 9/06/26: Spike is at the front of his crate with loose body when handler approaches. He is easily leashed and taken out of the crate. Spike walks next to the handler in the hallways with no reaction to pop-up crates or staff members. Once outside Spike immediately relieves himself. He continues walking slightly ahead of the handler on the loose leash with no tension. Spike has no reaction to other dogs or people passerby. He is social with handler, receptive to treats and allows petting. His body is soft with wagging tail and relaxed face most of the time. During return handler is able to pre-clip the leash and bring Spike back into his kennel with ease. 8/27/26: Spike is at the front of his crate with a wiggly body; he is easily leashed and brought out the crate. Spike is brought to the yard for playgroup (see D2D notes); before and after the interaction, Spike presents a wiggly body and exuberantly approaches the handlers to solicit pets. The handler brings Spike inside and returns him to his crate. 08/25/26: Spike is at the front of his crate as handler approaches, he is leashed while distracted with treats and is taken to the street for his walk. Outside Spike pulls moderately but passes people on the street without issue. He stops to sniff spots on the street and relieves himself shortly after the walk started. Spike walks with handler and accepts treats tossed to him for a while before he is brought back inside and returned to his crate following tossed treats. 8/11/26: (ASSESSMENT NOTE, LATE ENTRY) Spike is at the front of the kennel with a loose and wiggly body and wagging tail. He is easily leashed, walks out of the crate and downstairs. Spike relieves himself in the stairwell before he is taken down towards the street. Spike walks with mild pulling, he pulls hard towards various smells and spots to relieve himself. He ignores people passing. When observing dogs, he presents with an alert body and attempts to pull towards the dogs. Spike is taken to the assessment office where he is social with the assessor, leaning into petting. After Spikes assessment, he is returned to his crate without issue.

Date of intake:: 8/7/2026

Summary:: Enjoys high value treats, easily leashed and brought into kennel

Date of initial:: 8/7/2026

Summary:: tense but allows all handling, wagging tail throughout tasks and exam

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on 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),Single-pet home,Recommend no dog parks,Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to his fearful disposition and capacity to guard resources, we recommend a home with No children (under 13) Recommend No Dog Parks: Due to the concerning behaviors that Spike has shown during playgroup (see DOG-DOG SUMMARY), as well as his reported behavior from a previous owner, we feel that he should not visit dog parks. The Behavior Department recommends that he be socialized in a more controlled setting until his behavior towards other dogs can be further addressed. Reward-based, force-free training can be utilized to help Spike associate dogs with things he enjoys like toys or treats. Place with a New Hope Partner: 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: : Resource guarding,Basic manners/poor impulse control,Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition,Fearful

Potential challenges comments:: Resource Guarding: During his assessment handlers noted during the toy portion of the assessment that Spike become slightly tense and hovered over a toy given by handler. we advise against ever removing items from Spike's possession without safely trading for an item or greater or equal value. Guidance from a professional trainer/behaviorist is highly recommended to aid in safely managing/modifying this behavior in a new home environment. Please see handout on Resource Guarding. Basic Manners/Poor Impulse Control: Spikes former fosters reported that when greeting strangers he would jump on and bark at them. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", "Down" are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach him to control his impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward based training only is recommended. Please see handout on Basic Manners and Poor Impulse Control. Mouthiness: In his foster home Spike was reported to snap toward the fosters when being pulled away from the other resident dog. This is a behavior that should be extinguished through training alternate behaviors and lack of reward (ex. walking away whenever Spike's teeth make contact with skin). Please see handout on Mouthiness. Fearful: During intake Spike was reported to be tense with handler, he has also become tense or hesitant at times with other handlers. It is important to always go slow and give Spike the option to walk away from any social interaction. They should never be forced to approach anything that they are uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. It should always be their choice to approach a new person or thing. Spike would do best in an initially calm and quiet home environment and should be given time to acclimate to their new surroundings. Please see handout on Decompression Period.