Date of intake:: 9/8/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (3 years)

Previously lived with:: adults, children (2yo), other dogs

Behavior toward strangers:: May hide at first but is friendly, playful, and outgoing.

Behavior toward children:: shy and prefers contact on his own terms, may actively avoid or retreat, needs time to warm up

Behavior toward dogs:: Friendly and outgoing

Behavior toward cats:: Friendly and outgoing

Resource guarding:: none reported

Bite history:: none reported

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: Scrappy is reported to have a medium energy level.

Other Notes:: Knows to relieve himself outside while on walks or on wee-wee pads. Jumps up often/non-stop. He may pull towards stray cats when on walks. He has never been held, restrained, or had his collar grabbed. He is unbothered by being disturbed when sleeping, being startled, being moved from furniture, or having his paws touched. He allows his family to bathe and brush him, and he is accustomed to going on 20 min long walks throughout the day during which he pulls very little on his leash.

Date of assessment:: 9/13/2026

Summary:: Scrappy has not acclimated well to the shelter enviornment. He has been difficult to remove from his crate due to his avoidance of leashing. Once out of his kennel, he avoids all forms of interaction and seeks an exit, scratching at doors while heavily panting with his tail tucked. Due to these concerns, he is unable to receive a handling assessment at this time.

Summary (7):: 09/14/26: Scrappy is at the front of his crate, hard barking as the handler approaches. The handler is able to coax scrappy forward and keep him at the front of the crate long enough to clip his collar. He is brought outside for a walk. Outside, Scrappy pulls moderately for the majority of the walk. Because his crate was significantly soiled, the handler takes him to the yard after their walk. Scrappy is allowed to roam. He sniffs around the yard and watches traffic pass by. Scrappy is returned to his crate with no issue. 09/13/26: Scrappy is at the front of his crate, hard barking as the handler approaches. When the handler opens the crate door, he retreats to the back and continues hard barking. The handler attempts to drop the leash over his head several times, but he shakes the leash off. When the handler is finally able to leash him, he exits the crate. He scrambles through the building with his tail tucked. In the office, Scrappy stands with his tail tucked and shakes. When returning to his crate, he passes by other dogs in crate and briefly loosens. He is then returned to his crate without issue. 09/12/26 (Trainer Note): Scrappy is sitting in the back of his crate with a tense body and barking as handler approaches. He does not come forward using high value treats and continues barking. When the leash is presented he dodges it and presses his face/body against the crate bars, continuing to bark. Handler uses a hook to place the leash over his head. Once leashed he comes out of the crate as the door is opened wide. Scrappy is taken to the canine beahvior office for a walk. In the room, he remains tense, avoidant of handlers, consistently seeks exit, even pawing at the door, and is uninterested in treats. He tolerates and allows brief petting but does not solicit further. Handler keeps him on a leash and returns him to his crate without issue. 9/10: When ACS staff attempted to move Scrappy to his new kennel, he avoided leashing and tried to scale/climb the kennel walls to escape.

Date of intake:: 9/8/2026

Summary:: tolerant with staff with a wiggly body

Date of initial:: 9/9/2026

Summary:: timid, shaking, muzzled as precaution

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to Scrappy's high levels of fearfulness and anxiety, we recommend that he be placed in an adult-only home at this time. Place with a New Hope partner: Scrappy 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: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Fearful,Anxiety

Potential challenges comments:: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Scrappy's previous owners reported that he jumps up often or nonstop. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", and "Down" are reinforced to substitute for any frustration and teach her to control her impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward-based training only is recommended. Please see handout on Basic manners/poor impulse control. Fearful | Anxiety: Scrappy has been highly anxious and fearful during his stay in care. He is avoidant of leashing and interaction. When in a calmer/quieter setting, Scrappy seeks exits for the duration of his time with handlers. Scrappy should never be forced to approach anything that he is uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. Please see handouts on decompression period and generalized anxiety.