Date of intake:: 1/20/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray(Unknown History)

Date of assessment:: 2/21/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Loose Reactivity to humans: Ignores Reactivity to dogs: Ignores Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Timid quickly warms up, lip licks, low body Call over: Readily approaches- soft body, allows petting Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Allowed- sits, lip licks Exuberant handling: Allowed-sits, leans in for touch Handling comments: Begins to demand attetion Arousal Jog: Follow- lip licks, distracted Arousal comments: Knock: Approaches- loose body Knock Comments: Toy: shaking hover body block Toy comments: ***1/21-1/23/26: A handling assessment was not condcuted due to medical.***

Summary:: Due to entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-to-dog history recorded. 02/28/26 Taffy is introduced to a novel male while off leash. She approaches the gate with a slightly tense frame and tucked tail and sniffs the novel male briefly. She offers a partial play bow before becoming slightly tense again and immediately disengaging. She solicits attention from handlers for the remainder of her time in the yard.

Summary (5):: 2/28/26: Taffy is getting up from her bed and is walking up to the front of the kennel with a loose and wiggly frame as the handler approaches. She is leashed with ease and will walk on a loose leash to the parking lot due to ISO being walked. Once in the parking lot, Taffy will walk slowly, almost crouching as she squints, looks away and tongue flicks in appeasement. The handler will get low on the ground slightly ahead of her, coaxing her forward gently. She will take a few steps, pressing her jaw into the handler's hand for pets. She will also walk over to another handler and lean into contact. Once they are closer to the yards, she will hesitate briefly to cross a puddle but is coaxed and she will walk through it. Once in the yard, Taffy's collar is clipped with a drag leash and she will approach the gate. (see dog-dog for more details) After the greet is complete, Taffy is brought back to her kennel where once inside, she will locate a toy and begin to guard it as the handler locks the door and leaves.

Summary (6):: 2/27/2026: Taffy is laying on her karanda bed and walks forward to be leashed with ease. Taffy walks out the facility walking next to the handler sometimes pausing and needing to be coaxed to move forward. Once outside Taffy walks with ease pulling mildly. Taffy sometimes pancakes or refuses to walk back towards the facility and needs to be coaxed and sometimes given a gentle tug on the rope to bring her back in motion. Taffy is aloof to the handler and did not pay attention for treats or toys. Taffy walked back into the facility and kennel with ease and no issues. 2/25/26: Taffy is at the front of her kennel as the handler approaches. She is leashed with ease and will walk beside the handler as they exit the Care Center. Once outside, Taffy will walk ahead of the handler, pulling mildly. She will explore her surroundings and will lean into contact. As they turn around to go back, Taffy becomes hesitant and attempts to pull in the opposite direction. The handler will crouch down and coax her forward for a few feet. She will then reliably walk back to the corner but needs further coaxing to cross the street. As they cross the street, Taffy spots a familiar handler and will begin pulling hard with a wiggly frame towards them, jumping on her hind feet as they pass her. She will then walk back into the building with no issue. When return to her kennel, the handler move the water door away from the door with their foot so they can close the door. As Taffy enters the kennel, she will bite at the handler's shoe but is quickly stiff armed and the door is closed. She will then start to bare teeth and lunge towards the door, retreating to the floor as if she is looking for something repeatedly, as the handler locks the door. 02/21/26: Taffy is observed to not want to come out of kennel, and when passing her kennel the volunteer closes her kennel door and jumps at the door. Taffy will come out for her walk, and is reported to be nervous but okay for her walk outside. Returning, the volunteer used there foot to move bedding in the way of the door frame, and Taffy whipped around and lunged towards the kennel door. A staff member before hand removed a food tray that was previously under her blankets, due to her reported resource guardining. 02/18/26 (Trainer Note): Taffy is jumping on the door of her kennel as the handler approaches. She is easily leashed and pulls moderately to the canine training room. Taffy is loose and social with the handlers, leaning into contact. The handler works with her on doggie zen and then the "leave it" cue. Taffy participates readily and is returned to kennel without issue.

Summary (7):: 2/15/26:Taffy was sitting up in kennel and whining when she saw the handler. She was pushing against the door and wanted to come out. She was leashed easily and walked outside with a loose body. She nuzzled into handler in the elevator. Taffy was returned to kennel with ease afterward.However, for her afternoon walk she growled and was lunging at the cage hard barking when she spotted a different handler. She allowed leashing and a walk with the handler in the morning but continued to growl and bark when she spotted the other handler. 2/12/26;This morning Taffy was sitting up in her kennel when handler approached the kennel. She was super easy to leash up and had a loose body when outside. This afternoon when the handler approached the kennel with a leash. The handler tried to leash Taffy up but she started to growl. Handler wasn't able to leash her up. 2/11/26:Taffy was laying in kennel when handler approached and leashed her. She started growling and did not want to get up. Other handler tried baby talk but could not coax her out ad she continued to low growl. She also was not eating anything. When handler tried to remove leash with hook she growled louder and snapped at the leash as it was being taken off. She laid back down and continued to whale eye as handlers left. 2/5/26: Taffy is standing at the front of her kennel as handler approaches. She is able to be leashed with ease and she is slowly taken outside for a walk. On the walk, she would walk slowly next to the handler to sniff around. She would climb up onto the snow to sniff and relieve herself. She has no interest in treats and has no reactions to dogs or people passing by. She is able to return back to her kennel with no issues. 1/27/26: This morning Taffy 245980 was lying down at the front of their kennel when. An ACS open the kennel and easily leashed Taffy 245980, but Taffy 245980 refused to move. The ACS removed their leashed and closed the kennel door and attempted to remove Taffy's 245980 food tray when Taffy 245980 lunged and attempted to bite the ACS hand. Taffy 245980 retreated to the back of their kennel low growling and fixated on the food tray.

Date of intake:: 1/20/2026

Summary:: shy but friendly with staff. She allowed microchip scan but was not collared due to being nervous.

Date of initial:: 1/20/2026

Summary:: shaking, freezes, tolerated all handling and tasks

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13); We reccomend Taffy be placed in an adult-only home at this time. Place with a New Hope partner: Taffy came into the care center as a stray, and her behavioral history in a home environment is unknown. With familiar handlers, she will display a loose body, and shows affiliative behaviors such as leaning in, nuzzling, and engaging appropriately during training sessions. In structured environments, she participates readily in cues like leave it and doggie zen and returns to her kennel without issue.She has shown concerning behavior around resources in the kennel, including lunging when a food tray or bedding was moved around, and has fixated while low growling. Taffy is available for rescue through one of our new hope partners.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Anxiety

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression/Resource guarding: Taffy shows clear signs of resource guarding in the care center. She will hover over her food and toys and uses body-blocking behavior. When a handler attempted to leash her for a walk, she refused to move. After the leash was removed and the kennel door was closed so the handler could take out her food tray, Taffy snapped toward the handler’s hand and began growling, retreating to the back of her kennel and remaining fixated on the food tray. Training should focus on creating safe management strategies, trade-up exercises, and gradual desensitization to handling around valued resources to reduce defensive responses. Please see the handout on Resource guarding and Fearful/potential for defensive aggression. Anxiety: During her handling assessment, Taffy displayed timid behavior, including lip licking and a low body posture. With a slow, gentle approach, she was able to warm up and seek touch from handlers. Training should emphasize predictable interactions, slow approaches, and reinforcing voluntary engagement to help her build confidence and reduce anxiety. Please see the handout on generalized anxiety.