Date of intake:: 1/31/2026

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

Previously lived with:: adults

Behavior toward strangers:: shy at first and will sometimes hide at first. He prefers contact on his own terms but is gentle and

Behavior toward children:: Tolerant, friendly, and outgoing.

Behavior toward dogs:: shy and prefers contact on his own terms with all dogs both on and off-leash.

Behavior toward cats:: No experience.

Resource guarding:: Considers toys, pillows, food, and treats items of value and will have a tense body or hover over the items if they are approached.

Bite history:: No known reports of a bite history.

Housetrained:: Unknown

Energy level/descriptors:: Major is noted in the prior home to display a high energy level.

Other Notes:: He is fearful of loud noises. On walks he is not reactive to strangers, other dogs, or animals but can be startled by loud vehicles and hide behind his owners. He is unbothered by being held or restrained, moved from furniture, having his paws touched or his collar grabbed. Has never been disturbed while sleeping or startled by his family on purpose. He is described as a social and affectionate dog who despite his size can be quite fearful at times. He loves to spend his time at home following his people from room to room and lounging or playing with them. He gets nervous getting into and being inside a car but he loves bath time and water, allows his family to bathe and brush him, knows the cues sit, stay, and paw, and is crate trained to do well in a large crate for up to 8 hours a day. He is accustomed to going on 3 walks a day for 30mins at a time during which he very mildly pulls on his leash. His favorite things are snacks and comfy pillows and he is reported to be great with kids ages 7 and 8.

Date of assessment:: 2/3/2026

Summary:: 2/3/26: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: Ignores Reactivity to dogs: ignores Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Timid warms up with a slow approach, lip licks, tucked Call over: Readily approaches- familiar handler, allows petting Sociability comments: After assessment, paces whining in the room seeks exit Handling Soft handling: Allowed- lip licks, stiff body Exuberant handling :Allowed- lip licks, stiff body Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Follow- lip licks, looks back at assessor Arousal comments: Knock: Approaches- walks past helper Knock Comments: Toy: Yawn,s whines, walks away Toy comments: ***2/1/26: Major is given more time to decompress due to his fearfulness.***

Summary (6):: 2/5/26: The handler took Major out to get better photos. He wonder a bit and whining intermittently. As the handler was returning him to his kennel, he let out a loud whine and began pulling toward the exterior door. The believed he needed to relieve himself, so they took him outside. Upon returning indoors, Major did not want to come back in and began whining and pulling back. The handler requested additional assistance. Another handler took over handling him to return him to the kennel. The new handler is able to take the leash and coax him down the ramp. Once the entrance door is reached to enter the building, he begins biting and pawing at the leash, thrashing and alligator rolling while screeching. An third handler came to assist and double leashed Major. When the handlers begin to walk again, he begins to intensely thrash on the leash while alligator rolling and screeching loudly. The handlers stop and give him a moment to catch his breath while on the stairs. When the handlers attempt to move again, he intensely starts thrashing and screeching again. While taking another moment, he is heavy panting and hypersalivating while whimpering. He is then eventually able to walk through the hallway to his kennel room. When reaching his kennel room, he quickly thrashes while screeching again. He is then muscled back into his kennel and the leashes are retrieved with a hook.

Summary (7):: 2/3/26 (assessment): Major is brought to the behavior office as he is coming back from a walk with an ACS handler. In the office, when the secondary handler reaches for Major's collar to clip a drag leash to it, Major will turn his head away, licks his lip, while showing whale eye. The handler will hand the drag leash to the primary handler because they are petting him. Once he is on the drag leash he will pace around the room and will briefly interact with the handlers in the room throughout the session (see assessment for further detail) Once the assessment is complete, Major will continue to seek exit and is returned to his kennel with no issue. 2/1 (assessment; late entry): Major is lying in his bed when a handler approaches. He slowly comes to the front, tail tucked, as the handler unlocks the kennel. He does not take offered treats, and the handler can leash him with a slow approach. Major is brought to the behavior office, but he remains tense with his tail tightly tucked and some whale eye. Major avoids both handlers, seeks an exit, and attempts to hide behind the couch. Due to his behavior and out of concern for his stress levels, Major is returned to his kennel.

Date of intake:: 1/31/2026

Summary:: nervous but friendly. He allowed staff to leash, pet,

Date of initial:: 1/31/2026

Summary:: Very tense and fearful, tail tucked, panting. No aggression

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): We reccomend major is placed in a home No children (under 13) due to his fearfulness. Place with a New hope Partner: Due Major's recent behaviors, Major should go to a New Hope Partner.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful,Anxiety

Potential challenges comments:: Resource guarding: Major is noted in the prior home to consider toys, pillows, food, and treats items of value and will have a tense body or hover over the items if they are approached. Training should focus on trade-up exercises, predictable handling around valued items, and reinforcing voluntary relinquishment to prevent escalation. Please see the handout on Resource guarding. Handling/touch sensitivity: Major was observed to thrash and alligator roll on leash, and begins to panics. Positive reinforcement should be used to help Major associate certain handling with things he likes such as treats and toys. Please see the handout on Handling/touch sensitivity. Fearful: In the prior home, Major is noted to become fearful of loud noises. On walks he is noted to become startled by loud vehicles and will hide behind his owner. Training should emphasize gradual exposure to sounds, reinforcing calm behavior, and increasing his confidence in outdoor environments. Please see the handout on decompression period. Anxiety: After Major behavioral assessment, he is noted to display panting,pacing , whining and will seek exit. Training should focus on providing structure, calming enrichment, and reinforcing relaxed behavior to help him regulate arousal more effectively. Please see the handout on generalized anxiety.