Date of intake:: 10/21/2025

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

Date of assessment:: 10/26/2025

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild - Moderate Reactivity to humans: None - ignores Reactivity to dogs: Moderate - hard barks, growls Leash walking comments: Balks hard returning to kennel, passes out easily Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Moderately social - stays near handlers, also explores on her own Call over: Approaches readily Sociability comments: whines, anxiously Handling Soft handling: Accepts contact - soft body Exuberant handling: Accepts contact - soft body Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Engages, over-aroused, mounts handler Arousal comments: Knock: No response Knock Comments: Toy: Grips, relinquishes Toy comments:

Summary:: 3/17/26: Matilda became off-leash on a walk. She immediately rushes up to a M LMB dog, biting his shoulder, no broken skin. She is persistent in her pursuit of the dog attempting to bite until aa staff member is able to grab her harness, separating her from the dog. 2/16: Over the time spent in the care center, Matilda has become much less reactive to other dogs. She has been used as a greeter at the gate & on leash. 10/21: When walking out of the building, Matida sees another F LMB dog walking with staff member. She begins to hard bark and growl. She continues to react about a minute after the other dog is out of sight.

Summary (2):: 3/18 Matilda is in front of kennel barking to go out staff then leashed her and she was taken for a walk. Matilda did pull slightly until she relived herself then walked with a loose leash. Matilda then was taken back to her kennel and barked and pull towards the other dogs till she got back to her kennel. 3/17/26 Staff is walking a large breed dog to leave through a New Hope partner, while volunteers are walking Matilda at the opposite side of the parking lot, to take her on a walk. Matilda sees the other dog and hard barks. She begins to pull hard towards him, the pressure breaks the ring attached to the carabiner being used as the leash clip. Matilda runs directly at the other dog, jumping up biting his shoulder. She is persistent in continuing to make contact as she is snarling. A staff member is able to grab her harness and the dogs are separated. Matilda is brought on a brief walk, she is on alert, then returns without further issue. 3/16 Matilda is standing on her hind legs and jumping up at the door when staff approaches. She is easily leashed and brought out to the yard. In the yard, she relieves herself and accepts back scratches and pets, backing up and leaning into staff with a soft body. Another staff member enters and she jumps on them for attention, and accepts pets from them as well. She then runs over to the gate and stands by it, signaling she wants to go back in. She is called back over and then mounts the other staff member's leg. She is dissuaded from doing that and brought back inside. Matilda is easily returned to her kennel. 3.12 Matilda was standing at her kennel door wagging her tail and barking upon approach. She was easily leashed and taken into the small yard. She explored and relieved herself. She then went to the gate and stood there crying. Staff called her over with treats and she immediately came over but then went back to the gate crying to get out. Staff had no issues with Matilda

Summary (3):: 3/2: Matilda is brought out to the yard and her harness is removed to give her a break. She leans into scratches, licking the staff member, soft-bodied. She engages with a work to eat toy briefly. When staff picks up her harness, she runs over loose-bodied and allows it to be placed back on. 2/25 Matilda is jumpy in her kennel but is leashed fairly easily. She is then brought to our meet and greet room, where her harness is clipped. Afterwards, Matilda pulled slightly when going outside and into the yard. Once in the yard, she was clipped with a drag leash. Matilda ran around the yard, having zoomies. She was then offered a treat which she took gently. After the first treat Matilda sat in front of staff and would wait for more treats. She was fixated on treats and mostly stayed by the staff member. She was brought back to her kennel and unleashed without any issues. 2/16 Matilda is easily leashed and brought outside. She smells around the yard for a bit and relieves herself. Staff calls her over and she runs over leaning into staffs legs while accepting pets and back scratches. After a bit Matilda goes over to the gate and looks back at staff. She is brought back in to meet and greet for a bit to accept more pets with a soft body until her kennel is ready. Matilda is easily returned to her kennel. 2/13: Matilda is easily leashed and brought to the yard. She explores her surroundings, pausing to relieve herself. She comes to staff for pets, sitting and taking treats gently. Matilda maintains loose body language throughout the interaction. She is easily returned to her kennel without issue. 2/6 Matilda is easily leashed and taken to the yard. She initially explores the yard but checks in with handler. They offer her some pets on the hindquarters, which she leans into. They toss a few treats for her to catch and chase after, which she does. She is easily leashed and brought back inside without an issue. 1/28: Matilda is easily leashed and her harness clipped in meet & greet. She is brought on a walk, exploring in the snow. They go into the yard and she accepts scratches, curling into a C shape. She returns without issue.

Summary (4):: 1.17 Matilda was at her kennel door barking and jumping upon approach. Once the door was opened, she stopped jumping and was easily leashed. She came out of the kennel fast and pulled staff a little. She listened when staff stopped and made her wait to have her harness clipped. She pulled again on the way out of the building. She was taken on a walk, she willingly walked about 10 feet from the driveway and relieved herself. Once she was done she pulled really hard to go back to the building. Staff tried to get her to walk more but she stops & refuses to move unless it's back to the shelter. Staff uses treats to lure her up the block more. It works but once she realizes how far she is from the building, she starts to pull hard again. Staff eventually just takes her back inside. She goes in her kennel without issue. 1/15/2026 upon approach, Matilda is in her kennel wagging her tail excitedly. She allows herself to be leashed and darts out of her kennel. Once out of her kennel she darts out and then has her harness clipped. She pulls hard getting out of the building. Once out she continues to pull hard. Once reaching the parking lot, she refused to walk any further and pulled back towards the building. She was brought back, allowed herself to be unclipped and was put back in her kennel with no issue. 01/03/26 Matilda is at the front of her kennel when staff approaches. Her harness is clipped and she is brought to the yard. In the yard she accepts pets with a soft body and roams around smelling the bits of snow left. She is easily returned to her kennel. 12/1: Matilda is easily leashed and her harness clipped. She is brought to the yard and kept on leash due to limited activity after surgery. She explores before jumping up on the bench with staff, leaning into pets. 11/27 Upon approach Matilda was standing in her kennel with her tail wagging, and ears up. When putting the leash on her, she became a bit jumpy. After a few seconds she was leashed and brought to the meet and greet room. Her harness was clipped, and the leash was removed from around her neck. She pulled hard to go outside. Once out, her pace settled a bit, and she was not pulling as hard. On the walk, Matilda would look back at staff for treats which she took eagerly but gently. After the walk Matilda was brought inside, her harness was unclipped, and the leash was put over her head. She then allowed staff to clip her leash and bring her back to her kennel.

Summary (5):: 11/19: Matilda is easily leashed, and she exits the room exuberantly, pulling to greet the staff member in meet and greet, jumping into their lap. Her harness is clipped, and she is brought to the yard where a lickimat is waiting for her. She immediately engages, taking her time. Handler sits on the klimb next to her, and she leans into pets. Her harness is removed to give her a break from wearing it all the time, and she returns without issue. 11/17 Matilda is standing at the front of her kennel with a relaxed, open mouth. She is easily leashed and then clipped on harness. Outside, she heads towards the ramp where she urinates for a long time in the grass. She then defecates on the grass by the street and is then brought to the yard. In the yard she is called over by staff and runs over and rubs up against and leans into staffs legs while accepting back scratches and all sorts of pets. Matilda is easily returned to her kennel. 11/13: Matilda is calm and quiet in the center of her kennel. She is easily leashed and her harness clipped. When they walk to the ramp, she balks. She jumps up on the handler soft bodied seeking attention and accepting scratches on her neck. She curls up when you scratch under her harness, her face scrunching. A drag leash is attached to her collar, and handler bends down, scratching under the harness. She appreciates the attention, and they stay there for a few minutes. When petting stops, she briefly mounts the handler but is easily removed and leans into pets again. She returns without issue. 11.12 Matilda is at the front of the kennel when approached. She is exuberant and jumping with a soft body against the kennel door when being leashed. Once leashed, she is brought to the next room and the leash is swapped to her harness. Once on her harness, Matilda is taken for a walk. During the walk, Matilda has a soft body and is responsive to the handler. She ignores people she passes during the walk. She pulls a moderate amount and is easily returned to her kennel. 11/10: Matilda is jumping up on her kennel door. Once leashed, her harness is clipped in meet and greet and she is brought on a walk, checking in with handler. She is brought to the yard and a drag leash attached. She remains by staff accepting treats nicely.

Summary (6):: 11.09 Matilda was sitting at the front of her kennel when staff approached. She was easily leashed and allowed staff to clip her harness before being brought out to the yard. Once in the yard Matilda began exploring, staff tried engaging with her by throwing toys but she was uninterested. Matilda then walked over to staff and began mounting them, putting get entire body weight on the staffs leg. It took multiple attempts to pull Matilda off their leg using the drag leash. Matilda was then taken on a walk and later returned to her kennel with no further issue. 11/3: Matilda is jumping up and down, making it difficult to secure her. Once leashed her harness is clipped in meet & greet. She steps outside and begins sniffing. She walks into the yard and a drag leash is attached. When she approaches staff she leans into scratches under her harness. The staff member removes the harness to give her a break. She explores on her own before running at staff and jumping up, mounting them as they are sitting on the bench. She is physically removed and held away from the staff member. She is able to be distracted with treats until another staff member enters. Her harness is placed back on, and she works on pattern games, rewarding her for going onto her place. She is returned without issue. 11/1 Matilda is at the front of her kennel. She is easily leashed and then clipped and taken out on a walk. She is taken across the street and walked up the block to avoid another dog, King. She walks at the end of the lead but doesn't pull too tightly. She only stops to smell a couple of times and to urinate but otherwise keeps a brisk pace in front of the handler. On return, she jogs with the handler back in the hallway without the use of a treat to get her back into her kennel. 10.28 Matilda is at the front of her kennel. She is easily leashed and her harness is easily clipped. Matilda is taken for a walk. She walks with a soft body, high ears, a neutral tail, and an open mouth. She pulls a moderate amount. When staff gets to the end of the block and turns around, she balks briefly but then continues to walk. Matilda ignores people passed during the walk. Matilda accepts gentle pets with a soft body when staff stops to pet her. When returning to her kennel, Matilda balks in the hallway but then continues walking and is returned without issue. 10/23: Matilda is easily leashed and walks past barking dogs. In the yard, a drag leash is attached, and she explores on her own, relieving herself. She approaches with a soft body and then mounts the handler. She is easily removed and sits for a treat, then mounts again. Handler keeps her on a leash, walking her about. She will intermittently grab her. Another staff member enters the yard and they take her on a walk using her martingale collar. She walks nicely on a leash. When returning her to the kennel, she balks and passes out. The harness is used to guide her into the kennel

Summary (7):: 10/22 Matilda is in the front of her kennel with a neutral body. When leashing, it gets caught under her arm and a second leash is attached. Once secured, she leaves dog adoptions ignoring neighboring dogs. Matilda is brought to the yard and allows handler to attach a leash. Matilda walks around the yard, exploring. She presses her hind end around against handler legs and is soft for petting. A toy is thrown and Matilda chases after it playfully leaving it where it is. It is thrown a few more times and Matilda became bouncier each time. She is easily leashed and walked to her kennel, once in front of her kennel she balks slightly then walks into kennel. Later in the midday, Matilda is easily leashed and brought out to the yard. When she reaches the corner of dog adoptions, she stretches all four of her legs all the way out and slides to lie down on her stomach. She is coaxed to stand back up and brought out. In the yard she sniffs around and sits on the bench next to staff, facing away with a soft body and allowing for pets. After a while she hops off the bench and stands in front of staff and stares at him, then jumps up and latches onto staffs legs with her front legs in a tight clasp and attempts to mount staff's leg. She is told not and removed from staff's legs as she tries several times to remount staff. She is redirected back to the bench there she sits again with back turned to staff for a minute but then gets down from the bench and attempts to remount staff's leg again. Staff stands up and faces away from her ignoring her but she stills attempts to try and mount with her front legs clasping. Even when staff walks she tries to maintain her grip eventually sliding back down to all fours. Finally, she is brought back inside, on the way in while halfway down the hall, another staff member comes out of dog adoptions with Haze. Matilda barks and growls as Haze is quickly moved past out of sight. When she is outside of meet and greet she pulls back on her leash with staff having to pull against her to get her to move. When back inside the dog adoptions room she lies down and leans to her right side while kicking into the air until she is coaxed back up on all fours again, and resists while still moving towards her kennel. She is gently dragged back far into her kennel so the leash can be removed without her escaping. 10/21: Matilda attempts to push out of her kennel. Once secured, she walks past a barking dog with an alert body. When they step outside, another staff/dog pair are headed towards them. Matilda reacts, barking and growling. She continues to react about a minute after the other dog is out of sight. When she relaxes, the handler walks to the bench with her. She tolerates touch on her back briefly, then turns and gives side eye. She allows herself to be clipped. When returning to the kennel, she repeatedly backs out, a second staff member throws another slip lead on her, & she is placed in the kennel

Date of initial:: 10/23/2025

Summary:: Friendly, soft body, allowed all handling

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 persistent mounting seen in the care center, we recommend an adult only home at this time. Single-pet home/ Recommend no dog parks: Due to concerning behaviors seen at the care center, and her reaction to another dog we feel that Matilda would do best as the only animal in her future home, and for her to avoid any dog parks. Place with a New Hope partner: While Matilda has been social with people at the care center, her reaction to other dogs may present a greater behavioral challenge then what can be expected from an adopter. 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,Anxiety,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Low threshold for arousal,Bite history (dog)

Potential challenges comments:: Basic Manner/Impulse Control: Matilda lacks basic manners and impulse control. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", "Down" are reinforced to substitute 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 the handout on Basic Manners and Impulse Control. Bite history (dog): While at the shelter Matilda was able to get loose from her leash while on a relief walk and ran directly to another dog, where Matilda then jumped onto the other dog and bit their side, but not breaking skin. Please see handout on Bite history. Anxiety: Matilda appears anxious at the care center, whining during socialization, refusing to return to kennel. If Matilda displays anxious behavior in her future home, we recommend puzzle toys, long walks, and giving her other things to focus on to alleviate her anxiety. Positive reinforcement, force-free training only should be used. Please see the handout on Generalized Anxiety. On-Leash Reactivity: Matilda has shown reactivity on leash towards other dogs. She will hard bark, growl, pull towards. She will need an experienced owner familiar with working with this behavior. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior. Please see the handout on On-Leash Reactivity and Barrier Frustration. Low Threshold for Arousal: Matilda has a low threshold for arousal, mounting handlers when in the yard. Over arousal can tip into aggression. We recommend creating a calm, structured environment with consistent routines and clear boundaries. Avoid rough play or situations that trigger overexcitement and instead reinforce calm behaviors with rewards. Teaching cues like “settle” or “go to mat” can help redirect energy constructively. Regular mental enrichment, controlled exercise, and decompression time are key. Please see the handout on Arousal.