Date of intake:: 11/14/2025

Spay/Neuter status:: No

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray, No known history

Date of assessment:: 11/17/2025

Summary:: Carter has been obsvered to be highly fearful during his stay in the care center. Noted to be tense and trembling at the back of the kennel. Due to the high level of fear, stress, and anxiety Carter is not a candidate for a handling assessment at this time.

Summary (5):: 11/17/25: (Carter has to be moved to a new kennel due to his transfer door being broken) Carter is laying at the back of the kennel when the handler approaches. He is tense, trembling and showing whale eye. The handler leans into the kennel to lasso Carter. He escalates without warning to lunging, vocalizing and snapping at the handler. The handler was able to get the first leash on him. The secondary handler places another leash on him and Carter bites the leash. When being guided to the new kennel, Carter begins thrashing and head whipping with an open mouth. Carter has to be muscled into kennel. When a hook is used to remove the leashes Carter lunges forward, snarls, then begins to bite the hook repeatedly. The handler is able to remove the leashes and ends the interaction.

Summary (6):: 11/17/25: (KSV) Carter is lying in his kennel with wide eyes upon approach. Handler tosses a piece of chicken and then attempts to speak to him in a soft voice. Shortly after, handler would sit in front of his kennel and Carter would slowly approach while still visibly shaking. Handler would attempt to feed Carter the chicken from their hand, and he wouldn't accept. Interaction was then shortly ended. 11/16/25: As handler approaches the kennel Carter is at the back with wide eyes. Handler attempts to coax Carter towards the front, which is unsuccessful. He would watch the handler with a tense body, he would begin to lip lick as handler opens the kennel. Handler is able to lasso him and he would continue to visibly shake in his kennel. Handler muscles him out of his kennel and he would attempt to crawl under his kennel but is pulled away. He is then muscled out of the room and while out of the room, he would attempt to jump and hide in a bin outside. He would continue to pull hard towards it and has to be pried away, shortly after he would lay in the hallway and is then brought into the K9 behavior office to decompress and while someone cleans his kennel. In the office he would jump onto the couch and attempt to hide in the corner of it, he would then sit up and allow handler to pet him while he has a neutral body. Handler attempts to place a collar on him, which he easily allowed and handler clips their leash to the collar. Shortly after, Carter would begin to low growl towards the handler. He is then shortly muscled off the couch and the collar is removed safely. Another handler places a second rope on him and a belly band is used. Initial handler drops their rope to avoid a double rope and he is easily belly banded into his kennel, ropes are removed with a hook and interaction is then ended.

Summary (7):: 11/15/25: As handler approaches the kennel, Carter is at the back of his kennel, presenting the same behaviors from the previous interaction. Handler attempts to use high value treats to coax him forward. Handler uses different variations of meat and cheeses; he would sniff but wouldn't remain interested. Handler then lassos him, which is successful; as handler applies leash pressure to remove him from the kennel, he thrashes but is able to be removed. At this point, Carter is hypersalivating with a pink face and heavily panting. Carter would then begin to balk in front of the kennels next to his and would stay there; handler calls his name with a squeaker and applies leash pressure forward, and he would follow. He would walk down the hallway with a low body and a slight whale-eye, and he would also remain hypervigilant. As he gets to the stairs for the yard, he would walk up them with no issue and would stand in front; each time pressure was applied on the leash, he would begin to walk backwards. Carter would then spot a bird and would become interested in watching. Handler then attempts to walk forward, and he would follow. As handler walks into a pen, Carter would follow with a low body and begin to relieve himself shortly after. While in the pen, the handler would call his name, and he would become neutral-bodied and slowly approach them with a slight tail wag. He would allow the handler to pet him, and he would go back to watching the birds. After the walk, as it was time to return, he would then balk in the pen when handler opened the door. Another handler opens the opposite door, and he would readily follow them with a low body and walk back into the building. On the way back to his kennel, he would stop in front of the room and lie on top of a pile of linen; the handler is able to safely pull him away and belly band him. He is belly banded and returned to his kennel with no further issues, and the leash was safely removed. Interaction is then ended. 11/14/25: Carter is at the back of his kennel with wide eyes and a tense body upon approach. Handler calls his name with a soft voice, and he begins to lip-lick towards the handler as he slowly looks away. Handler attempts to coax Carter with treats and squeaker sounds, which he wasn't receptive towards. Handler then makes a large loop with their leash and is able to slowly lasso him; once the leash is on Carter, he begins to thrash slightly. As the handler attempts to apply more leash pressure, the thrashing becomes more intense, and he begins to urinate on himself. Handler then decides to end the interaction and is able to safely remove the leash with a hook.

Date of intake:: 11/14/2025

Summary:: Fearful and thrashing

Date of initial:: 11/14/2025

Summary:: Trembling with tucked body at back of kennel. Opted to sedate

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Carter so we cannot be certain of their behavior in a home environment. However, they will need daily mental and physical activity to stay engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct their energy and enthusiasm.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to fearful behavior we recommend an adult only home. 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: : Fearful

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful: Carter has been obsvered to be at the back of the kennel with a tense and trembling body. Noted to escalate to lunging and snapping when handlers attempt to interact. It is important to move slowly with Carter, to build positive associations (treats/toys/praise), and to allow them to initiate interactions with new people. They should never be forced to greet or to interact if they are not comfortable and soliciting attention. Please see handout on Fearful and Defensive Aggression.