Date of intake:: 1/3/2018

Spay/Neuter status:: No

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner surrender (in previous home for 1 year)

Previously lived with:: Adults, children (ages 9,11, & 13)

Behavior toward strangers:: Barks, growls (see notes below)

Behavior toward children:: Relaxed, playful, may play roughly.

Behavior toward dogs:: Barks, then plays, with a familiar dog; behavior around unfamiliar dogs is unknown

Behavior toward cats:: Unknown

Resource guarding:: Yes, growls if the children approach her food bowl.

Bite history:: None reported

Housetrained:: Partially

Energy level/descriptors:: Bella is described as playful and energetic with a medium activity level.

Other Notes:: Bella is crate trained and does well for up to 5 hours. Her owner reports that Bella growls at strangers and does not appreciate people walking right up to her. She needs a slow introduction to new people; her owner has been successful with introducing new people in the home using treats.

Date of assessment:: 1/6/2018

Summary:: Bella is difficult to remove from the kennel, lunging baring teeth, and snapping when approached by staff. She appears to be uncomfortable with up close handling. She has also allowed minimal handling from her caretakers. Out of concern for her stress levels and her response to restraint, we feel Bella is not a great candidate for a handling assessment at this time.

Summary (1):: According to Bella’s previous owner, Bella engage in play with the neighborhood dogs. 1/4: Bella was uncomfortable with handling, giving the handler a clear warning, when an attempt was made to place a collar on her. Her warning was respected and attempts to place a collar on her were suspended. She greeted a novel male dog through the gate and displayed nervous posture.

Date of intake:: 1/3/2018

Summary:: During intake Bella was a little anxious. Bella growled and barked at the counselor.

Date of initial:: 1/4/2018

Summary:: Whale eye, nervous, tense, alligator rolling, very difficult to handle.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: NEW HOPE ONLY

Behavior Asilomar: TM – Treatable-Manageable

Recommendations:: Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: Bella 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: : House soiling,Destructive behavior,Fearful

Potential challenges comments:: House soiling: Bella is reported to be partially housetrained. She scratched at the door as an alert that she needed to go out, but if not taken out at these times she would have an accident. She previously went out 4-5 days a day. She will likely need guidance to learn to eliminate outside only. We recommend frequent, consistent walks, rewards for eliminating outside, close attention to her alerts of needing to go (scratching at the door), and crating when she cannot be watched inside. Accidents should never be punished as this will likely make the problem worse. Destructive behavior: Bella is reported to show destructive behavior in the home, such as chewing on furniture and getting into the garbage. We are unaware of what, if any, attempts were made to remedy this behavior but we suggest to future adopters that Bella will need to be provided with physical and mental stimulation and with a variety of appropriate and engaging chew toys so she can engage in necessary chewing behavior without damage to human objects. We also recommend crating or confining to a safe, dog-proofed space when she is left alone. Fearful: Bella is reported to show fearful behavior when approached by new people that may escalate to warning signs (barking, growling). Her previous owner was successful in introducing Bella to new people using treats, and we recommend that future adopters employ the same method for building positive associations with new people. They should ignore Bella until Bella herself solicits attention, and they should toss high-value treats to Bella while she adjusts to their presence.