Behavior History:

Veterinary Staff:

9/29/26 behavior: GROWLING AT INTAKE, once on ketchpole with ACO he was calmer, sniffing around, took some treats offered off the ground. Did not trust with hands on exam, vaccinated RHL and he didn’t growl at that point.

11/2/26 behavior: reluctant to be handled but did not growl or try to bite. Able to examine face and eyes up close with rope muzzle in place.

Shelter Staff:

09/29/26 10:13 Intake Note: Intake dog was found yesterday in the city of Anaheim. RP states that he found the dog roaming around near his neighborhood and that he was able to house it in his backyard overnight. Retrieving the dog, when RP was holding on the dog in the lobby, a member of the public walked in and the dog barked and lunged at them. The dog seemed to be agitated and would get whale eyed if staff approached or talked to him. Staff had to use ketch all in order to safely walk the dog back into a transit cage.

10/01/26 09:17 Visited kennelside from outdoor portion of kennel. Crouched down and tossed treats, dog immediately approached and began to eat treats quickly. Dog waited for additional treats. Asked for “Sit” command, dog immediately sat. Attempted to lure forward with treats to pet/interact through bars, dog remained at a distance. Will continue visiting.

10/02/26 14:53 Dog continues to present as stoic in kennel, avoidant of interactions. Will eat treats and continues to respond to “Sit” command, but exhibited high levels of stress when attempting to interact (avoidant, lip licking, prolonged eye contact).

10/3/26 Behavior unchanged

10/6/26 A bit of conflicting behavior today – standoffish at first but after a few moments approaches and sits. Maintains a whale eye and freezes but then demand barks when handler creates space. Rushes towards food barking, then towards a toy which he picks up and brings forward. Repeats this cycle a couple of times. Whenever I would approach the door he would began barking and then freeze. Unsocial and uncomfortable with novel things but showing some interest. Arousal levels remain high during interaction.

10/16/26 – Extending TLC

11/04/26 12:04 Dog is presenting as more affiliative and sweet in and out of kennel. However, when passing by other animals, dog will react explosively, charging at other dog while exhibiting high levels of reactivity (charging, barking, snarling). Dog is VERY strong on leash. Will require a very strong handler

11/6/26 Cinder’s reactivity on campus has declined. He triggers from 20 yards away and will hyperfixate on what he perceives to be prey. He runs to the end of the leash, often tugging and pulling his handler with him. He is very strong and has been unable to break his focus. He has a history of unsocial behaviors and the introduction to the shelter environment has overwhelmed him and produced a forward response towards other animals. For the safety of our other pets, Cinder has been relocated to B1.

Ran tester dog by Cinder utilizing a blind corner to get an immediate reaction with contact. Once sight was obtained, Cinder rushed forward with teeth exposed and muzzle wrinkled, made contact with stuffy twice before backing up and barking. When movement was restimulated, he repeated this. Closed in quickly. Unsafe to be around other dogs at this time. Suggest placement with rescue.