Zeke

Notes from a yellow volunteer, showing this dog to a

PA:I showed Zeke to a PA during adoption hours on Sunday 10/18.B The PAs were very into shepherds as they also had a shepherd at home. Zeke was a bit shy/reserved with me (my first time handling him), but overall OK.B Zeke was pretty hesitant with the PAs.B Their energy was OK and not too forward and we mostly waited for him to feel comfortable and come over.B He mostly retreated from them and they decided to move on pretty quickly to meet another younger shepherd that they had been matched to.B I took Zeke around for a bit of a walk and play in the big yard for a few minutes and he got a bit more affiliative and came out of his shell a bit.B As we were going to go back inside the PAs were coming back through.B Since he seemed a bit more engaged we were gonna give it a quick additional try.B He was a bit hesitant/shy with the woman but not too bothered.B The guy came over and was standing (prior in the yard meet he was sitting the whole time) and started to reach to go over his head a bit for a potential pet and Zeke gave out a short growl and lunge/pull towards him,B to warn him that it was unwanted.B No contact made, but just wanted to bring up since I'm not sure if Zeke has exhibited any behaviors like this before when uncomfortable with people.-----For potential adopter meets, volunteers/matchmakers should advise PAs to go slow and ignore this dog. Volunteers should instruct PAs that this dog may be fearful, and to not pet over the head. Allow this dog to initiate contact, and practice gentle consent check pets on the side of the body or under the chin if this dog initiates contact.

Background: Owner surrender on 9/10/26. Surrendered due to loss of housing and behavior: dog was mouthy with 15 year old child and had bruised the childbx00s skin. Dog had lived in the home for 10 months prior to being surrendered. Given Yellow dot on intake. Vaccines were up to date so minimal handling done during intake. Handling evaluation on 9/15/26.

O: Soiled kennel. Dog was facing the front of the kennel, soft face, wide, soft wagging tail. Easy to leash. Walked well on leash with little pulling down the hallway moderately on leash. In the yard on leash, approached a second staff person. Dog lowered his head, pulled back ears, low wagging tail. Soft face and wagging tail while accepting pets. Walked with handler throughout yard on loose leash. Dropped leash in the yard, dog walked away and sniffed. Approached handler when called and leaned against handlerbx00s legs with petting all over head, ears, neck, chest, shoulders, back, and legs. Received with very relaxed musculature and soft eyes and mouth. Jumped up and lightly mouthed handler after stopped petting for consent check. Sat when asked, took treats with a soft mouth, minimal teeth. Did not follow tossed toys. Walked throughout yard, sniffing, came to handler when spoken to. Stood quietly with neutral posture as another dog walked approximately 10 feet away and barked at this dog. Dog walked well on leash with no pulling back to kennel and entered kennel ahead of handler. Slip leash by hand with no issues.B

A: Affiliative juvenile dog with some training. Presents as medium to high energy.B Approaches handler readily and shows enjoyment with pets. Somewhat sensitive and submissive approaching a second person while walking on leash. Some interruptible, moderately jumpy and mouthy attention-seeking behavior. Walks well on leash following handlerbx00s lead. Knows sit. Does not appear to know any other commands. Unknown if house trained (eliminates in kennel). Has not shown interest in toys. Treat motivated. Yellow for volunteer handling: interruptible attention-seeking jumpy/mouthy behavior otherwise dog is easy to handle.B

P: Make available for adoption. Home with children is not a suitable match for this dog as he was previously reported to have bruised a 15-year old childbx00s skin while interacting in the home. Recommend adopters continue to work on basic manners (leash skills, recall, sit) using a patient, reward-based training approach. Adopter must be prepared for the time, energy, patience and commitment needed to train an active, juvenile dog.B B B

S: Dog-dog evaluation with a male and female tester dog. Tester dogs selected due to their ability to politely greet and not escalate conflict.

O: At the gate, dog was calm and non-reactive. Tail low and wagging as he sniffed the testers through the gate. Inside the yard, dog was approached by both testers. Dog jumped back, then turned to face the testers. Ears up, tail wagging fast as the 3 sniffed each other. Started bouncing around and moving around the yard with the testers. Cautious movements, relaxing as the evaluation proceeded. Ran around the yard with the female, then the male mounted him. Gave a very brief and controlled correction to the male, then began bouncing around the yard again with the testers.B

A: Chase, Medium Energy, Medium Contact, Neutral Social Dynamic, Gives Corrections, may Avoid Conflict, Playgroup Size 2-3.

P: Recommend placement with appropriately matched dogs, or placed as a solo dog with appropriate dog friends.

Former adopter took dog home after 3pm on 11/2/25, emailed at 10:20pm the same day to say that dog had lunged at a passing bicycle and suggested she wanted to return him. Also stated that dog seemed "very trainable" but wasn't a fit for her "environment". Returned dog EOD on 11/3/25 and stated dog was not good w/ her cats and had also tried to "nip" her father in the yard but did not break skin.B Future adopters should be experienced with slow decompression protocols and give dog adequate time to adjust to new environment(s) and not force interactions. Dog should also not be introduced to cats in a new home w/in first day/day(s) of adoption. Likely a fit for a home with another dog and adopters experienced with shy, large breed dogs.

O: At front of kennel, easy to leash.B Zig zags on leash.B Off leash in small yard, comes over to handler and tries to climb in lap.B Gives kisses.B Loves treats but takes w/a hard mouth.B No apparent commands.B Picks up the ball and brings over and drops but no play.B Checks out squeaky toy.B Explores the area and is tolerant of handling, around 1 yo.B Easy return to kennel

A:B Affiliative young adult, no apparent training but is treat motivated

P: Adopters should work with him on basic obedience skills.B Unknown how he'll do with children

S: Dog-dog evaluation with a male and female dog.B

O: At the gate, dog was calm and non-reactive. Inside the yard, dog was approached by the male tester. Dogs sniffed each other. Tail at spine-level wagging gently. Walked over to the female tester, sniffed nose-to-nose with tail wagging softly at spine-level. Relaxed body language for the duration.

A: Gentle, Medium Energy, Low Contact, Neutral Social Dynamic, no Corrections or Conflict observed, Playgroup Size 2-3.

P: Recommend placement with appropriately matched dogs, or placed as a solo dog with appropriate dog friends.

Zeke – Sweet, Curious, and Affectionate

Zeke is a Shepherd mix under 2 years old, weighing 60 pounds. This smart young guy enjoys exploring with his person, soaking up attention, and playing gently with canine friends.

• Leash Manners: Zeke pulls very mildly on leash and loves a good sniffari with his human, calmly investigating all the interesting scents along the way.
• Smart & Learning: Zeke may be a little bouncy when first excited to interact, but settles nicely and responds well to “sit” and “down.” He’s still practicing and learning patiently catching treats mid-air.
• Affectionate: Zeke enjoys slow rubs but absolutely loves neck scratches! He’ll stretch his neck out to encourage you to keep the scratches coming.
• Playful & Social: Zeke enjoys gentle games of chase with other dogs in playgroup. He takes treats gently, though he may get a little enthusiastic and let you feel his teeth when he’s excited.

Zeke will do best with appropriately matched dogs or as a solo dog with well-matched canine friends.