Jenny stayed with us for a little under a week while you guys were out of town so my observations of her behavior need to be discounted somewhat by the short period we had her. My experience with most of the foster dogs we’ve cared for is that they tend not to exhibit “normal” behavior during the first few days with new humans or in a new environment. And, Jenny was fairly shy during her stay with us. We are much more cautious with new dogs than with dogs we have gotten to know through longer stays. We were careful to follow your advice on how to handle her physically so we never hit any of her triggers. And we were very careful in limiting her encounters with other dogs on leash and with strangers.

She did, however, have contact with some neighbors we know well and with family members. In the short time she stayed with us, we saw no instances of aggressive behavior toward us or any other humans with whom she had contact. She never growled or snapped at anyone, and at no time were we ever fearful of her.

If you haven’t already tried this or discussed it with SAS staff, I suggest that you ask staff if Jenny could spend some time with one of their experienced dog handlers (staff or volunteer) to help get a more informed third party assessment of her behavior before making any final decision about euthanasia. I realize the shelter renovations are putting a lot of stress on the staff and on the network of volunteers so it is harder to give special attention to problem dogs, but I also know that most of the staff and management try hard to avoid killing animals in their care.