AUBURN – When Alex arrived at the animal shelter a year ago, she seemed like a calm, easy-going dog that needed nothing more than loving owners. With her soulful brown eyes and happy spirit, she was quickly adopted.

But at her new home, the hound mix became destructive. Soon she was digging at the carpet and scratching at doors. She broke a window in a desperate attempt to get out.

After nearly a year, the family gave her back to the shelter.

They didn’t know what else to do.

Now the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Auburn hopes a new program can help match Alex and other animals with families that won’t return their pets.

“We want that dog to go home and stay home,” said adoption counselor Allyson Collins.

In the past, the shelter screened animals only through passing observations. Did the dog growl and bite? Did the cat hide in the corner when people came by?

Now the shelter introduces dogs and cats to other animals to see how well they get along. Collins touches their mouths and ears and tugs at their tails to see how they would react to children. For dogs, she removes the food dish mid-meal to see if they will growl or snap to protect their territory.

Collins also closely watches animals in their kennels. That’s how she discovered the root of Alex’s problem.

When she was left alone, Alex chewed her blanket and destroyed everything she could reach. She cried and refused to eat unless someone stayed with her. She was so happy to see people that she wagged her tail constantly, beating it against the walls of her kennel until it bled.

Suddenly, the pieces fit together. Alex had an anxiety problem.

“She’s scared because she doesn’t know if we’re coming back,” Collins said.

The anxiety started when her new family left her alone. It got worse after they returned her to the shelter. After all, her worst fear had come true: Her family had left her forever.

When they know an animal’s issues, workers can find a suitable home. The shelter can also teach an adoptive family how to control a behavior once it’s understood.

For Alex, the shelter has ruled out families that are rarely home. Workers will give an adoptive family advice about easing Alex’s anxiety through medication, training and some simple tricks, such as leaving a piece of well-worn clothing behind so she has the comfort of the owner’s scent when alone.

About 1,000 animals are adopted from the Auburn shelter every year. In the last year, Collins estimated, 20 to 25 were returned. Most, like Alex, had behavior problems.

With the new evaluation program. she believes the number of returned animals has been cut by three-fourths. Collins hopes Alex will be one of the success stories.

“She’s a wonderful dog,” Collins said. “She just needs that human companionship.”