Date of intake:: 9/5/2026

Spay/Neuter status:: Yes

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Returned (2 weeks)

Previously lived with:: 2 adults

Behavior toward strangers:: Superstar is friendly and outgoing

Behavior toward children:: Superstar is friendly and outgoing

Behavior toward dogs:: Superstar is reported to not be reactive while on leash

Behavior toward cats:: No experience

Resource guarding:: Resource guards treats. Superstar has a bite history pertaining to the previous owner attempting to remove a bone from his possession.

Bite history:: On 9/5/26 at around 12PM, Superstar was on the sofa chewing on his rawhide bone. The previous adopter went to take it away from him because they didn't want him to finish it all at once. The previous adopter went to grab it with their left hand when he growled. After the growl, they continued to touch the bone which led to Superstar biting them, causing two punctures that bled. The bite was a bite and release. The client will be treating the wound at home and will not seek medical assistance.

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: medium

Other Notes:: Superstar's previous owner describes him as a social and affectionate dog that prefers contact on his terms. First stay: 7/28/26: Stray, no known history Finder reports that Superstar growled and alert barked at their dog. During his previous stay Superstar was noted to have handling sensitivity and was dog reactive. *Previous assessments can be given upon request*

Date of assessment:: 9/16/2026

Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: None Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Moderately social Call over: Approaches handler readily Sociability comments: Receptive to treats, neutral body. At the end of the assessment, when the handler attempts to unclip his dragline, Superstar bares teeth and snaps at the handler. He also balks on leash and is unable to be coaxed forward. Soft handling: Accepts contact Exuberant handling: Accepts contact Comments: Arousal Jog comments: Follows handler initially, then balks unable to be coaxed forward Knock Knock comments: No approach, tense body balks Toy Toy comments: No interest, No reaction

Summary:: Due to entering the facility as a stray, there is no prior dog-to-dog history recorded. 9/19/26: Superstar is introduced to a novel intact female and is loose at the gate with mid-high level wags. He then raises his hackles, follows the dog along the fence line, then play bows and begins baring teeth and hard barking at them. He continues to bark and pull towards them as he is pulled away. 8/12/26: Superstar is introduced to a novel intact female and approaches then fence looking to handlers with a loose body and high wags. He shakes off and then continues to look towards handlers, sticking his snout through the fence. He is non reactive to the other dog and remains loose. He is let into the yard and greets handlers before approaching the other dog with a loose body and high wagging tail. He sniffs nose to nose but quickly turns away and walks to the other side of the yard with hackles raised. The other dog continues to follow him and sniff him from behind and he is tolerant but does not engage.

Summary (5):: 10/5/26: Superstar was lying down at the front of his kennel. When handler opened the door he stood up and came forward where he was easily leashed and pulled from kennel. While walking he walked next to handler with a neutral body and a slack lead. He accepted treats with a soft mouth. Handler worked with Superstar on the touch command. Handler had to sue a treat lure to get him to understand the command but towards the end of the walk he was starting to understand what was being asked of him. After his walk he was returned to his kennel with no issue. 9/28/26: (LATE ENTRY) Superstar is at the front of the kennel with a soft body. He is easily leashed and taken out of the kennel. He walks besides the handler with a neutral body. He walks slowly around the block where he stops to sniff spots and relieve himself. He goes after treats the handler tosses. Superstar is then walked back to the shelter. He pauses briefly outside the kennel room and gentle leash tension is applied. Superstar walks back to his kennel and is returned by tossing treats inside 9/19/26 [playgroup]: Superstar is at the front of her kennel with loose and wiggly body when handler approaches. She is easily leashed with treats and willingly exits the kennel. She walks out of the room with no reaction to neighboring dogs, following the handler. Superstar walks alongside the handler in the hallways with no reaction to pop-up crates or staff members. Superstar is taken to the yard for the playgroup (see notes). During return handler is abled to pre-clip the leash and bring Superstar back into her kennel with no further issues.

Summary (6):: 9/16/26: Superstar is at the front with a soft body. He is easily leashed and taken out of the kennel. He is taken out to the street where he walks with a slack leash besides the handler. He stops to sniff at various objects, and ignores dogs and people. He takes treats treats gently. He brought back to the shelter and brought to the assessment office. After his assessment, Handler tries to exit the office with Superstar. Handler approaches him and reaches around his neck to remove drag line and he quickly bares teeth and snaps. Superstar then plants and refuses to move, handler and assessor toss treats to encourage him forward. He does not take them. After sometime, he will approach slowly and eat the treats before he retreats further back into the room. Superstar has to be muscled slowly out of the office. Treats are scatter to distract Superstar to distract him. Due to the drag line not being able to be successfully removed, the collar is unclipped. He then walks with handler back to kennel room. He plants briefly but is able to be pre-clipped and walks into the kennel room with the handler. Superstar is returned to kennel with treats and the leash is removed without issue. 9/10/26: Superstar is at the front of his kennel with a soft body; he is easily leashed and brought out the room. Superstar is brought to the yard and placed on a dragline. Superstar approaches the handler and sits in between their legs; he fully leans into them as they pet him. When unfamiliar staffers walk past their playpen, Superstar follows them with a loose body. After several minutes outside, the handler brings Superstar inside; he is reluctant to enter his kennel, so the handler tosses treats in there and he enters to eat them. 9/9/26: Superstar is walked in the yard and brought to the office. He presents a soft body when approaching other handlers. He sits in front of the handlers when he wants treats, as well as climb on the couch whenever one of them is sitting there. Superstar solicits and allows pets. after some time, the handler returns Superstar to his kennel. 9/7/26: Superstar is at the front of the kennel with a soft body and flagging tail. He is easily leashed and taken towards the backyard. Superstar walks around a few pens with a slack leash. He sniffs around. He is offered treats which he takes slowly. Sometimes he takes the treats and eats them, others he takes and spits out. Superstar is walked back into the shelter. In the hallway, Superstar tries to walk in the opposite direction, handler applies slight leash tension which keeps him moving with the handler. Superstar tries to avoid entering the kennel room, handler applies more gentle leash tension and he follows into the room. He refuses to enter the kennel. Handler has to use gentle leash tension to return to kennel. As the kennel is unlocked, Superstar can be observed to pushing his snout into the door as it is closes. The leash is removed and the interaction is ended.

Summary (7):: 9/7/26: Staff reported that the night before Superstar baulked at the entrance to the room. A treat trail was not successful to coax him forward. Another staff member came to assist and attempt at placing a sling under his lower abdomen to help coax him forward. Superstar then lunged towards that staff member and hard barked at him. He was returned to his kennel with leash pressure, once in kennel, he turns around and jumps towards the handler as they are removing the leash. Staff mentioned at the start of his walk he was social and soliciting petting from staff and took treats readily. 9/06/26: Superstar is at the front of his kennel with relaxed body when handler approaches. He gently accepts offered treats and is easily leashed. He walks slowly behind the handler while exiting the room with no reaction to neighboring dogs. Once outside, he walks next to the handler with no pulling on the loose leash. Superstar allows petting and gently takes treats. He has no reaction to other dogs or staff members. He remains neutral body and relaxed face most of the time. During return handler is able to put the leash on and bring Superstar back into his kennel with ease. 8/12/26: Superstar is at the front of his crate with a wiggly body; he is easily leashed and brought out the crate. The handler brings Superstar to the yard for playgroup (see D2D notes). After the interaction, the handler returns Superstar to his crate with ease. 8/2/26 (Assessment): Superstar was at front of kennel with a neutral body where he was easily leashed and taken for a brief street walk before his assessment (Please see assessment notes for details). While on walk he walked next to handler with a slack leash and maintained a neutral body. He displayed no reactivity to dogs or people that he saw on the street. During assessment he was social with handlers and accepted treats with a soft mouth. He was returned to kennel with no issue. 8/1/26: It is noted on the behavior board that Superstar is not reactive to dogs and is an easy walk.

Date of intake:: 7/28/2026

Summary:: Friendly, gentle tail wag, receptive to treats

Date of initial:: 7/29/2026

Summary:: Loose wiggly body, allows all handling for exam, growled and thrashed for muzzle

ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Superstar so we cannot be certain of their behavior in a home environment. However, they will need daily mental and physical activity to stay engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in addition to physical exercise, to positively direct their energy and enthusiasm.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Recommend no dog parks,Place with a New Hope partner

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to handling sensitivity and bite history, we recommend an adult only home Recommend No Dog Parks: Due to the concerning behaviors that Superstar has shown during playgroup (see DOG-DOG SUMMARY), we feel that he should not visit dog parks. The Behavior Department recommends that he be socialized in a more controlled setting until his behavior towards other dogs can be further addressed. Reward-based, force-free training can be utilized to help Superstar associate dogs with things he enjoys like toys or treats. We recommend placement with a New Hope rescue partner who is able to provide an experienced, adult-only foster home. Force-free, reward based training and/or consultation with a professional trainer/behaviorist is highly recommended.

Potential challenges: : Resource guarding,Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Low threshold for arousal,Bite history (human)

Potential challenges comments:: Resource Guarding/Bite History (Human): Please see bite history above for more details. Nothing should ever be taken directly out of Superstar's mouth, and any time something is removed they should be rewarded with a high value treat or toy. Please see handout on Resource Guarding. Please see handout on Bite History and Potential for Future Aggression. Handling Sensitivity/Fearful Defensive: Superstar was noted to thrash and growl when a muzzle was placed on them. During his recent assessment, Superstar was observed to bare teeth and snap when handlers attempted to remove his dragline. Positive reinforcement, reward based training should be used to pair touch with good things such as food rewards in order to teach Superstar to be more comfortable with this. Please see handout on Handling and Touch Sensitivity. On Leash Reactivity: Finder stated that Superstar growled and alert barked at their dog. Superstar will need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach them to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness to help manage this behavior. Please see handout on On Leash Reactivity and Barrier Frustration. Arousal: Superstar's previous adopter stated that he mounted a visitor and when they tried to pull him off he growled and showed teeth. Positive reinforcement training should be used to teach Superstar to remain calm during arousing situations. If they begin to escalate, people should pause the interaction, and create distance from the trigger. Pattern games such as 1-2-3 treat and the cue “mat” can be used to reinforce calm behaviors. Please see handout on Arousal.