Date of intake:: 10/5/2026

Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (2 years)

Previously lived with:: adults, one large dog, and children

Behavior toward strangers:: friendly and outgoing

Behavior toward children:: gentle and playful

Behavior toward dogs:: friendly and social with dogs while on walks but did not get along with the other resident dog

Behavior toward cats:: no experience

Resource guarding:: none reported

Bite history:: Nova Star is reported to have engaged in altercations with the other resident dog. The owner stated they are easily broken up when the fights start, but there have been at least 7 incidents, most breaking the skin. Nova Star was more scars than the other dog, but she has bitten and released his ear and his front leg, leaving small puncture wounds and breaking skin; self-treated at home. The last incident was about a month ago; the other dog was walking past Nova Star in the home, and she started the fight.

Housetrained:: Yes

Energy level/descriptors:: Nova Star is reported to have a medium energy level.

Other Notes:: allows all handling while being bathed/groomed. used to at least 2 walks a day and does not pull hard on the leash and does not react to anything while on walks.

Date of assessment:: 10/7/2026

Summary:: Nova Star has been observed to warm up slowly to handlers, taking some time to acclimate before seeking attention or displaying social behavior. But Nova Star quickly reverts back to fearful behaviors, seeking an exit and becoming avoidant while moving away. Out of concern for his overall stress level, an assessment will not be attempted at this time.

Summary:: Nova Star arrived as an owner surrender, and is noted to be friendly and social with dogs while on walks but did not get along with the other resident dog in the home. 10/10/26: Nova Star greets a novel male dog through a barrier, approaching with a rapidly wagging tail but a hard facial expression and slow movement around the yard. Once introduced face to face, Nova Star becomes tense with a tucked tail and frequently freezes while the novel male attempts to greet her. She is given the freedom to create distance and seeks affection from staff before independently choosing to approach the novel male again. Although Nova Star repeatedly chooses to reengage, she remains fearful and freezes during each greeting. She will be revisited with the same male over several sessions this week to allow increased familiarity and determine whether she becomes more comfortable with continued low-pressure exposure.

Summary (5):: 10/14/26: Nova Star comes to the front of the crate as the handler approaches and the leash is easily clipped to her collar. She balks slightly on exiting the crate but can be coaxed forward quickly and is taken out of the room. The handler attempts to take her outside for a walk; she freezes, flattening herself to the ground when taken on an unfamiliar route, and so is taken to the behavior office. She is tense in the behavior office, seeking exit. She then allows the handler to pick her up, and is taken outside with another handler. Once outside, she immediately loosens up and sniffs. In the play yard, she explores the space, solicits attention from handlers, and observes her surroundings with interest (perked ears, loose body and tail). On return, she balks in front of her crate and flops on her back, but then enters the crate with some coaxing and mild leash pressure.

Summary (6):: 10/12/26 (PG): Nova Star is laying down in her crate as the handler approaches. She allows the handler to clip her collar but does not get up. The handler attempts to coax her out of the crate with treats, but Nova Star will not exit the crate for them. She eventually exits the crate with light leash pressure, though she balks in the hallway. The handler picks her up and carries her to the elevator. Once upstairs, Nova Star walks on her own to the yard with no issues. After her interaction, Nova Star walks back into the building and reenters her crate when the handler tosses treats in. 10/11/26 (PM): Nova Star is laying down in her crate as the handler approaches. She comes to the front of the kennel and allows the handler to clip her collar. Nova Star walks most of the way to the office, but pancakes in front of a kennel room. The handler picks her up and carries her to the office. In the office, she is social with the handlers, but she soon starts standing near the door and not reapproaching other people in the room. When the handler brings her back, a dog in the crate next to her hard barks at her incessantly. Nova Star tenses, then lunges for the other dog's crate. When she cannot get to the crate, she whips her head back towards the handler's leg. The handler uses leash pressure to move her past the crate and into her own crate, where she loosens and allows the handler to remove her leash without issue. 10/11/26: Nova Star is laying down in the back of her crate as handler approaches. She backs away and curls into the corner of her crate with a tense body as the handler unlocks the door. She has no interest in treats and the handler is able to get the leash over her head when they lean into the crate a little. Once leashed, she then slowly comes out of the crate with a tense body and then baulks to the ground when exiting the room. She then refuses to continue walking forward with coaxing and would back into the room again. She would baulk and head whip when the handler attempts to pick her up. When other handlers come over that she is familiar with, she begins to have a wiggly body and allows another handler to pick her up. She is then carried to the behavior room. In the room, she has a tense body as she walks around and would stare at handlers that were walking around while backing away near the computer desk chairs. She is comfortable slowly approaching the handlers before disengaging. She would then constantly try to seek exit at the door. She then pulls on the way back to her crate and quickly enters with no issues.

Summary (7):: 10/10/26: Nova Star is laying down in her crate as the handler approaches. She inches towards the front enough to allow the handler to clip her collar. She exits the room quickly and walks through the building with a tucked tail, keeping her body low to the ground. She is brought up the elevator and outside to the yards. After her interaction, she is brought back to her room. Outside of her crate, Nova Star freezes and makes a few attempts to sniff the shorelines (and the dogs in them) that are across from her crate. Her body is relatively neutral during this, but she balks when any leash pressure is applied to try to move her away from the shorelines and towards the crate. She is eventually coaxed in with treats. See Dog-to-Dog for more details. 10/09/26 (Trainer Note): Nova Star is laying down in the back of her crate with a tense body as handler approaches. She has a rapid tail wag but does not get up as the door is opened. As handler presents the leash she begins to scramble towards the back and press herself further into the crate. With baby talk and some coaxing, she crawls to the front but quickly retreats due to the dogs barking in the room. Handler closes the door and returns with two edible enrichment items to give to the dogs barking. While they engaged with the enrichment, handler re-opens Nova Stars crate and she slowly comes to the front, allowing handler to clip her collar. She walks low to the ground as she is taken to the canine behavior office. Nova Star immediately runs towards a handler sitting at the computer, gently placing their front paws on their legs and soliciting petting. Nova Star is put on a drag leash as she interacts with handlers and walks around the room in a frantic manner. She is returned to her crate without issue. 10/8/2026: Novastar is intensely fearful when approached in her crate, displaying a tucked tail and attempting to remain away from the handler. The handler enters the crate to leash her, and Novastar walks out but begins thrashing intensely when passing a floor fan. She is carried to the community room and once there, Novastar remains highly fearful and trembles but seeks comfort from the handler, leaning into petting and remaining close. She is collared before returning to her crate without issue. Once inside, Novastar quickly runs to the back of the crate and begins whining.

Date of intake:: 10/5/2026

Summary:: Friendly and gentle with staff, allowed all handling

Date of initial:: 10/10/2026

Summary:: Able to examine and tolerated medical handling/intake tasks well, loose, wiggly, seeking human atten

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: New Hope Only

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

Recommendations comments:: No children (under 13): Due to how uncomfortable Nove Star is currently with touch and novel stimuli, we feel that an adult-only home would be most beneficial at this time. Single-pet home/recommend no dog parks: Due to the reported concerns in the previous home, including multiple bite incidents with the resident dog, we recommend that Nova Star should not visit dog parks and be the only resident dog. The Behavior Department recommends that she be socialized in a more controlled setting until her behavior towards other dogs can be further addressed. Reward-based, force-free training can be utilized to help Nova Star associate dogs with things she enjoys like toys or treats. Place with a New Hope partner: Due to all noted concerns displayed in a home environment and during her stay in care, the behavior department recommends Nova Star be placed with a New Hope placement partner who is able to provide an experienced adult-only foster home. A period of decompression is recommended to allow her to acclimate comfortably to her new environment; force-free, reward based training only is advised when introducing Nova Star to new and unfamiliar situations. Consultation with a professional trainer/behaviorist is highly recommended for guidance to safely manage/modify any behavior she presents with outside of the care centers.

Potential challenges: : Fearful,Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression,Bite history (dog)

Potential challenges comments:: Fearful: Nova Star has been highly fearful during her stay in care. It is important to always go slow and give Nova Star the option to walk away from any social interaction. She should never be forced to approach anything that she is uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. It should always be her choice to approach a new person or thing. Nova Star would do best in an initially calm and quiet home environment and should be given time to acclimate to his new surroundings. Please see hadnout on Decompression Period. Bite History (dog) | Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression: Nova Star is reported to have engaged in altercations with the other resident dog. The owner stated they are easily broken up when the fights start, but there have been at least 7 incidents, most breaking the skin. Nova Star had more scars than the other dog, but she has bitten and released his ear and his front leg, leaving small puncture wounds and breaking skin; self-treated at home. The last incident was about a month ago; the other dog was walking past Nova Star in the home, and she started the fight. This behavior is likely to continue as it has become part of Nova Star's repertoire, and will need careful management to work toward reducing triggers for her and reducing the resulting bites. Please see handout on Multiple-bite history/risk of future aggression.