PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ ALL THE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO LEARN ALL ABOUT DAWN, HER LOCATION AND ADOPTION OPTIONS.

Nova was saved from a high kill shelter in Texas where she was extremely emaciated, had very thin coarse hair and very nervous and submissive. Whilst being at the rescue she has flourished health wise and doing great. She is spayed, rabies, core vaccines, heart-worm & tick disease tested negative (4dx), de-wormed and micro-chipped. She has an estimated date of birth of 5th November 2015 and weighs around 55 pounds 

Nova is a very sweet girl, she was as mentioned very submissive with dogs and humans and it took a long time to get her to learn that coming in the house was acceptable. I would have to go and physically bring her inside, in all kinds of weather, but when inside she would love to cuddle and snuggle. She had clearly not known any kind of affection or love in her life until she came to the rescue.

With Nova doing great in the rescue a family found her, fell in love and adopted her. All was great, however, after 3 months we had an email saying that they was going to have to bring NOVA back as she had become aggressive. This was a complete shock as Nova has always been nothing but naturally submissive, very submissive, so with some talking to the family I believe I understand what happened.

Some families tend to "baby" dogs when they adopt them, especially when they have had a really bad past, although this is a  nice idea, it is not good for dogs, because dogs need an alpha, if there is no alpha then they step up to be alpha even if it is not their natural personality. Nova whilst loved and had a great life, didn't have the alpha personalities that she needed and so stepped up to being queen of her castle.  She started barking at people when they came in the house, this then progressed to lunging at people and then finally over time, she would run outside into the garden barking, growling and lunging at anyone other than her mum and dad. There doesn't appear to have been any consequence for her actions from the beginning and so naturally she progressed to becoming aggressive, although it was not her natural personality.

The family did decide to give it a try and hired a trainer, however, the trainer took them to the shops to work with her, which I didn't understand since the problem was in the home and really with the family. Nova just needed to learn that her behaviour was absolutely unacceptable and there would be a consequence for her actions. I suggested having her on a leash when people were around, any barking, she would be removed from the room and so on.

Since Nova has been at the rescue over six months now she has been great, she is back to her natural submissive self and again extremely affectionate and loving. She rides great in the car, she loves to go for long walks, she is extremely responsive. She is great with other dogs of all sizes and plays great with them. We do not have cats at the rescue, so we cannot say how she would behave around them. She is a very social girl and loves to be around people and loves nothing more than to snuggle and cuddle up as close as she can.

She has not barked at anyone, if anything she hangs back to make sure it is safe for her to come over. Nova knows I am the alpha and this is what she needs to be happy and to be herself. She is going to need a family that has the time and patience to let this adorable girl trust, who will understand that she has had a horrific time, but also has "tasted" the "control" and I do believe that she absolutely needs a family that understands the alpha role that humans must play. I do feel that if Nova is with a family that is not alpha and ensures she knows her place in the family, she will try and step up, since that is what she knows of living with humans. She needs a family that if they see any sign of her starting to be alpha in the home, they work with her and let her know it is not acceptable and guide her and take things back to basics so she knows she is not the alpha and there is no need for her to think she has to step up.

NOVA would benefit from an active, fun family that has the time to work with her on her obedience and manners, who would take her on adventures and road trips and let her explore the sights, sounds and smells the world has to offer.

We currently feed SPORTMIX Wholesomes Chicken Meal & Rice Formula, a 4* (a per www.dogfoodadvisor.com) GRAIN FREE food along with pro-bioitics and immune support supplements listed on the available dogs page!

NOVA is available for adoption through Give a Dog a Home, German Shepherd Dog Rescue for an adoption fee of $500. This fee is not negotiable and is used to cover the rescue costs of pulling, vetting, health certificate, transport from Texas to Maine, monthly preventatives, supplements, food and anything else that is needed.

If you feel that you have the heart and home to give this precious stunning girl a wonderful life, please go to our website, under the APPLICATION tab, complete, then submit the APPLICATION. Our process takes around 2-4 days, and ensuring your references are aware that we will be calling, could speed up the process. Once you have been approved, we discuss any questions in regards to the dog you are wanting to adopt, then you complete and submit the contract, make payment and then we can work out the pick up / transport arrangements.

Please do NOT submit an application if you are not looking to take home a new best friend within the next few weeks.

http://www.giveadogahome-sanantonio.org/application.html

NOVA is located at the rescue in Sebec, Maine. We post in various states along the east coast and Canada where we have had lots of successful adoptions to enable more exposure for these beautiful saved souls. Families will need to be prepared to travel to the rescue to meet and take home their new best friend. There is a local hotel in Dover-Foxcroft that is pet-friendly (approx 6 miles) and several in Bangor (approx 45 miles). There are also lots of wonderful camp-sites for the more adventurous families and what a great way to get to know your new best friend. If there are options to arrange transport, we will work with you to make it happen.