Nova

Status: Available

Age: 0

Gender: Female

Location: Omaha, NE

Reason given up for adoption: Owner surrender

Temperament: Sweet as pie

Health Condition: Corkscrew tail, back end weakness

Placement Limitations: TBD

Special Needs: Yes

Comments:
1/11/23: Nova is officially available for adoption! Her tail amputation was a success! Her back end strength is greatly improved and she can keep up with all of the pups. Weight management and joint support will be important going forward to ensure limited pain/arthritis due to her hemivertebrae. Nova is still a little shy with dogs larger than her but is becoming more confident every day.
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Scheduled for tail amputation, working on developing strength. Unsure about fecal/urine continence until we get more time with her.

10/31: Nova is about 9 months old. As far as we know, she was tossed into a barn to fend for herself when her breeder realized she wasn’t able to be bred thanks to a congenital spinal defect. Nova can “lose” her back legs every now and then, especially on surfaces without traction. She does very well getting up and down the few steps into the grass in her foster home, but she is carried downstairs in the morning because she loses her balance when going down on her own. Being able to run and use her legs to play tug has really strengthened her back legs, so continued exercise is important to keep her strong and lean so she is able to move well.

Nova seems to know she should potty outside. Sometimes her body just takes over and surprises her though. We are still unsure if she’s able to feel when she has to go on a regular basis. She tends to empty her bladder suddenly right as she finishes eating or drinking. Her foster family has started taking her out immediately after eating, drinking, napping, or during any change in playtime. Please understand that she may never be fully house trained.

Nova does really well with the resident dogs. She definitely clings to the younger bully that likes to wrestle and play. Nova would benefit from another playful dog that she can learn from. She listens really well to the older dogs when they tell her they aren’t up for a wrestling match. She listens so well that it’s hard to remember she’s a puppy. She hasn’t had any of the normal destructive puppy behaviors, and knows sit and is learning wait really well. The resident cats haven’t let her get too close still, and she’s curious, but not enough to chase them. She has shown to do really well with small children, as long as they are gentle and dog savvy. She has had a few growls when meeting bigger dogs, but listens to redirection pretty well.

Thanks to one of the resident pups, Nova thinks she’s an expert rabbit hunter. We don’t tell her she’s not all that great at it. Because she will take off after a rabbit or squirrel, it’s best that she has a fenced in yard. She is a stage 3 clinger when not chasing after critters and will follow her human back inside, so she currently requires her human to be outside while she does her business.

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