Kirby Shih Tzu ST JACOBS, ON

If this dog's listing is still showing, they are still accepting applications.
PLEASE READ HIS ENTIRE PROFILE BEFORE INQUIRING OR APPLYING.
Due to overwhelming response, only those who meet the criteria listed for Kirby will be contacted for an interview. Located in St Jacobs ON
We do NOT export dogs, all meetings take place in St Jacobs.

Kirby is a young, approx 18 months playful puppy minded boy who has now completed all of his vetting including vaccinations, microchip, blood/heartworm tested (negative) and neutered.

Kirby's adoption fee is a minimum donation of $600. Adoption fees include spay/neuter, microchip, age appropriate vaccinations, fecal testing, dentals if required, deworming if needed, Heartworm and Tick disease testing, blood testing, Advantage prevention, and all medical treatments and surgeries required during their time with us.

He was freshly groomed upon arrival due to being severely matted and in poor condition.

Kirby needs a younger, active yet balanced home with time for play, great adventures on his walks, and time for couch cuddling.

LOVES his canine foster siblings and we are seeking a home (MANDATORY) with another friendly, playful small to medium dog to be his companion and playmate to help with his confidence.

Registration with an approved, positive reinforcement training school/trainer will be a mandatory part of his adoption. Kirby is young and has clearly had little training prior to joining our rescue and although he is learning well, additional training will benefit him for his entire life.

Kirby loves respectful children so a home with dog experienced, respectful older children would be welcome.

Kirby is happy to play with toys independently or with his humans and he does not pick a favorite human but shares his amazing love equally with anyone who wants it. A very sweet boy who gets along well with everyone, though he shows a bit too much interest in his feline fosters and thinks they are toys, so were are not recommending a home with cats.

Kirby is NOT comfortable around sudden loud noises or voices, and will run and hide, so a loud boisterous environment such as with young children or loud music/voices etc is not recommended.

We are welcoming applicants in apartments or attached/detached homes, he is not a nuisance barker, but his environment needs to be a quieter environment without alot of environmental loud noises etc.

Kirby LOVES belly rubs! He is a very affectionate wee man who is thriving in his foster home as he learns to feel safe and his needs are respected.

Kirby arrived into our rescue program after being found stray in very neglected condition and remaining unclaimed despite efforts to locate his owners.

Kirby shares his space well with other dogs and does not resource guard nor show aggression of any type. However when meeting large, in your face, boisterous dogs, Kirby becomes overwhelmed quickly, and will need to have his space respected with careful introductions to help build his confidence and help him feel safe.

Kirby is now housetrained and has a consistent routine that he is thriving with to maintain regular potty breaks and walks.

Skills/Commands:

Sit Y

Stay Y

Wait Y

Lay Down N

Leave It N

Off Y

Down Y

Come He is still working on this, loves to be outdoors and can be difficult to coax inside in his fenced yard at his fosters. He will always require his owner to be outside with him, even in a fenced yard, to ensure his safety, inability to escape under fencing etc and to lead him back indoors when it's time to come in.

Bed Time habits: After last cuddles goes into his crate and sleeps right through the night.

Strengths/areas they have improved on: He is learning to play with toys and has discovered play with other like minded dogs, racing around, wrestling etc. He will not bug those who don’t want to play

Transportation: Travels well in harness and seatbelt or a wire crate where he can see. Loves to watch out the window whenever he can.

Kirby loves to cuddle and be around his siblings and humans, LOVES his food and walks on a leash very well. He is very independent and does not like being carried around. He has the I will do it myself attitude.
Not a barker until you come home after being away, but only till you let him out of his crate, then he is quiet. Tolerates being in his crate for up to 4 hours without issue if you are out. NEVER had any accidents in crate and RARELY has had any accidents in house.

He does not however like the wet outside. Cold and snowy or mild and dry are great but wet and windy are not his favorite!

Please read his entire profile before applying. An adoption application must be submitted to be considered. If the dog's listing is still showing, they are still accepting applications.

Only applicants who meet each dog's criteria for their ideal forever home will be contacted. You MUST submit an adoption application prior to being considered

Hobo Haven is located in St Jacobs Ontario.

We require vet references, a home visit (zoom meetings during covid) and two meetings with the dogs for approved applicants, one meeting to meet the dog once you are approved to adopt, and then a cooling off period of 24-48 hrs prior to the second meeting which is the adoption.

ALL meetings take place in St Jacobs ON, no exceptions.

Owned or rented homes welcome with landlord's permission in writing.

For anyone possibly interested in adopting from Hobo Haven, here are a few, but not all, criteria to be aware of:

An adoption application must be completed and approved, (available on our website at www.hobohavenrescue.ca, as well as a home visit (Zoom during COVID), prior to meeting available dogs. All dogs are placed in loving foster homes during their time with us, we do not have a shelter to visit.

We do not allow applicants to visit until pre-approved for adoptions. Any questions may be emailed to hobohavenpetrescue@gmail.com

Due to the high volume of applications received for our dogs, priority of replies will be given to applicants who took the time to read the dog's entire profile to ensure that their family does meet the criteria mentioned in the pet's profile.

Please do not ask us to make exceptions, we set these protocols and policies for the dog's best interests which are always our highest priority.

Emails are best, I work full time 6 days a week in addition to my rescue responsibilities, and I am not able to answer my phone during work hours nor make calls.

Emails will be answered as soon as possible.

We also require all applicants to watched "Petfooled" which is a free documentary on Netflix or Youtube. Our motto is "know better/do better" and we ask all adoptive families to be as committed to providing our dogs with quality nutrition as they are to providing love. This documentary is not advertising, purely just educational.