Mater Shih Tzu ST JACOBS, ON

IMPORTANT NOTE: please do not use the "introduce yourself" option that Petfinder shows
Only those who submit a completed adoption application, after reading our dog's complete profile, as detailed below, will be considered

Mater is a precious male Shih Tzu puppy, DOB Feb-2022, 4.3kg as of July 4th, who was surrendered to our rescue by a commercial breeder due to his leg deformity and left eye blindness.(requires eye lubricant for life)

PLEASE read all info below carefully, we are seeking a very special family for Mater's forever home, who have previous experience owning and training dogs, understand and will follow his restrictions, and are committed to his need for eye lubricant daily for life, as well as his periodic, future medical follow ups with our ortho specialist, as needed, to monitor his right leg, for life (at our expense).

Mater had his last recheck with our beloved Dr Bichot, ortho specialist, who is very pleased to report the following

1) his left leg is progressing normally with no concerns!!!! and showing no evidence of any congenital defects.

2) his right leg , while deformed and dysplastic, at this time is not giving him any pain and providing Mater with some benefit as a "kick stand" and stability assistance, which could change in his future, potentially still requiring amputation, but at this time, Dr Bichot agrees there is no medical need to remove the front leg and it is assisting Mater enough to be a benefit for him to keep, as long as there is no pain/discomfort or change in the right leg.
RESTRICTIONS:
"I recommended continuing with strict low impact activity: only walking short distances, progressively more
and more normally. No rough play, no running, no walks on a leash, no stairs, no fetching until the left elbow
is fully grown (until 9 months of age).
Left elbow is NOT developing the same abnormalities as the right, no need for surgery, but still controlled
activity to let it develop normally without excessive stress until fully grown.
The right forelimb did not show signs of discomfort and takes a little part of the function during walks and
sitting position. Right forelimb amputation may still be needed if discomfort develops or if function becomes progressively negligible."

3) Delaying Mater's neuter surgery until at least 9 mos, optimally 12-14 mos, will benefit his development and is highly recommended.
Hobo Haven Rescue will of course also be paying for his neuter surgery when the time is right and his adoption contract will be a non breeding/neuter contract.

Due to a congenital defect, his right upper leg has no proper shoulder joint and is literally just attached by ligaments His right front also has a complete, continental elbow luxation, which is inoperable and his rt ankle is also deformed with only ligaments keeping it attached internally, supported by muscle.

Mater is a wee warrior, not letting his mobility challenges get him down, rocking his training, socialization and charm with all he meets.
Mater currently has activity restrictions due to his leg, so he doesn't get walks. He does get lots of indoor, gentle playtime with his foster family dogs , as well as tons of mental stimulation like stuffed kongs, licky mats, durable chews etc. and individual play time.

Mater is very food motivated.
Mater loves other dogs. He currently resides with three large dogs who are very savvy and match his energy and limitations very well.
While he doesn't go on walks, he has seen some dogs pass by while out in the front having yard time and has shown little to no interest unless approached by the other dog. All interactions have been positive.

As he does have blindness in one eye, when meeting someone new he does bark a little but once greeted properly and introduced, there are no concerns. Mater has no issues with men & women. He has limited experience with children however with dog savvy kids there have been no concerns.

Mater is very curious about cats. As he does have sight issues he will chase them but does know "leave it" and will redirect to an appropriate behavior with no issues. He has gotten along very well with his foster family cats.

Mater has never shown any guarding behavior in his foster family home. He did show a little resource guarding once in a public space with two intact, over stimulated male puppies. He was quickly redirected and has had no further issues.

HOUSETRAINED? Yes
CRATE TRAINED? Yes Mater is happy to be in his crate/exercise pen. He views this as a positive space and will willingly go in there to sleep and play. He also runs to his crate by choice to eat. His crate is a safe, positive space for him.

IS YOUR FOSTER DOG DESTRUCTIVE? No
DOES YOUR FOSTER DOG SHOW SIGNS OF SEPARATION ANXIETY? No
As he has not had the ability to go on walks, he does not have typical leash skills. He does come over and wait to get his harness and collar on, and when going from point A - point B, he does pull a little but with proper guidance, he does really well.

Mater is great with cooperative/consent to care. His foster mom has worked hard to create positive experiences in regards to vets, grooming etc. however , with his sight issue he is weary of his face being groomed but there are no issues checking his eyes, ears and other routine tasks that are a common occurrence.

Mater is a very intelligent little guy. He learns things very quickly and is very food motivated. He loves to lay down with a good chew or in front of the fan and relax just as much as he loves working his brain with training. He is brave and with the right positive reinforcement , he works through anything he is unsure about. He is very social, and loves to play with his 3 big foster family dogs. He is a little speedy dude, despite his leg issues and has no issues rolling with the big guys.
He is also very independent. He is great at self-play and will get his own toys like his squeaky stuffies or his bottle crunchers to bite and toss whenever his buddies need a break.
He has thrived with a routine and being a small dog, we have worked hard at his ability to be as independent as he is to avoid common separation anxiety.
He is also a big lover of butt scratches and a loves a good belly rub even more.
While he isn't the most 'cuddly' dog, he shows his affection by bringing you toys and giving tons of kisses. Mater is very special boy. He is an amazing pup who will grow into an even more incredible dog and companion.

THINGS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT? Mater is working through some demand barking - eg. when getting out a chew or some freeze dried to stuff his toys, he does bark at you however with the correct redirection and replacing his current actions with acceptable behavior, there has been tons of progress.

As with any dog, he needs structure and guidance to thrive in a new home. He has a big personality so ongoing training and mental stimulation needs are crucial to meet to set him up for success.

He is not an ideal match for older seniors due to his young age/life expectancy, nor young children in his home due to his special needs and limitations

He will require attendance in approved training classes as part of his adoption contract.

Notes:
*Registration with a positive method, approved training school/trainer is mandatory for this dog to continue with their training, socialization and to help set them up for success in their forever home/future.
*No children
*Must be located within Ontario Canada
*Inground/ground level Pools and ponds must be separately fenced from yard

Hobo Haven is located in St Jacobs Ontario.
For approved families, we require two in person meetings in St Jacobs ON
If you are not willing to drive to this location to meet our dogs after you are approved, please do not apply. We do not meet elsewhere nor deliver dogs. Adoptions within Ontario only

If you are interested in applying to adopt a dog from Hobo Haven Rescue, please use this link to submit an application https://hobohavenrescue.ca/dog-adoption-application

Mater's adoption fee is a minimum donation of $500. Adoption fees include neuter, microchip, age appropriate vaccinations, deworming, flea/tick prevention, and all vet care during their time with us. In addition, we are committed for life to cover his ortho follow up appts when needed, located in Guelph ON

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

We require all serious applicants to watched "Petfooled" which is a free documentary at this link https://tubitv.com/movies/494913/pet-fooled
, or on Amazon prime or also a variety of other free video sites.

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.

An adoption application must be completed and approved, including vet references 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. Our dogs are in private foster family homes, not in a shelter.
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 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, our volunteers work full time and are often not able to answer or return phone calls in a timely manner.