Kirby

Please read our dog bios carefully to be sure that the dog you are applying for suits your family and lifestyle. At Pound Dog Rescue, we believe in the benefits of post-adoption training for our dogs and their families. This allows for continued socialization, and learning and helps to create a well-mannered and balanced dog. Post-adoption training is a requirement in our adoption process.                                            

This cutie here is Kirby, a one year old Bichon Frisé and Miniature Poodle mix (Bichon Poo). He has a soft curly white coat, subtle light brown color on his ears and back, and a poufy tail. Weighing only 9.5 pounds, his non shedding curly hair makes him look like a very cute stuffed toy and bigger than he actually is. 

Kirby originally came to the organization as a stray from a pound, but we believe he may have lived in a home; he seems already familiar with a house; loud and sudden noises from household appliances rarely startle him; and he climbs stairs with ease. 

In the foster home, He is living with seniors (80yrs+), teenagers (15yrs+), and adults. We don’t know if he would currently be suitable for younger children due to his bouncy nature. He’s got the hops when he wants to see beyond his height or to show excitement. We are currently working on curbing his greeting enthusiasm.   He is also working on some puppyish mouthing behaviours that would make him unsuitable for small children, but a home with kids over 10yrs of age that are dog savvy would be fine.

Having only had two accidents in the first few days as he was settling in, Kirby’s house training is going well. He is also given plenty of opportunity to go outside. He sleeps in his crate overnight and half the time, still whines and barks for some time when first put in the crate. Lots of exercise and limiting his naps during the day helps reducing his whining at bedtime. We recommend him being in a house rather than an apartment due to his barking when crated. However, we suspect Kirby would not whine and bark if he sleeps overnight in his dog bed or on the bed in the bedroom of the future adopting family if they are comfortable with that.   But when he is adjusting to a new home he needs to be crated until settled in and used to the routines of the home. 

Kirby loves his daily walks and is currently going for 10-30 minute walks about 2-4 times a day. His leash training is a work in progress; some walks are perfect, no pulling at all, whereas during other walks, he walks single-mindedly and pulls the leash. Obedience training will certainly help with this.  When seeing other dogs on walks, he gets excited, pulls, and barks. When we stop him from going, he stands up like a meerkat to get a better look at the other dog. He is also quite a gymnast. He’s able to go on his front two limbs only. 

He has had limited contact with three older dogs who tolerated his exuberance. We think he would be fine if he has another similar aged dog to play with at home, or an adult dog who would be a mentor for him. We don’t know if he would be ok with cats as he has had no exposure.   

In the house, Kirby would follow you from room to room for a while. Most of the time, he would get bored and choose a mat to lay on. On the main floor, he has his dog bed where he lays around watching everybody go about their business when he’s not being a busy body. He also plays silly in it, wiggling his tummy and rubbing his back. His wiggly behind is a show in itself.

Kirby is a very healthy young dog. He has gotten all his shots, is dewormed, neutered, and microchipped. He doesn’t care too much to drink water so we add warm water to his kibble at meal time to make it like a soup. He loves it and never makes a mess, finishing it all up even when it’s very soupy. He barely sheds thanks to his breed. He is good when we clean him or bath him. He has been going with frequent car rides, with the longest being one and half hour one way. He is getting better at almost no whining in cars and has never gotten car sick. 

Being a teenager, Kirby loves action like fetching and playing with his toys. He is now mostly reliable when playing fetching at home but sometimes he just couldn’t be bothered to go retrieve, or he would retrieve and go to his dog bed to play with it. He also really enjoys it when we pick him up like a baby, soaking up all the attention. He is just as content if he gets to snuggle up with you to spend his day. 

We continue to encourage him to be more independent and more comfortable in his crate while we are at home and out. Up to date, he is in a home where one adult is mostly home except for some appointments 1-3 hours. He has been frequently taken to work and he is completely friendly with all the strangers at work. If left alone for a while in the office, he would whine and it would turn into barking. Kirby is most likely do better with an adoptive family who has more time at home than not. 

For obedience, we are working on fixing his tendency to jump when excited and perfecting his response to sit and stay. He responds to his name well now. He would greatly benefit from obedience training, especially since he is still quite young.  

He is a breed who requires regular grooming, at home brushing and wiping and professional grooms a few times a year.  Anyone interested in him needs to be aware of the higher than average grooming needs of this breed mix.  He is a loveable, fun and comical dog who is very entertaining.  It was apparent that in his prior home he wasn’t taught manners so we are working on that now and his forever family needs to continue; proper leash walking, not mouthing when playing, not jumping up.  We are looking for a person or family who are experience dog owners and can confidently train Kirby and take him to school so that he can be his very best dog.  You will always have a goofy, fun and happy dog, we just are working to make him a well-mannered one too!  If you would like a small but mighty, ready to take on the world, friend to everyone little dog then look no further than Kirby!