Size
(when grown) Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg)
Details
Good with kids,
Good with dogs,
Not good with cats,
Needs experienced adopter,
House-trained,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Meet Karni-Australian Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix male puppy.
DOB Aug 3, 2025 Karni is a bright, affectionate young dog with a big heart and an even bigger love for his people. With his medium–high energy level from his Australian Shepherd genes combined with intelligence, and classic golden retriever friendliness, Karni is the kind of companion who thrives when included as part of the family.
View Karni's full album of photos and videos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.829651843018777&type=3
Karni’s home requirements:
✔️ Other dogs: Yes
✔️ Only dog: Also happy as your one and only
❌ Cats: Not likely a good fit
✔️ Children: Older, dog-savvy kids welcome
Karni would do best with an active, experienced, dog-savvy family who is willing to continue investing in his training and mental stimulation. He’s a dog who loves to learn and truly shines when given clear guidance and with yummy treats as incentive during training.
📍 Location requirement:
Adopters must be located within 45 minutes to 1 hour of Elmira, as Karni will need to return for his future neuter appointment, which will be covered at our expense.
📌 Important:
Please take the time to read Karni’s full adoption profile before submitting an inquiry to ensure he’s the right match for your home and lifestyle.
He is eager to learn, deeply loving, and already showing impressive impulse control for his age.
Personality & Temperament Karni is:Very loving and cuddly
Exceptionally smart and highly trainable
Food-motivated (very, very motivated!)
Social and people-oriented
Very playful, and enthusiastic
He bonds quickly with his humans and truly enjoys being around people. Karni would do best in a home where someone is home often as per our puppy adoption policies, which are a mandatory policy for adoptive families to read and understand.
PLEASE READ OUR PUPPY ADOPTION POLICY HERE BEFORE APPLYING https://hobohavenrescue.ca/puppy-adoption-policy NO EXCEPTIONS
ANY APPLICATIONS RECEIVED THAT DO NO MEET THE CRITERIA IN OUR PUPPY ADOPTION POLICY WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
Due to his young age, Karni will need to return to our vet located in Elmira for his final vaccines and neuter surgery when age appropriate. Therefore applicants must live no further than 45 mins to 1 hour maximum in order to return for vet appts at our expense.
Daily Routine & Energy
Karni thrives on structure and enrichment. His current routine includes play and training sessions approximately every three hours, including Basic training (drop it, wait, impulse control), leash walks and puppy appropriate play.
He enjoys both physical exercise and mental stimulation and settles well when his needs are met.
Training & Skills
Karni is extremely eager to learn and responds beautifully to positive reinforcement. He currently knows: Sit, Down, Wait, Drop it (with treats)
He is still working on: Stay, Leave it, Off (he is an enthusiastic jumper), and recall is not solid yet.
Given his intelligence and food motivation, mandatory continued training (see our puppy adoption policy) will be both rewarding and fun for him and his future family.
Social Skills
Dogs:
Karni can be a bit nervous when first meeting new dogs and benefits from slow, proper introductions. Once comfortable (usually within 15 minutes), he happily engages in play. He is still learning to respect dogs who are not interested in playing, so continued guidance will help him develop good canine manners. He would do well in a home with or without another suitable canine companion.
People:
He may bark once when someone new enters the home as an alert, but this is easily redirected with treats. After a brief introduction, Karni becomes friendly and welcoming.
Cats: Not tested.
Children must be over 10yrs and dog savvy due to his herding breed nature.
Home Life & Manners
Fully housetrained Crate trained and sleeps in his crate overnight
Settles well in the crate (may whine briefly but does not bark)
No separation anxiety noted (left alone up to 2 hours)
No guarding behaviors of any kind — happily shares toys, treats, and attention
Karni responds to handling very well and is comfortable with ear cleaning, nail trims, and paw handling.
TransportationKarni experiences anxiety when crated in the car and will bark continuously in that setup. He does much better when seat-belted with a human nearby. Continued positive association and gradual desensitization will help improve his comfort with travel.
Medical No medical concerns. His exam was very positive/in good health
Potty Routine- outdoor potty breaks every 2–3 hours required due to his young age
No accidents in the crate
Areas for Continued Growth
Like many young dogs, Karni is still polishing some puppy behaviors:
Jumping up when excited Occasional puppy mouthing (improving significantly with redirection) Demand barking (now greatly reduced) Overexcitement after play — learning to regulate his energy and learn how to settle with a chewie/stuffed treat toy etc to calm himself.
He has already made wonderful progress in all of these areas with consistent training and structure.
Ideal Adoptive Home Karni would thrive in a home that offers:A fenced yard for safe, supervised play and exercise People who are home often and enjoy interacting with their dog, including hikes, potentially agility for fun when age appropriate.
A commitment to ongoing training and enrichment An active family looking for a loving, intelligent companion A suitable canine companion who would enjoy a high energy playmate
Final Thoughts from Karni's foster family
“It’s such a privilege to love and be loved by Karni.” He has a big heart, a sharp mind, and so much potential. With continued guidance, structure, and affection, Karni is going to grow into an exceptional family dog. We have no doubt he will bring endless joy, laughter, and love to the lucky home that adopts himAll pools must be fully fenced for safety
Dog doors are not permittedAdoption fee $850 + HST incl: Thorough vet exams, Vaccinations, deworming/fecal sample, neuter, microchip, flea/tick/heartworm prevention during foster care
Our adoption fees do not completely cover the costs incurred by our rescue including rising vet expenses, food, supplies and transportation
Anyone questioning adoption fees is invited to call your vet for a quote on providing everything that is done for our dogs prior to their adoptions.
Hobo Haven is located in St Jacobs Ontario.
For approved families, we require two in person meetings in St Jacobs ON
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
An adoption application must be completed and approved, including vet references as well as a zoom home visit/interview , 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.
We understand how disappointing in can be if your family is not an ideal match for our dogs , but please understand that our policies are for the dog's best interests first and foremost.
We put a lot of time and effort into carefully assessing each dog's individual temperaments and personalities/needs.
Please do not ask us to make exceptions
Emails are best, our volunteers work full time and are often not able to answer or return phone calls in a timely manner.
