Stymie is a great little dog, weighing in at 4 kg or about 10 pounds.

Hes guesstimated to be 4 years old and was found as a stray and landed himself in an Ontario shelter.  Not a great place to be for a chihuahua X and/or a small dog as it can be completely overwhelming for them.

We have no idea what his breed mix is, but were guessing maybe Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound/Jack Russell Terrier, but thats a guess only.

The shelter asked if we could intake Stymie to get him into a foster based situation, and one look at his face and we absolutely agreed.

Stymie does come with a bite history, which he should not be penalized for, as the situation was completely understandable.  But we do need to be transparent on his history, and this is what we know:

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FROM THE SHELTER: Stymie was seen on the run, and a finder chased Stymie for over 2km through traffic, and was finally able to corner him in a parking lot with several other people.  They grabbed him by the back skin as a scruff to his neck, trying to stop him from running again, and they got bit by Stymie. Stymie served his 10 day quarantine.
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We have not seen any fear or aggression biting risk with Stymie since hes been in our care at Matties Place. Hes a very sweet little guy.

He is a shy dog with new people.  He has a little bit of stranger danger and needs a minute to warm up to people.  He LOVES LOVES LOVES females and can be hesitant with males, though hes in foster care with a male and doing fine, but LOVES his foster Mom most.

He is a terrific dancer once he trusts his people and can put on quite a dance party for you.

He does fine in his crate, with the door open, and isnt exhibiting any separation anxiety.

We will not put him in a home with a dog over 25 pounds, as Stymie is a little guy and we dont want to see him hurt.  We also will not place him in a home with anyone 14 or under, based solely on his shyness and bite history.  

He welcomes dogs and cats with proper introductions. 
That said, ideally, Stymie is the only pet in the home, with a single or couple without a lot of people coming or going. He can cohabitate with another dog or cat, as he does in foster care, but I believe his preference is to keep all the love for himself from his human.

Someone that works from home or is home most often is best for Stymie, as he does absolutely love being with his person and being left home alone 8 hour days, 5 days a week is not the life were looking for, for this loyal boy.

Preference will be given to a home with a fenced backyard for Stymie to hang out in, catch some rays of sunshine and enjoy a quieter lifestyle vs. a condo or busy downtown core setting.

FROM HIS FOSTER PARENTS:

Stymie is such a treasure. He is all the things you want a dog to be: friendly, loving, cuddly, smart, curious, loyal, playful, with well-balanced energy.


While he needs a slow and gentle introduction to a new person, he does bond pretty quickly and deeply to his person. It’s obvious that Stymie prefers a woman as his main person, as he took to me very quickly and shows preference to be with me. He is wary of men. Stymie loves and generally trusts my (male) partner as well, but does bark at him from time to time.


He is an adorable blanket burrower. Stymie needs a warm blanket wherever he is, whether it’s in his crate or bed or on the couch, as he feels the need to go wrap himself up in it. If in bed with you, he must go under the covers. This is his safe, happy place, where he spends most of his time. He also loves a sunny patch. 

Stymie is working on his bark/growl reactions. He really is a good-natured, sweet boy, but startles easily sometimes. It has been a challenge for him living in an apartment community, but he’s been improving. When out walking, he tends to growl/bark at things that startle him (anyone coming up unexpectedly), bikes/scooters/wheelchairs/loud motorcycles, tall men or men wearing black, anyone who talks to me/my partner, and some large dogs. Sometimes he’s doing really well, but then something startles him and he goes into reactive mode. At home, he will growl or bark if there’s an unexpected noise from the hallway or a neighbour’s balcony or from my partner (when Stymie can’t see him and he makes an unusual sound). He will also do it if one of the cats startles him, comes too close, looks like it’s being sneaky, or runs/jumps unexpectedly and when my partner enters the apartment from outside. To be clear, while this is something Stymie needs to work on, he isn’t a constant barker. He is quiet most of the time, but just still has those triggers and needs help not reacting or stopping once he reacts. I feel like being in the right environment and becoming more comfortable will also help, along with training classes.


Stymie is mostly house-trained; he knows he needs to do his business outside, but sometimes cannot hold his urine past the four-hour point. When this happens, he usually tries to go on the pee pad, but he sometimes misses and he has had a couple of accidents elsewhere. It’s only occasional though. He doesn’t currently have access to a yard, so I think having one would be very helpful for his progress. 

While he strongly prefers to be with us, Stymie does well in his gated sanctuary room (my partner’s office) where he has a large wire crate for his bed. He sleeps there overnight quietly; he also spends some parts of the day there alone (with me in sight) and seems to do well there any time we do go out. He will sometimes whine at first, but settles down quickly. 

He would prefer to be in the bed with us overnight, but hes still in his sanctuary room for bedtime. Note: The door to his crate is always open, so we dont know how he would do closed up. 


Stymie hasn’t been destructive at all. So far, he shows no penchant for chewing things up or getting into too much trouble with his surroundings. This is based on being left alone overnight and during the day for a period of five hours a couple of times, all in his sanctuary room. He’s not destructive with his toys either.


As he’s gotten more comfortable, Stymie has started enjoying playtime more. He loves chewing and throwing around his stuffies and his small tennis ball when his person is with him. He has had the zoomies once so far. Stymie also enjoys running down the hall coming home from his walks. I actually think he might enjoy agility training—something where he can use his smarts, have fun, and interact with his person at the same time. He does like to gently chew hands when playing, but can be redirected with a toy. He doesnt try to play with the other dog, but shes a senior.


So far, Stymie seems friendly with small dogs who aren’t overly energetic (i.e. puppy energy). He is fine with our older small breed Bambi; he is friendly toward her, but doesn’t try to play or cuddle. He did growl at her once when she was perhaps sniffing him too much as he was having his collar removed. That was the only time though. 

Stymie does fairly well on walks. He doesn’t pull or walk erratically. He generally pays attention to you and will perceive that you want him to stop, go, or change direction. He looks at the person walking him a lot, so I feel like he’ll do great in basic training. 

He sits for his dinner. He enjoys trying to chase the occasional pigeon, but doesn’t go too crazy. Stymie walks pretty well with Bambi and will usually wait patiently while she does her lengthy sniffing. 

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To note: the above description is relevant to this dog in his current & previous setting. Home changes & adopter personalities can bring out different behaviours not previously seen. We also do not claim, endorse, suggest or hint at, that any of our dogs are hypoallergenic, low shed or no-shed.

Adoption fee includes: spay/neuter, deworming, defleaing, vaccinations, food, nose to tail health exam, dog beds, toys, leash|collar, go home preventative based on season, custom dog tag.