Hopefully adopting.... what to buy? What to expect?

Congratulations! I adopted my Lady ten years when she was 4.5 years old. Rescues are the best.

I absolutely recommend the book Secondhand Dog for anyone who adopts an adult dog.

Amazon.com: Second-Hand Dog: How to Turn Yours into a First-Rate Pet (Howell reference books) (0021898057358): Carol Lea Benjamin: Books


As far as housebreaking, expect she will have to be retrained when you get her home. Most rescues need to go back to Potty Training 101 for a refresher. Even my old Lady who has been housebroken for years had accidents for 2-3 weeks when I moved a couple of years ago.

Is the Maltese you are adopting used to being around young children? I hope so because Maltese really aren't recommended for a family with such young children. They are very delicate and break bones or get concussions easily if accidentally dropped. If she isn't used to children, she may be afraid of them. Please make sure she's a good fit with your family and, if she is, make sure your children are always carefully supervised when around her.

Hi! Thanks for your response! She actually isn't a rescue, but a 2 year old from a breeder who I've read very good things about here.

The breeder assured me that all her dogs are handled regularly and that this one in particular should be good with small children.

I am comfortable with the small dog b/c my girls are used to being around one at Grandmas (Her Yorkie is a 6lber and the hopefully soon to be adopted dog is between 5.5 and 6.5 lbs- so a similar size). If the girls were "used" to a tougher type dog, I think that would be a problem - but Grandma's dog is very delicate and they always treat her with care - it's all they've ever known!

My only concern is sleeping arrangments. Ideally, I'd like the dog to sleep in the girls room, but in a dog bed on the floor- but I don't know if the dog will be okay sleeping on the floor (in a dog bed) or if the dog will want to sleep at the foot of the the bed with the girls (our yorkie never was willing to sleep alone).

At least at first, I will certainly be sure to not leave the 2.5 year old alone with the dog - but I'm sure that my 5 year old would be okay unsupervised once everyone gets comfortable together.

hi and welcome!!!!

I have two kids who were 7 and 8 when I got my first maltese, Lucy. It worked really well because i had a ground rule that nobody picked up Lucy but me (unless they were on the floor) My daughter is 11 now and shows in junior showmanship so I definitely do not regret getting a maltese when my kids were young! Please dont' take offense to some of the comments you might get regarding kids and dogs - it's nothing personal, just this forum being very protective of our doggies!! So please don't get upset. You know your kids and will be a dog mommy, that is the most important thing!!

Even a two year malt can get into things they aren't supposed to, so if it were me, I'd consider your new baby sleeping in a crate in your daughter's room, not in a bed. Even at 11 and 12, the amount of cr*p my kids leave on the floor is unbelievable!!! My dogs aren't allowed free access of their rooms, just in case. My daughter has a puppy now that occassionaly sleeps with her, but it's always in a crate and it works out well for both of them.

You'll also find that maltese typically bond with one person, and usually it's the one feeding them and spending the most time with them.

Do you have any pics of your new baby? Who are you getting her from? Can't wait to see her!