[puppylucy]

Alright. So I was wondering what made you all pick a maltese out of all the other 200+ breeds, and I thought it might be fun to share our stories!

 

[puppylucy]

Alright, my story

Since we were finally moving out of the beach house on the highway, my parents said we could get a dog. Excited, my sister and I began our search as my parents went searching for a house. While house hunting, we found the perfect condo - the one we're living in right now!! We visited it several times before finally moving in in October, and every time we noticed this playful, adorable little white dog

She'd dance around on her hind legs, run around the living room, hide under pillows on the couch and then pop out at you, and so much more. We absolutely fell in love with her big black eyes and silky white hair, so we finally asked the owner what kind of dog was she? The answer was, of course, a maltese

So we began researching the breed and found it was perfect for us - no shedding, small, could live in a condo, had an amazing personality. We decided it was the dog for us

Something funny though - we almost purchased a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

How glad I am that we didn't!

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

I chose to get an inside dog after my favorite cat Sandi died last spring of feline leukemia.

We have two big stinky outside dogs that I am highly allergic to. Hubby wanted a pug (he grew up with them) but again, I am allergic.
I did lots of research. Wanted a malti-poo because I didn't want to groom all that long hair. While in search of one, I saw the parents on a website-and the maltese parent had a puppy cut. DUH! It never occured to me to cut the hair!

So, back to the maltese I went. I found a lady in town that had one and I spent some time with Jake to see if I was allergic. After seeing my previous reactions...hubby was SHOCKED to see that I had NONE. No itching, red eyes, sneezing, bumps, nothing!

So, we picked a maltese! Found a great breeder and the "dog-love" of my life!
I was just talking to hubby about him (Brinkley) last night and how attached I was to him. He was saying how sad I was when Sandi passed. (we have other pets, but she was "my girl"!) Once I got Brink here...I missed her, but I no longer cried for her. He took up that emptiness that I felt with her gone...healed my piece of broken heart some.

Anyway, hubby's point was that if anything were to happen to Brink, after seeing what I was like after Sandi... :new_Eyecrazy: ....he said he might have to institutionalize me.

How CAN a little ball of fluff steal your heart so big?!

 

[puppylucy]

Originally posted by tlunn@Mar 10 2005, 06:04 PM
Wanted a malti-poo because I didn't want to groom all that long hair. While in search of one, I saw the parents on a website-and the maltese parent had a puppy cut. DUH! It never occured to me to cut the hair!

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You're great! That didn't occur to me either.. it's amazing how so many people tell me I have a bichon because Lucy's hair is short.

I'm sorry about your kitty though

I'm insanely allergic to cats, it's terrible. I like break out in hives

 

[littlepeanut]

I'm allergic to most breeds of dogs. My friend has a bichon and those are supposed to be good for people with allergies, but I was still allergic to her. I came a cross a maltese at the park one day, and I fell in love. I had no kind of allergic reaction to him, so I began my search for a malt. The breeder let me 'borrow' an older 'retired' malt that she had for a weekend to see if I would have an allergic reaction, and I didn't!!!! That's how I got started with these little guys! Now, I can't get enough of them!!

 

[2happymalts]

What a great topic. We were not really looking for a dog, but we kept seeing our new neighbors walking this cute little white fur ball and I finally asked them what it was and they said a Maltese, well a year or so later they had puppies and my hubby was like we should go look at them, I was not that interested, but he went down while I was in the bathtub, they were only a week old. He came back home, drug me out of the tub and said I HAD to go see them

. Well needless to say it was a painful wait until PUDGE could come home to stay for good

. We would go visit regularly as he was just down the street, and as he was getting older we could take him home for an hour or so. It was love at first sight, and also my husband has severe allergies to dogs, but not a sniffle out of him with these. Then we had to get him a friend and that is what started the rest of the herd

I agree with tlunn how can these furballs touch us so deeply??? I know I will be a mess if anything happens to one of them.. ugh-can't even think about it without tearing up....
they are my babies.........

they have the sweetest dispositions of any dogs I have seen.

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Originally posted by puppylucy+Mar 10 2005, 06:09 PM-->

<!--QuoteBegin-tlunn

@Mar 10 2005, 06:04 PM
Wanted a malti-poo because I didn't want to groom all that long hair. While in search of one, I saw the parents on a website-and the maltese parent had a puppy cut. DUH! It never occured to me to cut the hair!

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You're great! That didn't occur to me either.. it's amazing how so many people tell me I have a bichon because Lucy's hair is short.

I'm sorry about your kitty though

I'm insanely allergic to cats, it's terrible. I like break out in hives
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Aw...that stinks. I love my cats too!!!! Some more than others

ha ha...cats just have different personalities...that is FOR sure. None of my three cats are even remotely the same! So weird.

Anyway, I know lots of people are allergic. I am somewhat that way with other people's cats when I go to their house. My sister and my grandmother. Isn't that weird? If I romp around in my grandma's house with the kids in the floor or something...my allergies go nuts-and she is an insanely good housekeeper. My sister is not such a great housekeeper, so I think it is a mix of her dust (although my dust doesn't bother me-and I have PLENTY

), her cat hair, and her dogs. (she has 2 Chi's)
Just BEING in her house drives me crazy! I have to take a Benadryl before I even walk in!

Now that I have completely warped the topic of your thread...I will shut-up!

 

[FannyMay]

I was actually researching for my little sister. She was going through some really bad depression and I thought if I got her a puppy that would cheer her up and give her something to take care of and keep her mind off of the things that were depressing her. So I did one of those compatible tests and a Maltese was one of the options. Along with a silky terrier, a poodle and some others like them. I started looking for a dog I could get her and before I could get her one my mom bought her a poodle puppy (Zack) from a local "breeder". We found out later it was a puppy mill. Anyway I fell in love with the breed after researching it and when John said I could get a dog I only looked for a Maltese. I read that they were hypo allergenic so I thought that was a plus since I had really bad allergies. Boy were they wrong! But I still love my baby and wouldn’t trade her for anything even if I am really allergic to her! She still sleeps by my head at night too even though the allergist said she has to get off the bed and out of the bedroom lol. Yeah right buddy.

 

[Lilly521]

A picking a maltese was kinda a prosses of elmination for me lol. I have just had to get rid of my old dog when i started looking for a puppy so because my last dog had super bad dominance issues (which lead to the proublems and ended up in me not having him anymore) i wanted a dog that wasnt prone to try and be really dominant, i know some maltese are but its not as hard to prevent as it is in some other breeds, so that shrunk the list down, then i though well i dont really like going running everyday lol so i want a dog under 30lbs, then i thought i want a dog that i can play with its hair :lol: so that made the list even smaller, for a long time i was stuck between a shih tzu, a yorki,a chinese crested, and a maltese....so then i relized if i got a shih tzu ( i couldnt afford the $3000 dogs so it wouldnt really be to standered) s/he would be huge proubly close to 30lbs and i just didnt want to deal with a dog quite so big....i mean i wanted to play with its hair and the amount of hair on a 10lbs dog is enough for me to try and keep up, yorki's eveyone kept telling me 'oh yeah they are a lot of maltese but a bit more hyper' so yeah no yorki for me (just on a side note ALL the yokies in the paper here for like 3lbs i know they cna be a little smaller than maltese but i just thought that a weird), and then a chinese crested well people just though i was insane for wanting one so i didnt get one.....and now i have my Sunny my prefect little baby

 

[Sylphide and Shrek's Mom]

My husband had a powerful dream about a small, fluffy white dog. He never remembers his dreams, so this one had him talking. We researched small white breeds and narrowed our choices down to a Maltese, a Bichon Frise, or a Havanese.

One day we were driving in downtown Saratoga and saw a perky little fluffy white thing on a walk. We went back around the block just to see--it was a wonderful 2 year old Maltese in a puppy cut. She had a lovely personality, and we just fell in love.

Our decision was made there and then: A Maltese, no question about it! We and are now forever Maltese slaves. They are definitely the breed for us!

 

[Toby's Mom]

 

[sherylmint]

When my Cadbury a golden retriever mix got sick he would not pee in the house so I carried him in and out of the house so he could make. He finally got better after 2 weeks, he was playing with his bone and running around like a puppy. The next day he had a massive heart attack and died suddenly. I was devastated, depressed and so was my Samoyed mix Snowflake. The house had a very empty feel to it and no longer felt like home. I had a herniated back and neck from carrying him and felt horrible both mentally and physically. I was going to the doctor and hospital a lot for my back and neck and my husband said no more big dogs. I said don't worry I do not want any more dogs. My sister-in-law came to cheer me and help me out. As my back felt better I felt so sad for Snowflake. She just would lay on the couch on her blanket, alone. I would just sit next to her and cry. I went to Petco to buy some treats for her because she was not eating very well. My sister in law said that my husband was planning on buying me a yorkie for my birthday and I told her I wish he wouldn't. I remember turning the isle and seeing a dog on the cover of a book called the new owners guide to Maltese and I thought it was the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. I picked up the book and thumbed through it. My sister in law said forget it they are very expensive, I put the book in the cart next to the bones and bought it. I didn't read it. I just loved the picture on the cover. Snowflake was losing weight, did not want to eat the cookies and cried every night, I cried too.My husband said he had a big surprise for my birthday and I said if it is an animal forget it. Finally I thought it would be nice for Snowflake and I said if you really want to buy an animal get a Maltese. I remember holding a little girl pup and thinking she was cute. But I felt so numb, visions of Cadbury filling my mind and just numb. I looked to my left and could see a very sick dog looked older and limp, I felt so sorry for him. I thought he needed us more then the healthy baby and took him, my Flurry. He couldn't play he wouldn't eat and as much as I tried to be unattached, I had to care and nurture him, I got him to eat baby food from my hand, I ran him back and forth to the vet and I fell so in love with him. Snowflake mothered him too. The kennel cough went into ear infections and relapsed and I kept feeding him and loving him. He finally got better and I took him for his shots and license. I took him everywhere I went. Snowflake was in a second puppyhood and our house became a home again. They way he hoped around the house with joy brought back my smile, he soothed our hearts with his happy disposition. Snowflake has put the weight back on and is livelier than ever at just 16, we just had he birthday party last week. Flurry was wearing Snowflake out so I decided I still would like another little girl so along came Sassy. Flurry plays with Snowflake and Sassy, when Snowflake naps Flurry still plays with Sassy and sometimes they all curl up and take a nap together, or run around the yard like 3 puppies. It is so cute. Snowflake mothers Flurry and Sassy all the time. I am glad my husband wanted a dog, and I am glad I went to Petco that day or I might not have ever experienced the joy of a Maltese.

 

[puppylucy]

These are so fun to read; thanks everybody

 

[saltymalty]

When we were ready to become pet owners again, we searched a variety of different breeds. I am allergic to dogs, so for me, I would only consider smaller breeds. We looked at Mi-Ki's, Havanese, and Maltese. A dear friend of ours has a malt, and so does another person we know. Both dogs are great animals. So we were sold.

 

[Carol Ann]

Someone at work brought in her Malt puppy a few times, and I just fell totally in love. Talked it over with my husband (also a dog lover) who initially thought he would inadvertently step on it or sit on it and kill it. Brought him in to work to look at the Malt, and he fell in love, too. This co-worker then bought me a copy of Dog Fancy which featured Maltese that issue, and I read it cover to cover, then hit the internet to learn more. I loved the characteristics of the personality (the fact that they didn't need to be walked outdoors didn't hurt

). Hooked up with a breeder from the AMA list who happened to have some new pups and hunkered down for the long wait. It was worth every second of it! I think I couldn't possibly love Beastie any more than I do, and wake up each day loving him even more!

 

[lonestar]

[SIZE=7[SIZE=7]This is a fun topic and I have really enjoyed reading every ones stories
This is mine:The only type of dog I have ever owned were Afghans which I showed.I love the breed and never thought I would have any other type of dog.But life styles change and so do we and after the death of my last Afghan princess(Duthchess) I elected not to get another dog.Thats been 19 years,3 husbands and 2 daughters ago.My youngest daughter left for college and I found myself thinking of wanting a baby with my new husband!! He on the other hand was enjoying his life of freedom.Sailing,motorcycling and doing all that fun stuff.But me,well I wanted a baby!!!

This went on and on with no change of heart.So on day I just told him.I either want a puppy or a baby

Guess what!a couple of days later out of no where he asks..So What kind of puppy do you want?I knew I didnt want another big dog.What I wanted was a dog just as elegant as an Afghan but more baby like.I remember the Maltese breed from the dog shows and how they were so beautiful and how the people showing them always were fussing over them.I started researching on the internet and I happened to meet a lady at an antique mall one day that had a 12 week old maltese puppy with her in a carrier.I fell totally in love

Witnin a month I had found a breeder and a puppy.

 

[Mystify79]

A little over a year ago I decided that I was finally in a good place to be able to get a dog. We finally were living in an apartment that allowed pets and I had the time to train a dog. Since we lived in an apartment I knew I wanted a little bitty dog that would fit great with us. So I basically narrowed it down to Yorkies, Shih Tzus and the Maltese. I wasn't really picky about which breed I wanted, but the Maltese made it to the top of my list because of just how darn cute they were and that their attitudes sounded great. It just so happened that everything fell into place for me to get a Malt.. I found a breeder that had two males (I wanted a boy) and the price was what I was willing to pay so exactly a year ago today I was bringing home my bundle of joy.

I still want a Yorkie and since I've got the puppy fever I'm contacting breeders now so hopefully Tuffy can have a little sister soon!

 

[littlepeanut]

Originally posted by Mystify79@Mar 10 2005, 10:02 PM
I found a breeder that had two males (I wanted a boy) and the price was what I was willing to pay so exactly a year ago today I was bringing home my bundle of joy. 

  I still want a Yorkie and since I've got the puppy fever I'm contacting breeders now so hopefully Tuffy can have a little sister soon! 

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Happy Tuffy anniversary!!!!

And good luck on the little sister search!!!

These are all such great stories!

 

[miko's mommy]

Miko is our first dog and to be honest, we really did not do all the research we should have. I wanted a little white fluffy dog and my husband didn't like poodles. He actually wanted a yorkie (just like his parents have) and I refused to be just like his parents (we already have their last name...). So, we arrived at Maltese. Having gotten back from Paris (where we had our honeymoon), the thought of separating again (we live in different states due to school reasons) was too depressing. I didn't think I could make it alone, so we decided to get a puppy that summer, after our honeymoon!! Its like he is really our son.

When looking for a puppy, we had NO idea about standards for the breed. The first breeder we visited taught us about blackpoints, coat, size!! Still, we purely based our decision on cuteness. In retrospect, we should have done a LOT more research....but at least we didn't go to the petstore (again, only because the first breeder warned us they come from puppymills). Miko has a luxating patella and some behavior issues. We learned our lesson. But we are commited to him and will do everything for him.

 

[020202]

My 14 year old Miniature Schnauzer Cricket was never a lap dog and certainly not a snugly dog. Last year she started to lose her hearing and wouldn't play or interact like she had been. I decided that I needed a puppy in the house to perk up Cricket and for me to have something to love and cuddle. I did lots of research and I didn't know the name of the breed but I kept saying I wanted one of those Westminster show dogs that glided across the floor so gracefully. When I learned the name was Maltese and then read the breed standard, I knew it was the right dog for me. However, it took forever to find a breeder we were comfortable with, then forever for her to have a litter, and then even more forever for Izzy to come home.

P.S. Cricket does not like Izzy and totally ignores her and refuses to play, no matter how much Izzy tries to entice her.