Sanvean

I have to admit, the stuff smells gooood! Even my fiance commented, "Gosh, [i]I'd[/i] eat that!"

Yes, the clothes are a wee bit silly, but she doesn't seem to mind. She looks like such a happy little dog :) We live in Michigan...it's quite hot in summer but it gets very cold in the winter. I'm thinking a shorter clip like Mimi's; less work, plus we can always put a coat in her in the winter.

My fiance and I have been arguing for a while over what to do with Macy's coat. I wanted to grow it out to show length, he wanted it short. I didn't like most of the clips I saw for Maltese, but I LOVE the way this little darling is done: [url]http://www.geocities.co.jp/AnimalPark-Lucky/1120[/url] What do you think? (Click on "album" for a bunch more photos.) And how do you think the fur on the top of her head is done -- I can't tell if it's brushed back or clipped very short.

My fiance accidentally picked up the Natural Balance food in the "tubes" (sort of a summer-sausage consistency) the other day-- he was supposed to be getting Natural Choice stick treats for Macy's training and got confused. :wink: Well, the ingredients looked really good, so we tried out it, and she LOVES it! It was always a battle to get her to eat before...she's not very interested in food, and she would barely eat if we didn't sit right by her the whole time. Now she gobbles it all up! We chop up a bit of the Natural Choice and mix it with her kibble, and she eats every bite. Here are the ingredients for the beef "tube": Beef, Beef Hearts, Beef Kidneys, Beef Lungs, Whole Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Beef Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid-source of Vitamin C) Sucrose, Ground Whole Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Phosphates, Brewer's Yeast, Dried Kelp Meal, Lecithin, Natural Smoke Flavor, Glycerin, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin A Acetate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, ,Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Sodium Nitrite. And these are the dry-food ingredients: Chicken, Brown Rice, Duck, Lamb Meal, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Potatoes, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols-a source of Vitamin E, Citric Acid, and Rosemary Extract), Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil, Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Carrots, Potassium Chloride, Whole Ground Flaxseed, Dried Kelp, Salt, Parsley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplements, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Lysine, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B-2), Copper Proteinate, Grape Seed Oil, Copper Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Inositol, Folic Acid (Vitamin B, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), D-Activated Animal Sterol (source of Vitamin D-3), Biotin, Ethylene Diamine Dihydriodide (source of Iodine), Cobalt Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite. The Web site is [url]http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com[/url]

Maybe you could contact your local dobie rescue and tell them about her?

I've seen the mini ones, Rott -- they're too darling for words! Unfortunately, with my fiance's allergies (and our time and money constraints), Macy and the three kitties are all the pets I'm getting for a good long time. :-?

One of my foster dogs, a little beagle, used to lay in the "frog dog" position like that, too. My mom wants a bull terrier SO bad -- I also think they're too cute for words. I like my dogs a big smaller, though :)

This is Janie (my little bottle-raised girl) trying to figure out what Macy is. "She's not big enough to be a dog...but she doesn't smell like a kitty, either!" [img]http://images.snapfish.com/33777%3B9923232%7Ffp3%3B%3Dot%3E2328%3D%3A%3B%3C%3D%3A83%3Dxroqdf%3E23233%3A29%3B464%3Aot1lsi[/img]

[quote name='meehs']Give me five minutes alone with him and Titan (my 120 pound Olde English Bulldogge)!!! (kidding)[/quote] Hell, just give me five minutes alone with him and a freshly sharpened pencil!

Oh, I'm about to have a cutegasm!

Thanks, Marge! That's good to know :)

We gave Macy her bordatella vaccine (the up-the-nose variety) last week. I did it with the help of a volunteer from my rescue group, who's experienced doing this sort of thing, because she had to have it to start obedience class and we couldn't see the vet in time. A few days later, she started sniffling. Now, my poor angel is sneezing constantly. We called the vet first thing this (Monday) morning; they said this happens occasionally and she should be OK as long as she's eating normally and there's no discharge from her nose (she is, and there isn't). They told us to bring her in in a couple of days if she's still sneezing. I know I shouldn't worry, but she just SOUNDS so miserable :niewiem: Has anyone else had this happen?

Maybe you could offer to help a breeder out at his or her shows? I went to a show a couple of weeks ago to lend Macy's breeder a hand -- holding the dogs while she was in the ring with another, helping her groom, etc. It was a good way to dip my toe in! Plus, you'll meet lots of other breeders and learn lots.

Just wondering if there were any fellow Maltese lovers on these boards! We got Macy, who is 5, about three weeks ago and are IN LOVE! We set our hearts on a Maltese after we babysat a friend's. Our kitties, who are rather dog-averse, don't mind someone so small, and they don't bother my fiance's allergies, which is nice.

[quote name='danyell']I was thinking of getting a Clumber or a Sussex spaniel and I wonder how they compare to springers?[/quote] I just met a Clumber at a dog show a couple of weeks ago. He was gorgeous! They are a lot bigger than you'd think, though! I was surprised at his size.

I do agree that small-breed dogs can be hard to find in rescues. In my rescue, they go like lightning! And small-breed puppies are nearly impossible. I can only recall two in five years: both were Pomeranian puppies. One was kept by the volunteer who found her, and the other was adopted about a half-hour after she got to pet adoption. We were set on getting a Maltese. Any dogs that are bigger than our kitties frighten them, and my fiance has bad allergies. When we babysat a friend's Maltese and she worked out beautifully, we knew that was what we had to have! I looked on Petfinder, but all of the Maltese that were available were either very old, bad with kids (which we plan to have in a few years) or bad with cats. We talked to a few reputable breeders recommended by the American Maltese Association and a couple of other sites. One told us that she had a mama dog who would be PERFECT for us. Macy had problems delivering her second litter and was spayed after her C-section, so her breeder wanted her to be able to "retire" to a loving home. We went to meet her and fell in love. She is 5 years old, gorgeous, loving, cuddly and SO friendly. Her pedigree is packed with champions from some of the top Maltese breeders. How much did we pay for her? Just $500. It's very easy to get taken in when you're looking for a pet, especially a small-breed dog. There are SO many disreputable people out there selling puppies. Getting a pup from a reputable breeder often takes time, legwork and money. (Maltese pups are $1000 to $2000 and the litters are tiny, so you often have to wait awhile.) Of course, we know you adore your baby girl, no matter where she came from! And I'm sure to you she was worth every penny :) Be aware, though, that her parents probably were not screened for genetic health problems, so you should read up on diseases that occur in shih tzus and poodles so you'll know what to look for, should any develop one day. Thanks for being so open to our comments. We hope you've learned lots and will help us educate more people :)

Thanks! It's the title of a song by Dead Can Dance. I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. You can listen to it here: [url]http://dayinthelife.org/mp3/[/url]

Surprisingly, Cortnek, a lot of states still allow people to ride in the back of the trucks because the farming lobby is dead-set on it. (Apparently, farmers transport their workers that way to the fields.) In Michigan, it's legal if all the seatbelts in the cab of the truck are in use. Of course, legal or not, it's never a good idea to have a dog or person back there.

Crested, that's awesome that the pet stores in Finland don't sell dogs and cats! Most European nations are SO much more progressive about animals than the U.S. is.

I'm sure you've probably learned how scary and dangerous this can be, but in case anyone else here lets their dog ride in the back of the truck, PLEASE don't! Not only did I have a good friend in high school who was killed this way (another car hit their vehicle and she and two other girls were thrown out and killed), but a friend's wonderful golden died when the truck hit a huge bump and she fell out. I hope your baby is OK!

What a beautiful boy! I hope all goes well :)

Here's a site with lots more breeds. They're not quite as life like, but are still super-cute! [url]http://shop.store.yahoo.com/windover/dogandcatplu.html[/url] Here's the Maltese one (along with a Shih-Tzu): [img]http://store1.yimg.com/I/windover_1741_104364905[/img]

Thanks for the info, Rowie! I'm not sure yet which we're going with. I did used to feed my kitties California Natural, and they LOVED it. They only reason I stopped is because I could only get it at one store, which was rather inconvenient at the time. (We live a lot closer to it now.)

A lot of rescue groups don't like to say that their dogs are pit mixes because it scares people. I got in an argument recently with a fellow volunteer in my group because she wanted to not mention that a dog was part pit; I disagreed, because SOMEONE -- the vet or a friend or a neighbor -- is going to say, "Oh wow, you got a pitbull!" and then what if the person freaks out? If you're going to have a pit mix, you need to know that people might react weirdly and be able to deal with that.

Just wanted to share that the Natura folks (makers of Innova) e-mailed me back and said they do test feedings only, monitoring the animals for health and weight. They said there were various reasons they didn't want to be on PETA's list (which they didn't go in to, but I assume were political). Still haven't heard back from Canidae.