Rescue Maltese

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Archived Message

Rescue Maltese

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Marilyn

A friend of mine would love to rescue a maltese puppy but I have no idea what that is or how to go about it. She lives in the lower Michigan area. She would travel to Ohio or Canada. What's this all about, do you literality go into someones home and take out an abused puppy or dog? Or puppy mill?) Please advise, thank you.

DISCUSSION:

Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that many of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinarian medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise.

Marilyn, First let me begin by telling you what a Maltese rescue dog isn't. It isn't a dog for free. It is the majority of the time a Maltese that has been abused or might have health problems. Many times the owners either can't afford or prefer not to bear the expense of properly caring for it. Behavior problems is another reason why owners want to let their pet go. They simply give up and lost the love they might have had for their pet because of its behavior. They can't cope with it any longer. Sometimes the children in the family have teased the dog to the point that the dog is now agressive towards them. These are just a few of the reasons. Don't think that you're friend will be able to "rescue" one of the abused pups from a mill. They sell those to pet stores and brokers. Many people and I'm not saying your friend, think this is a great way to get a Maltese for nothing or next to nothing. This is not the case. Good responsible rescues require screening. Tell your friend to be prepared to fill out an application so they can decide whether or not she qualifies to adopt. Some questions you might be:

Who are the members of the household, with ages. (Some dogs should not in homes with small children)
Have you had pets before, what happened to them? (If they were hit by a car, or ran away - the family may not take their responsibility seriously).
What size is your house? Fenced yard? (Not all rescues require a fenced yard, some require it for dogs below a certain age)
Name and phone number of a vet who has seen your animal?
Who will care for the dog? Where will he sleep?
Are you financially capable of paying for veterinary costs?
Have you ever taken an obedience class?
Why do you want a Maltese?

These are just a few questions she might be asked. There may be a contract involved. Provisions of this usually include:

A return contract, stating that the dog must be returned to you if they cant keep it.
A spay/neuter agreement if this is not done by your rescue.
A clause giving rescue the right to reclaim the dog if it is not properly cared for.
Stipulations for the dogs care, including housing, food, medical care and restrictions on use (research or experimentation etc.)

These are just a few. We get about 30 email messages a month from people interested in rescuing a Maltese through the past year. We have placed 1 !! Two reasons. We really don't get that many Maltese needing rescued in this area and most of the people just didn't know what was involved. When they find out, most lose interest. That one we had took us 6 months to find a suitable home. She required very expensive medications, one being for her heart. I called and sent messages to the last 50 people who contacted me about wanting to rescue a Maltese. Not one of them were interested. I finally found through a friend of ours someone that was willing to pay for the treatment she needed and provide her a loving home. Tell your friend she might want to contact Marsha Ardoin or Judy McNece in Missouri. I understand Judy gets quite a few from the mills in Missouri after the breeders got what they needed out of them. They could possibly make your friend a good pet although she would have to have a lot of patience to housebreak an adult dog. Also these dogs were never socialized with humans after living in a small crate for 6 or more years. These ones are truely in need of rescuing and placed in a good loving environment. Her address and phone number along with other Maltese rescues are on our Breeders Directory page. Your friend could contact any of them.
-Jay

Jay, Thanks for such an informative response! As is reflected%0ain the rest of this website, you really have done an excellent job in explaining about the things involved with Rescues. Hopefully with all the information here, if I ever get a call from the rescue in our area, I will be "armed and ready!"
-Beverly