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Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Cindy

I've recently wondered why so many maltese dogs look so completely different. My mother has four and they all have different facial features. One of them looks more like a West Highland Terrier. She has a real long nose and quite a large head. Some of the pictures I've seen look like they were either mixed w/ a poodle (curly hair) or a bichon. When you think about it, how hard would it be for a breeder to register pups from an AKC mother who was bred with something other than a purebred maltese. It wouldn't be hard at all. I wonder how often this happens. Does anyone know? And are there any steps to take to make sure your dog actually is a pure bred maltese before you buy it? I was just wondering.

DISCUSSION:

This is done all the time at the puppy farm I used to work at in Amish Country. They breed female bischon to a male maltese and presto! a BIG litter of "maltese puppies". They had 8 and 9 puppies in the litter sometime. They looked just like maltese purebreds when they are puppies and the buyers didn't know they were had until it was too late and they were attatched. The registration was no problem, they had big box of them for all the breeds. To avoid this,-- deal with a reputable breeder!!
-Don

My Maltese, Rocky, is 3 years old and he has a silky coat, and he has a beautiful face, however my parents Maltese, Tashi, really does look more like a poodle or Bijon, even though he was bred by our breeder. Why such a drastic difference?
-Nancie

I'm with all of you. I've seen other Maltese--and all I can say is one of ours is not the real McCoy. A few days ago I saw a woman in Petco who had a 2 year old Maltese. It was about the size of mine, but the hair felt different, and the faces were nothing alike. Whether on purpose, or accidentally, some people are misleading us. I did a lot of research before buying our little one, but people are pretty ingenious at deception. I guess the important thing is that we love our babies and give them a good home.
-Pamela

Don after reading your message I was appaled. I just recently visited an amish farm and purchased a maltese. I a live 800 miles away. I payed a portion and am sending the balance on Monday could you please respond a.s.a.p. The farm you worked on was it on Clearview Rd. by any chance, in Ronks, PA. He is only 8 weeks old and I am not sure if he is a pure breed how can I tell?
-natasha

natasha-get a refund. Please find your self a reputable breeder and stay away from those people. You are asking for a lot of trouble.
-Don