# When is a dog a 'Maltese'?



## woodele (Apr 19, 2008)

Referring to another thread I want you to let me know this. Why? Very often I met people on the street saying i.e.: "I've got also a maltese." When I ask them for the breeder's name, official dog name or registration-# they often know only the pet name or sometimes they've got papers from clubs I've never heard about. Or have a look to the daily newspapers. How often there're 'Maltese' offered?

Even when they say:"This maltese is purebred" I can't agree b/c of the acceptance of papers. And this is also my current answer. The definition of a 'Maltese' for me is *only* given by the acceptance the papers/registration.

What's your opinion?


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

Whether or not they have papers isn't a deal breaker for me. I'll explain, for example, I know my dog is 100% Maltese and came from a reputable breeder yet I've never registered her with any paperwork- why would I? 

I'm not going to breed or show her nor do I care about belonging to any kennel club. (I do have her pedigree though). But if you asked me where she was registered, I'd have to say nowhere as I didn't do that. (although I would not pay for a 'purebred' dog without knowing their pedigree first-or if papers weren't offered- as that would be telling of the breeder).

I see a lot of dogs that aren't even close to being a standard Maltese..but I would never tell those owners that their dog is not a real Maltese. People are going to believe what they want about their dog whether it's the standard or not...and I'm not one to tell someone "hey that's not a 'real' Maltese!". That's just not my business or my concern. JMHO

PS- I can understand if I met someone and they asked me where Bisou came from, the breeder etc...but honestly if someone asked me for her registration number, I'd think they were _very_ strange! Just saying!


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

Well, Nemo to me is a Maltese, however he did come from a pet-store and before arriving there he came from a puppy mill.
Is he a full Maltese? Probably not. I don't have my head stuck somewhere that I am not going to be reasonable and say my dog is a full standard maltese 
But we live and learn and five years ago I learned all about greeders and breeders and the truth of where Nemo came from.

Would I in a million years tell someone their dog is not a Maltese, no I would not :huh: I would never want to hurt someone's feelings , what I would do is tell them my experience and inform them about the truth of pet-store puppies .

For me , I feel happy when I see people are informed and purchasing from reputable breeders. I think it's one step in the fight against puppy millers and byb and so on. My next Maltese will come from a reputable breeder of my choice , but I would never tell someone my Maltese is standard and there is not, I just don't do that.
We need to educate people respectfully . Like my dad always says "it's not what you say , but how you say it."
:thumbsup:


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## villemo (Aug 21, 2006)

shanghaimomma said:


> Whether or not they have papers isn't a deal breaker for me. I'll explain, for example, I know my dog is 100% Maltese and came from a reputable breeder yet I've never registered her with any paperwork- why would I?
> 
> I'm not going to breed or show her nor do I care about belonging to any kennel club.


maybe it would be important to explain, that you don´t have to register your dog here in germany - if your dog comes from a breeder the puppies get registered there with their club and so you get the papers = registered pedigree with your puppy...

for me - I stoped asking looooooong time ago. most times I get the answer like "I´m not crazy to pay that much for the same dog" (and they don´t even realize that it´s NOT the same dog) or "I don´t want to breed or show, so what do I need the papers for?"
I also stopped explaining why - they don´t really want to know. the only thing that counts is to pay as little as possible. and there are excuses for everything else like looks, health, behaviour etc.

I don´t ask and i don´t comment. i don´t like others to make me feel stupid just because i went to a real breeder and payed "THAT MUCH" :angry::angry::angry: and got what i wanted and expected.

plus - most ppl don´t know what a breeder is - 60% we met call every person who has puppies a breeder


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## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

Also there are differences in the AKC (USA) and the FCI ( International) standards. So dogs may meet close to the 2 standards and look different and be different sizes.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

2 of my Malts are not close to standard,Emily is 8 pounds,Sasha is 9, pounds,they were bred by a BYB,I got them before I knew what a BYB was. The BYB did have both the parents and no other dogs and kept them as family members and seemed to love them,they were clean and well treated and very sweet. 
The 2 rehomers I took in are much closer to standard ,I don't know where Bitsy came from  originally,she's 6-7 pounds,but I do know Rylee,who is 5 pounds now,3.5 when I got him ,who is closest to standard and has the best features,fur ,came from a puppymill that was shut down twice! 
Even though Rylee is closest to standard,I would NEVER have considered breeding him,I'm not a breeder or a professional,though sadly the person who had him previously DID breed him....the breeder bred both Bitsy and Rylee,in fact Bitsy is the mother of my Emily and Sasha,the father was killed in an accident.
All our kids are spayed,even the cat.

But the pups on the Poshfairttail site are purposely altered ,selectively bred to conform to their twisted sense of beauty,not to enhance the breed standard but to completely avoid it for commercial purposes.
Had I not known of SM and learned so many things,I too would have fallen for their deception,though the price would certainly scare me....
I guess education is the best tool to combat greeders,can't seem to stop them but I hope we can slow them down enough that they will stop... Blood money is all it is. Sad,very sad.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

I agree, Michelle. Feel the same way, girl.


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## bellasmummy (Apr 8, 2009)

> Whether or not they have papers isn't a deal breaker for me. I'll explain, for example, I know my dog is 100% Maltese and came from a reputable breeder yet I've never registered her with any paperwork- why would I?


I agree with this totally. Bella is 100% pure maltese however she has not got her paper work. bella as most of you know was born with a very serious heart prob and only given a couple of months to live - i was never going to need this paper work so the fact i dont have it doesnt bother me. I do however have it all for my other 2 malts. Obviously they are also pure maltest however bella is much more show dog then they are as both of them have quite a few fault :ie, weight, more lemon colour and mya has a over bite. Had bella been healthy i would have shown her.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

i honestly can't blame people for thinking 'I don't want a show dog, just a pet' so then settling for a less inexpensive puppy from a questionable breeder because I almost went that route also! 

I have had people offering their *very* pet quality males to me so they can get a puppy back 'for free' and at that point, it's hard not to get insulted, and I will point out all the reasons why that will never ever EVER in a million years happen. That is the only time I will mention to someone that their dog doesn't meet the breed standard, etc, regardless if they have AKC paperwork on the dog. 

For me, if it looks like a maltese, it's a maltese, just may not be always a well-bred one. The only time i have issues with that is when questionable breeders charge a TON of money for a puppy that isn't even AKC registered and people get duped into buying them. 

Interesting question you brought up!


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

woodele said:


> Referring to another thread I want you to let me know this. Why? Very often I met people on the street saying i.e.: "I've got also a maltese." When I ask them for the breeder's name, official dog name or registration-# they often know only the pet name or sometimes they've got papers from clubs I've never heard about. Or have a look to the daily newspapers. How often they're 'Maltese' offered?
> 
> Even when they say:"This Maltese is purebred" I can't agree b/c of the acceptance of papers. And this is also my current answer. The definition of a 'Maltese' for me is *only* given by the acceptance the papers/registration.
> 
> What's your opinion?


I love your question. You work with a data base that you enter registration and breeding information into about Maltese. You want that information, but there is a lot of people that could care less as long as they get a good deal on a puppy. I want the information you want (hence I live on your site). I too, had to be educated on the different registrations that are here in the US and not get fooled by them. 
The last puppy I sold was a little tiny girl. The family is from Junction City, about an hour away. I had all her paper work ready, except for the registration paper to transfer the puppy from me to her. Beth (dog) was 8 months old so I had gone ahead and registered her. AKC charges a late fee if you register past one year old. Andrea (woman) didn't have a clue about what I was trying to tell her. I was waiting for the individual registration to come back from AKC. Which I would sign off on and mail it to her as soon as I got it. Which I did. A lot of my puppy adopters do not individually register their puppy into their name. I know because as a breeder I can go out on AKC and look up my dogs and it shows if a puppy has been registered or not. 
I got fooled when I first started showing Maltese. I was told all the right answers, that I thought was important. I did get AKC papers, 2 months after I had her. Physically she was definelty not a well bred Maltese, with a possiblilty of being a little bit Bischon. It was not easy to tell that until she got about 6 months old and her nose and head were not really Maltese. So, papers in the US doesn't always mean the dog is pure bred. I don't understand how the German registery works. I have a German Export from White Magic. Melanie had to register G with her kennel club before he could be shipped. I got papers on him about a month after I had him in my possession. He is definetly Maltese. I didn't know at the time I recieved him that he was 1/2 American. G kept eating his coat on his butt so I could not get his Championship on him.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

woodele said:


> Referring to another thread I want you to let me know this. Why? Very often I met people on the street saying i.e.: "I've got also a maltese." When I ask them for the breeder's name, official dog name or registration-# they often know only the pet name or sometimes they've got papers from clubs I've never heard about. Or have a look to the daily newspapers. How often there're 'Maltese' offered?
> 
> Even when they say:"This maltese is purebred" I can't agree b/c of the acceptance of papers. And this is also my current answer. The definition of a 'Maltese' for me is *only* given by the acceptance the papers/registration.
> 
> What's your opinion?


Well, I guess for me the papers are not what defines a purebred. I fostered a pair of dogs that were registered AKC maltese. LOL, didn't even come close in my opinion. They certainly looked more bichon than Maltese. 



bellaratamaltese said:


> *For me, if it looks like a maltese, it's a maltese, just may not be always a well-bred one. The only time i have issues with that is when questionable breeders charge a TON of money for a puppy that isn't even AKC registered and people get duped into buying them. *
> 
> Interesting question you brought up!


:goodpost: I agree. 



Tina said:


> I love your question. You work with a data base that you enter registration and breeding information into about Maltese. You want that information, but there is a lot of people that could care less as long as they get a good deal on a puppy. I want the information you want (*hence I live on your site*).


LOL, I live there, too. :blush:


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