# Why did u choose the Maltese?



## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I was wondering what made you want a Maltese? I have always been an animal lover and had cats for many years when I lived in apartments. The only dog I ever had was when I was a kid and she had to stay outside. I always thought of dogs as stinky, loud, and "drooly". When my first son left home, I wanted a small, soft, sweet, cuddly baby that did not shed, smell, drool or act "obnoxious." I was thinking there was no such creature. But there is! I was hooked and I will never have anything but Maltese. Okay, we have a cat, but he is a "pet" for my Rose & Lily:HistericalSmiley:


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

i always loved white dogs as a kid , and small ones too , i originally wanted the ceasar doggie , but i started reading up and learning about the maltese and i found out that a maltese was what i always wanted , he is a sweetheart , they have a bounce to their step , their companions , follow u around , small n cute , n i just think their the cutest breed around followed by yorkies second.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

I had a Bichon before I had a Maltese, and I loved the Bichon breed. After my sweet Bichon passed, and we decided to get a new dog, I wanted something with a similar sweet temperament, non-shedding, low allergen - but smaller, as we travel a lot and thought we'd take the dog with us this time, instead of getting a sitter. 

We decided on the Maltese breed, and I found Spoiled Maltese forum right away. I spent hours and hours (maybe days!) reading the archives here. That information totally convinced me that the Maltese was the perfect breed for us. After having Nikki with me for 2.5 years now, I know now that I will not have any other breed. I'm hooked!!


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## =supermanskivvies= (Aug 7, 2008)

I never had a dog as a kid, although I really wanted one. So I decided I was going to get one when I moved out and was stable.

Originally, I wanted an Old English Sheepdog.










But I developed dog allergies. :angry: I was also living in condos/apartments and that's really not enough room for one.

So I started looking at breeds that were better for allergy sufferers. And I began checking local shelters for those breeds/mixes. I went to the humane society to check out a poodle mix, but he was bigger than my condo allows. And then I saw Tiffany, who had just gone up for adoption that day, and it was love. :wub:


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## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

I wanted a smart lovey companion dog. My girlfriend's Mother had 2 Maltese- Max and Sadie and they were adorable, sweet and very smart. I wanted a snuggly pup that was gentle and easy to manage, yet fun and comical at times. 

After we got our first Maltese Emma we fell in love with them HARD. My husband made the mistake after playing with Emma in bed that he could see us having 4 or 5 of these little bundles of love.

We are up to 4 now plus a niece dog ( my sister has a relative of 3 of mine) 

All dogs are pets but Maltese are family.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

I had a bichon (Lacie) before the malts. Can't remember exactly why, but I've wanted a maltese for as long as I can remember.

My criteria for a dog were:

small (because our house and yard are small)
non-shedding
sweet temperment
lap dog
not a "high energy" dog

The maltese fits the bill exactly. :thumbsup:

Since I have multiple dogs now....I'm adding one more thing to my list of wants: low maintenance

Sooooo I believe my next dog may be a Long coat Chi. I am falling in love with that breed more all the time... :wub:.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Because of SM!!! :aktion033::aktion033::aktion033:

(I was looking for a sweet lap dog that is "hypoallergenic")


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## Terry36 (Jan 21, 2009)

As others have mentioned, I wanted a non-shedding, hypoallergenic lap dog...


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

We had bulldogs and Boston Terriers as kids. Once married we had cockers,it was Al's mom's favourite dog,she always wanted one but Al's dad wouldn't get her one.
We had Cockers,German Shepherd,Dalamatian, Heinz 57s,cats and even skunks...
Our Amy,a tiny black cocker, was nearing her time and we'd been contemplating what another breed to get that wouldn't remind us of Amy. Another Cocker would remind us of her and it wouldn't be fair to it.
Al had seen Maltese on TV and thought they were beautiful (he always picks high maintenance long haired dogs...he doesn't do the grooming)...

We wanted small for traveling too. Plus they didn't remind us of Amy.

We checked out Malts and were hooked. Our first two walked right next to each other,side by side,looked like a pair of angel wings and we knew it had to be a sign...
We got the first two sisters,later a cocker in a horrible pet store that was eventually closed and 2 more Malt adoptees.
Something about those faces....:wub:
I don't know what breed will follow,we'll always love cockers,they have a sweet dispostion and Malts have their own sweetness about them too.
We'll probably be a Cocker and Malt family... which by the way,4 Malts and a cocker do make the cutest sight when walking,kinda like a Beverly Hills dog sled team....:w00t:


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Nikki's Mom said:


> I had a Bichon before I had a Maltese, and I loved the Bichon breed. After my sweet Bichon passed, and we decided to get a new dog, I wanted something with a similar sweet temperament, non-shedding, low allergen - but smaller, as we travel a lot and thought we'd take the dog with us this time, instead of getting a sitter.
> 
> We decided on the Maltese breed, and I found Spoiled Maltese forum right away. I spent hours and hours (maybe days!) reading the archives here. That information totally convinced me that the Maltese was the perfect breed for us. After having Nikki with me for 2.5 years now, I know now that I will not have any other breed. I'm hooked!!


Wow! my exact story. Only the time is different. I have only had Lola for 9 months.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

One day I was watching As The World Turns. There was a gal named Kim on it that walked into the soap with this white long haired little dog and a bow. That was it. I had no idea what it was called. Just that I wanted one. I read up on them. Went to shows and met breeders......


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## bonsmom (Feb 22, 2010)

I have always loved dogs. When our sons were young, we had an English Bull Terrier. He was the perfect dog for rough and tumble boys: big and strong but gentle tempered, he stank to high heaven. He lived to a ripe old age of 16.

With the boys older, it was my turn. Rocco is the little sweetie I've been waiting for. My boys may make comments about Rocco's hair, bows, baths and barettes, but they and my husband love him too. I wanted a Maltese because they are sweet and beautiful. Rocco is those things and more.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

we always had cockapoo's I never thought we would have anything different, but when I babysat my granddog Divit (who is a yorkie) I fell in love with the small breed, we were at a marketplace and I saw a lady with the cutest little white dog, I had to stop her and ask what kind of dog she had etc. the dog was a maltipoo, absolutely adorable:wub: so when I got back to my rv I was on the internet, I checked out the maltipoo's and then decided to google maltese, the first picture won me over:wub: I loved the look, the topknot and the hair


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

My story isn't so nice but has a good ending.

I was about 15 I think and I saw Jessica Simpsons maltipoo on tv and I wanted one!
I begged my parents but thank god they kept saying no.
Over the next 3 years I did more and more research and found out about BYB's etc. and I decided I wanted a pet maltese from a reputable show breeder and thats what I got


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## mary-anderson (Jan 12, 2010)

Growing up we could only have dogs that didn't shed, so we 
had poodles. I always wanted a Cocker Spaniel.
When I was stationed in Guam I adopted a Cocker mix named
Scrappy Doo, then later I added Reginald a Cocker Spaniel. It
came time for Scrappy to go to heaven and of course I had
a big void in my life. I knew I wanted a dog that didn't shed, 
that's when I got Alvin my multipoo. He is very affectionate
and what a personality. I knew I wanted to add another dog
to our family and because I was head over heals with Alvin 
I thought a maltese. So that's how I got my precious Chloe.
She is the sweetest little tom boy!!!


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## Cheri (Jan 7, 2008)

My first dog was a maltese. I got him when I was 13 from the animal shelter. I've always wanted a maltese again and started looking for one. Vi kind of landed in my lap, and the rest is history 
I'm pretty sure I'll only ever have maltese for the rest of my life. Well, unless others need a home, I tend to find unwanted dogs and they always stay LOL That's why I have 5 dogs hahaha. All of them are rescues and all were unwanted by someone who gave up on them. Even my cats are rescues. 
So I'll take whoever God sends me honestly. But if I had a choice, it would be maltese  I enjoy the grooming time (so does Vi) and I don't see it as a chore like some do. They are silly, funny, outgoing, and just happy to be alive. I love that about them. Vi inspires me every day to be happy (I suffer from depression). She makes me smile


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## majik921 (Apr 27, 2010)

I had a friend when I was 11 whose mother got a Malt puppy and I was in love. Then another friend got one when I was in high school and I practically lived at her house so I was around the little one a lot. Then I dated a guy in college who's mom had a springer spaniel who I loved so I was sort of torn. Years later my neighbor and I met on Yelp and he told me he had a little girl Malt. He was in the coast guard at the time and travelled a lot so he'd have my husband and I watch Amelie and we both fell in love with the breed through her sweetness, tiny cuteness and just the general good fit for our city/apartment lifestyle. 

Lo and behold after begging my husband to get a doggie my mom and grandmother surprised us with Bernie and the rest is history. At some point I know my husband will want a rescue dog and that will be a nice addition but honestly my heart belongs to the Maltese.


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## elly (Sep 11, 2006)

Edgar picked me:biggrin:my husband and I went to the store for fish food and came home with a maltese puppy. He was the cutest puppy, I asked to hold him and he licked my face:wub:I was in love and so was my husband. We went home and read everything we could about Malts. We love him dearly:wub:


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I had just gotten divorced and given up two golden retrievers to my ex because I have bad allergies. I was moving into a condo and wanted something small, cuddly, and easy on the allergies. My friend had a Maltese and I fell in love!


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

silverhaven said:


> Wow! my exact story. Only the time is different. I have only had Lola for 9 months.


Interesting! You had a bichon before your malt, too?


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## Kissi's Mom (Apr 21, 2006)

I lost my 16 1/2 yr old silky terrier, said I would never have another dog...it was too painful. I cried and cried and cried some more. My husband said "enough"...I had
not ever "Not" been owned by a dog and he knew I needed another even if I didn't think I wanted another. He would not let me have another silky because he knew I would always compare the two and I was used to having a dog that did not
shed so we began researching maltese. I found a very good breeder who had a little
girl that was 5 1/2 months old, kinda small (just over 3 lbs) ...actually she had been
sent to Ala (long story)...they shipped her back to Va to me and it was love at first
lick. I tell everybody that my Taffy (silky) sent her to me because she knew I needed to be needed. She was so tiny and so scared. That was 6 1/2 years ago and now I have no clue what I would do without her to "boss" me around everyday!!


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Nikki's Mom said:


> Interesting! You had a bichon before your malt, too?


I did. I adored her, my little Sophie. She died last July suddenly of congestive heart failure. She was 14. Here is a pic.

Wow! still makes me cry to see her little face


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

Maureen, your little Sophie was a beauty!!


When I was growing up, I wanted so badly, a little long hair dog that I could put bows in it's hair and my parents always said no to the little dogs (we always had big ones). I would ask for little stuffed animals/toys of long hair dogs instead...they said no to that too! lol.

Then when I lived in NYC about 1996, I met this girl that had a Maltese..and he was so happy, always smiling and had that long gorgeous hair. I fell in love. My obsession and determination came back. That girl told me what the breed was and said "but he barks all the time." LOL!!!

The reason I'll stay with Maltese now, is because they're so incredibly loving/sweet and I love their temperaments- and they're so beautiful too!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I absolutely agree!!!


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

iheartbisou said:


> Maureen, your little Sophie was a beauty!!
> 
> 
> When I was growing up, I wanted so badly, a little long hair dog that I could put bows in it's hair and my parents always said no to the little dogs (we always had big ones). I would ask for little stuffed animals/toys of long hair dogs instead...they said no to that too! lol.
> ...


Thank you Andrea, she was a huge smiler too, never stopped, the easiest dog in the world to look after, hardly ever barked and just loved everybody. (but her Mama was special). There were several friends that went out and bought a Bichon after they met her. I miss her so....

I can't believe your parents wouldn't even let you have a stuffed toy. How odd is that? Wonderful that your dream is finally a reality. :tender:


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## Johita (Jul 10, 2009)

I wanted a small, non-shedding Hypoallergenic pup and also looked into a westie, but then thought that I wouldn't be able to handle the terrier in a westie. I also wanted a pup that will still look like a puppy as he gets older and the maltese seemed to fit that category. Now I have Aolani, and it seems I sometimes can't handle the "terror" in him LOL, h'es actually a sweetheart that knows how to push my buttons


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## tygrr_lily (Aug 22, 2007)

this forum really influenced my decision as well.

originally, i was torn between a bichon and a maltese. i found this forum and the more i read, researched and saw everyone's pics, the more i felt that a malt was the way to go. i also found my breeder through SM, so i really do have this forum to thank!


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

When my husband and I were dating (maybe engaged at that point, I don't remember) we got a Beagle. He really wanted to get a Beagle, and although I knew nothing about them my dad had one growing up and said how great they were. Well, the Beagle didn't work out. We lived in an apartment which is NOT the place for a dog like that, and she had issues and actually lunged and bit me in the face once (we got a trainer but felt so detatched at that point we rehomed her to a house with other Beagles and still hear she is doing great there).

During the time we had Kaylin, our Beagle, I wanted to get a 2nd dog and was open to ALL breeds, including large ones. We were not in an apartment at this point so I was open to all breeds. I had decided between a Golden Retriever and a Sheltie, and then narrowed it down further to a Sheltie. My husband then chimed in that he would prefer something even smaller, so I started looking at toy-sized dogs. I would read about each breed's personality, and then Google puppy pictures (lol)...needless to say, I was hooked!

We got Benson, our 1st Maltese and he was the most perfect dog in the world. Unfortunately, he came from a puppymill/backyard breeder and had a liver shunt. He passed away before his 2nd birthday as he declined so fast surgery wasn't even a safe option (he likely would not have survived anesthesia). Once Benson passed away, we knew the ONLY breed we would ever own again would be Maltese. London came home only a few months after Benson passed away, and then we added Preston to the group once London was over 1yr old.  I do remember at one point considering a Yorkie (before Preston), but with the liver shunt problem being even higher in Yorkies, we quickly realized Maltese was the best way to go.


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## bebybeck (Apr 22, 2010)

I was reading though this thread and just found out Maltese are non-sheading and hypoallergnic. lol! bonus. I had a Westie and wanted another one, but kept an open mind and went to dog shows, did research and found SM. No Regrets so far. Love the Finnulator.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

i am very allergic to dogs and cats but wanted a puppy so badly. hubby was resisting and one of his objections was that we don't have a yard so it wouldn't be fair to a dog. so i found a breed that doesn't need a yard and is hypoallergenic! i've always been partial to white dogs - we had a bichon growing up - and voila, the maltese is the perfect dog for me. other dogs are great, but the maltese is the only breed for me. i am completely hooked.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

silverhaven said:


> I did. I adored her, my little Sophie. She died last July suddenly of congestive heart failure. She was 14. Here is a pic.
> 
> Wow! still makes me cry to see her little face


Your Bichon was beautiful. :wub: Here's my Peaches, at about 10 months old. 
View attachment 88128


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Nikki's Mom said:


> Your Bichon was beautiful. :wub: Here's my Peaches, at about 10 months old.
> View attachment 88128


Awww! Your peaches was beautiful too. Such sweet eyes. :wub:


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## beckinwolf (Sep 2, 2008)

My grandma has always owned Maltese. Micky is our 3rd. She got her first Maltese before I was even born. There's a picture I should scan in someday, that shows her first Maltese "helping" me open my Christmas presents when I was about 2 or 3.


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

My first malt was sort of an accident. I took my daughter out of town to buy some clothes for soccer and school. I bribed her to cooperate with going to a pet shop there as a reward.

She help up her end of the bargain, so I held up mine. There was a cute little white puppy in there....with an attitude. I kept walking back to her, petting and playing with her. I was cluess as to what she was. 

We left the pet shop and went home. I thought about that white puppy all week long. I called the pet shop the following weekend and asked questions about her. She was still there, so we went back and bought her. I've been hooked since. She was a very health puppy. We were VERY lucky. I would not buy from a pet shop again. I was also able to speak with her breeder. Actually, she wasn't really a breeder. She let her female have a litter of puppies, and then spayed her.

I let her have a litter which turned out to be one puppy. We kept the puppy, but she died at 2 yrs old. We took in a malt rescue after that.

Zippy is our 4th malt. I just wouldn't have it any other way...malts are our breed of choice!


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

All the years Vulfie had me wrapped around his paw I was convinced I would get another Aussie. I knew the breed and what I'd be getting into. Hyper is a mild description!
His last year, my health started to go down some too, so I started to think small. I went to the AKC site started checking out small.. It came down to a Yorkie or a Malt Both furry high maintence critters. After I said to dh that a terrier would probably dig the yard, he said Malt

I still cry if I see an Aussie, anywhere. I miss him so much, he was my soul mate, my confidante

Ms Spookie has some big paw prints to fill, but it's not the same. I love her, enjoy her antics, snuggling, and if it ever cools off dressing her and girly pink bows and all things pink!


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## rythumanddance (Jul 9, 2010)

I had alfie a 1yr old heinz 57 medium sized rescue dog who i loved but he didnt work out, he was very hyper and bit my mother and he was more of an outdoor dog so i rehomed him with a friend of the family (he is living the high life on a farm!) so we started looking for a replacement, we decided to get a puppy so we could raise it how we wanted after all the trouble we had with alfie, after seeing pictures of maltese i fell in love, only problem was there were NO maltese anywhere near me :'( we rang the maltese sectretary and she gave us a list of breeders to call...
we rang a lovely lady 2hrs away who didnt have any puppies but had a 6month old boy, i wasnt very keen because id origionally wanted a girl and i wanted a puppy, she emailed a picture of him at 3months and i have to admit i still wasnt that keen, 
anyway we decided to go and see him (we'd never even seen a maltese in real life!) and he came home with us that night!
For my 21st birthday present i decided to get another pup but couldnt afford a maltese so settled for a lhasa apso, i wish id waited and saved because i know now i'll always have a maltese!


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## yukki (Aug 22, 2007)

When I was growing up, my parents raised and showed Great Danes. I showed them as well and whenever I saw a Maltese prance by I used to think that they were the most spoiled little white prissy dogs with huge attitudes that said, "Look at me, I am gorgeous!" To me, they were not dogs at all since the Great Dane, of course, epitimized the ideal DOG! Those little white things were not dogs at all in my opinion. LOL 

Well, 6 years ago, my husband (not my husband then) wanted a dog. He wanted a Shih Tsu so we went looking. The breeder we ended up buying from not only had Shih Tsu's but she also bred Maltese as well. One look at her little Maltese puppies and we were in love. We never questioned getting a Shih Tsu again and never looked back. At that point, I knew I was going eat my words as a kid! And I surely did. The Maltese is the best! They are funny, smart, great companions and truly a blessing in our lives. The greatest part was that we ended up with TWO Malts from our visit. Now I am totally in love with this breed and will never be without one.

So much for my ideas of them being little white prissy non-dogs!


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## maggpi21 (Mar 29, 2010)

I fell in love with a Maltese puppy named Oliver that I saw at the bank a few years back. Ever since then I would point out any and all Maltese to my mom. I told her that someday I would get a Maltese and name him Franklin. That day is coming soon


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## Rose (Jul 27, 2010)

We've always had outside pets because of our allergies. We had Wolfie, our huffy mix from the shelter; Annie, a black lab from the shelter; and our 2 stray outside kitties Brownie and Tiger. Our "puppies" passed away years ago and we decided to get a little inside dog now that we have kids - but it had to be low shedding, low allergen, as much as possible. So we were thinking maltese, poodle, bichon, or something along those lines. We never found one at our shelter so looked around until we found our Rosie! She's actually about 3/4 maltese, 1/4 poodle but I'm sooo glad we found her! She's so perfect for us.


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## aea6574 (Feb 18, 2006)

Howdy All:

I hope you are well.

When we started looking for a dog we were looking for one that would be good with a kid with allergies. The Maltese fit the bill and as we did more homework we realized how great of a breed they are. They are very lovable, good with children, not to yappy, backyard cleanup is easier, do not require a lot of activity, and again very lovable. Guzzi Goo was such a great dog that when he passed we ended up with The Hounds just a couple of weeks later. 

Now Bacchus has passed, way, way, way to young and we are left with Bibi. Not sure how this is going to go, I really am missing Bacchus as he was more cuddly with me then Bibi. Not sure if I got another dog if he would be cuddly, not sure if you can determine this in a puppy.

Best Breed Ever.

Best regards, tony


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