Rescue

Mac was owned by a breeder for the first two years of his life. She was not blatantly cruel to him, but she valued him only as a stud. She did not play with him or give him toys. He was crate-trained & outdoor potty-trained, but not trained for a leash, or socialized well with humans, only the other Malts. The breeder took Mac to her friend the groomer, who clearly did not belong in that business. From Mac's

reactions, it's clear that he was abused by the groomer, probably because he cried or got wiggly and she lost her patience. When Mac developed seizures, the breeder no longer wanted him, even as a pet, so she was going to get rid of him. Her vet persuaded the breeder to allow her (the vet) to take him and find him a home. The vet also

reported the breeder & groomer and I believe they are now out of business. The vet wanted Mac for herself but she had lots of pets & she knew Mac needed more individual attention. No-one wanted him because he was growly & snapped at women. He was scared of

anything that seemed like grooming.

My friends David & Judith were bringing their cats and their rescue Lhasa for shots, and they fell in love with the "crazy dog" in his cage. With their love and patience, Mac became a typical happy, dancing, loving Maltese, with a few "issues" of course. Sadly, after two years, Judith's asthma got so bad that she could not walk Mac. He was too prone to chase trucks to be allowed to poop & pee out on the deck. They tried giving him to a neighbor, but their huge cat hated Mac. I am seeing David's old friend, Tom, and they knew I loved little dogs, so they asked me if I wanted Mac. That way they could visit him too. I was so scared .... I was afraid I would not be a good Mommy, and I have an awful schedule. I thought he'd be lonely. But they trusted me. I said I would only be a foster Mom....yeah, RIGHT!!!! After two months of taking care of Mac, we had bonded so well that I told David and

Judith, even if they found the best home in the world, they would have to kill me to take Mac.

It's been two years now, and I adore Mac. He has his problems but he has blossomed so much, even letting my nice groomer, Candy, give him an "almost puppy cut", with no sleeping pills! We are so happy!

UPDATE: It is now five years since I adopted Mac,and he has improved so much! Mac now enjoys seeing the groomer,and he allows Candy to clip his fur nice and short. He no longer needs a muzzle for grooming, nor at the vet, except for the full physical.

He is not crazy about brushing, or work on his legs and ears,but he no longer bites when these things are done. Mac is so friendly with almost everyone now,even strange women. He used to be afraid of women.He loves saying "Hi!" and giving puppy kisses! Mac also falls asleep in my lap frequently,and loves to cuddle with me. He is such a happy,playful,trusting boy. He is healthier too, since I learned he has food allergies and sensitivities, and must avoid certain things. His teeth are not perfect but that is to be expected with many rescues. I am so happy little Mac is my furbaby!

6 yrs ago, I got Effie from a breeder. She lived in a cage for her then 5 yrs coming out only to breed & whelp. After her second c-section, she couldn't be bred anymore so was given to me. She was afraid of open spaces. My living room terrified her. It took over a yr for her to be comfortable enough to go around strangers, and to give me my first kiss. When her tongue touched my skin for the first time, her whole body quivered.

Cupid was bought as a pup from a breeder in Ma. The people who adopted him fell totally in love, but the woman had severe asthma and had to give him up. They tried to return him to the breeder, but she no longer had room for him. They then turned him over to rescue. I was fortunate enough to be picked as the adopter. Friends of my cousins live in Boston and scheduled their visit to coinside with his release to my custody, and flew him home to me. That was 3 yrs ago in february. The breeder has since turned out to be a broker. Cupid was born in a puppy mill in Oklahoma. There is no way he is even close to the standard of the breed, but I wouldn't give my "Moosebutt" up for the world.

Bitsy joined my family May 31st of 2002. She was the perfect, pampered princess for her entire 12 1/2 yrs of life. Unfortunately her doting humans trusted a vet who should and will if I have anything to do with it lose her license. She decided to ignore Bitsy's heart problem and left the owners believeing nothing could be done for her. Bitsy does not like to travel, the owners got transfered to Texas, and the vet felt Bitsy should be put down as the stress would be too much for her heart. Her groomer (Bitsy has been groomed weekly by her for her entire life) recommended that the grieving owners contact me first. Although Bitsy was signed over to AMR, they were happy to find I felt she was too old and ill to go up for adoption and that she would be spending her remaining days with me. The shame of all of this is Bitsy's condition was treatable. She's receiving treatment now, but so much damage was done by the neglect of her vet that all we can do is keep her comfortable.

Dandi Wisp O Wind

Born July 4, 1997 under a blazing hot Texas sun. His breeder was not even there. Dandi's Mom was a 13 year old Angel who lived in the outside kennel of a backyard breeder who wanted to "make a lot of money on the dogs". The poor Mother had no milk and Dandi's litter mates were already gone to the bridge when my daughter found him, he was 2 daysold. Aryn grabbed him and brought him to me to "save". At first sight I couldn't believe she had brought me a dead white rat! He was so pitiful, unmoving except for the fleas which covered his entire body! I am fortunate to have an animal lover for a boss and was allowed to take him to work with me. For the first week he had no suck reflex and I alternated every hour putting a drop of water and a drop of goat's milk on his tongue, he choked more often than he swallowed. I guess after a week of my inexperienced attempts he decided he had had enough and began to squirm and suck on a bottle. He hasn't slowed down since. I call Dandi my miracle baby, what a little fighter he is. Today he happily rules my life, and I can't imagine life without him.

Daisy Mae

She was my second rescue. She was found roaming the streets of our little town by a child who took her home with him, her nightmare was far from over, Daisy was such a tiny little girl the children treated her as a toy, one day the child's aunt saw the child playing catch with a friend and using Daisy as the ball. She immediatly took Daisy away from him and called me to see if I didn't want this poor little brown puppy. Daisy was a matted brown mess, terrified of people and especially of anyones hands. A trip to the vet confirmed that this was not a puppy but an adult about 2 years old. We had her cleaned up and spayed as in the Vets words, this poor girl has already had more litters than most dogs have in their lives. Surprisingly, aside from some dental problems and sores under the mats she was in pretty good shape healthwise. The emotional scars took much longer to heal. Daisy no longer is that fearful shy little girl! She is my cuddle bug, demanding to be held and loved, she is still uncomfortable around children but any adult coming to visit can expect to have Daisy in their lap begging for a tummy rub. She is a little clown and loves to dance for treats or attention. She is our alpha dog, our Rottwieler obediently sticks his nose down so she can reach it to give him a little nip when he does anything that doesn't meet with her approval! I don't know where Daisy Mae started her life but We both know she will spend forever here with us.

Angel

Born June 22, 1993 in Palo Alto, California. Though named Princess Baby Wabbit, her wonderful first Mom called her Angel. Angel spent the first 7 years of her life with her first Mom, the sole companion of the lovely elderly lady. they moved to Texas and spent 2 years here. When it became obvious that this lady could no longer live alone her Granddaughter came to take her back to California to live with her. For whatever reason, there was no place for Angel in her home so Angels Mom asked the Vet to help her find a home. The Vet called me and Angel and her Mom came to visit a month later Angel came to live with us, it was a sad tearful day for all of us. Angel spent the first week lying in front of the door where her Mom had left, crying. Fear and confusion were her only reactions to our attempts to approach her. Then one day I saw what I believe to be the second miracle in our home. Daisy Mae went and laid down beside Angel at the door and slowly Angel accepted her, some of the fear left her eyes and she didn't cry quite as much. It wasn't long after that when Angel came to me to be petted. Today she is a sweet quiet little soul who knows she is loved and loves us back. Angel was discovered to have a heart condition and is in the last stages of her disease, medication has made it possible for her to continue to have a happy life and we cherish every day that she is here with us.