Sanvean

I would get a professional trainer or behaviorist's advice. He/she might be able to help more than we can. I hope all goes well!

I agree, Pei. Most dogs aren't going to live in households where someone is home 24/7, and it's good for puppies to learn how to be alone sometimes. I think it would be fine for a puppy to be alone for 4-5 hours, as long as he's crated.

Remember the one where Freddie put the person in a comic book and drained out all the color? Now THAT's creativity for you!

Macy is from a GREAT Maltese breeder. We had very specific requirements for a dog, because of our neurotic kitties and Jay's allergies (plus we plan on having kids in a few years). We didn't have any luck on Petfinder, as small dogs go so quickly. We did a lot of research before contact the breeders we did. We were very happy and impressed when we met Macy's breeder -- her dogs were beautiful, loved, healthy and very very friendly. She shows them and gets them their health checks, and several of the breeders she works with have written books on Maltese. She also told me she will ALWAYS take Macy back if we ever can't keep her (fat chance! :) ). She said, "I bred her, and I'm responsible for her for the rest of her life."

I am extremely grateful that Macy has not burped or farted so far. (Not that my fiance doesn't blame his gas on her...)

[quote name='ellieangel']Marion .....have you considered crating him. :lol: :lol: :lol:[/quote] :roflt:

Cortnek, someone on the Maltese forum I'm on mentioned that, too. I think that's nutty...I don't know of any shelters in my area with that policy (thank god!). My rescue group has a few dogs with separation anxiety that we hope to place in homes where the people are home often, but that's about it. If we didn't allow people who work full time to adopt our dogs, it would take forever to find them homes! I think it is entirely possible to be a good dog owner in a household where all the adults work full time. It takes more work, of course, but it is still very possible.

Some dogs just have that "too thin" look, especially when they're going through adolescence. (We have a husky mix in our rescue group that looks like a little coyote -- so cute! -- but she just looks positively emaciated, even though she's not.) If your vet thinks she's an appropriate weight, I wouldn't worry too much.

You've been through so much, you poor sweetie. *Hugs* You and Rowie are in all our thoughts and prayers.

Er, that was me. (Forgot to log in.)

Macy started coughing this weekend. We're taking her in to the vet today, poor angel. :cry: The vet (who didn't give her the vaccine -- I did, with the help of someone else in my rescue group) says it doesn't sound like she got it from the vaccine, because it normally takes longer for it to develop. He said it takes about a month; we gave her the vaccine almost two weeks ago. They think that she may have been exposed to bordetella before her vac, which I think is possible but unlikely. Poor baby girl.

Of course I love Maltese the best! But I'm also a big fan of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Pits.

[quote name='"bigdog"']Just to give all you "outraged" people out there something to think about before you go complaining about things. New breeds of dogs are real. It isn't someone trying to be cute or to make money. Yes there are those out there who thats all there after but use your heads. [quote] No one is saying that these dogs don't exist. The point is that there is NO reason for someone to go creating more "breeds" of dogs when there are more then enough out there to satisfy any possible combination of traits a person might want. People who breed mixed-breed dogs do it for their own entertainment (what will the puppies look like?) and for their own pocketbooks. I'm sure no one honestly believes people are breeding these dogs for altruistic reasons.

Yikes! Just what the world needs...more mixed-breed dogs. :x

If you don't TRULY feel like you're up to this, I would leave him where he is. It isn't an ideal life, but it sounds like he's at least being treated well. If you still want another dog, there are many who are in more desperate situations, and one of them might be a better match.

Awesome! I'm sure you will be great at it!

Whooohooo! Good job!

I'm jealous! :watpliwy: Congrats to you!

Here's a link to a site with lots of good questions to ask breeders: [url]http://www.frii.com/~phouka/puppy/bdr_questions.html[/url]

We have three kitties, and while Janie will put up with anything, Nimo and Pawnee don't take any guff. Pawnee, who is a real daddy's girl, will occasionally walk up to Macy and swat her for no reason. (She doesn't appear to do it hard, and Macy's never shown any sign of injury, but Pawnee gets yelled at all the same!)

Very nice! (Btw, I'll be getting married on Ben's second birthday!)

Well, that's hard to say, because Toby didn't belong to me, and he wasn't at our house that long. I don't regret trying to foster him, because we learned a lot about what we were and weren't looking for in a dog. I also don't regret giving him back to his previous foster mom, though; he was much happier there.

They're beautiful dogs. I've never even heard of them before!

Gosh, I know just how you feel. I do animal rescue and, last fall, harassed my fiance for AGES till he let us foster a gigantic shepherd mix named Toby. I knew the first night we brought him home that it was going to be a disaster. He was an awesome dog -- his manners were absolutely perfect -- but the cats nearly died of fright when they saw him. He had separation anxiety and would NEVER play by himself or entertain himself. He wouldn't even run around the back yard on his own...it was very cold out, and I walked him often, but it never seemed to be enough exercise. I cried all the time. Finally, I called his previous foster mom back, and she completely understood. She took him back, and in return I agreed to foster another dog. Toby was adopted shortly afterward by a very nice man who was on permanent disability and he could spend all his time with him. Don't feel like you're a bad person...you made a mistake, but you're learning. I would suggest calling a trainer first and seeing what can be done.

He's a gorgeous boy...I hope he finds a home soon!