Size
(when grown) Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
Details
Good with kids,
Good with dogs,
Good with cats,
House-trained,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
* To be considered for a meet/adoption, please read the full biography to see whether they may be a good fit for your home, then submit an online application at www.dpsrescue.org. * This dog will be at the Palo Alto Pet Food Express on Saturday, August 8th from 12–3 PM (unless adopted prior to the event). All DPS Rescue dogs are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, flea/tick treated, and microchipped prior to adoption. Adoption Fee: $800 Meet Mailbox: You've Got Mail! Special delivery! This particular package weighs 10 pounds, has four legs, Baby Yoda ears, and absolutely no interest in getting out of bed until he hears a leash jingle. Meet Mailbox, a 1–2 year old Maltese mix with a nonshedding coat and one of the funniest combinations of personality traits we've seen in a while. Mailbox essentially lives two completely different lives. Mailbox at home: I have cleared my schedule for the day and will be sleeping. Mailbox outside: THERE'S A WHOLE WORLD OUT HERE. WHY ARE WE WALKING? WE SHOULD BE JOGGING. DID YOU SEE THAT SQUIRREL? WAIT—I HAVE PEE-MAIL TO CHECK. Same dog. We checked. Do Not Disturb Until You Hear the Leash A typical morning in Mailbox's foster home begins around 8:00 AM. Technically. Because Mailbox does not see any compelling reason to get out of bed simply because the humans have decided morning has arrived. Talking? Nope. Walking around? Unimpressed. But pick up the leash? MAILBOX HAS ENTERED THE CHAT. Suddenly he's awake, alert and ready to see what the world has been doing without him. He heads out for his morning walk, comes home for breakfast, and then begins his very demanding daytime schedule: sleep, move to another comfortable location, sleep, observe a human, sleep, consider a squeaky toy, decide against unnecessary exertion, sleep. Mailbox is perfectly content spending the day lounging around while his people go about their business. He might relocate from a carpet to a bed or find another strategic location from which to supervise the household, but he's not interested in creating unnecessary work for himself. His second walk comes around dinner time, and once again, the transformation occurs. Please Forward All Pee-Mail Mailbox LOVES his walks. We cannot emphasize this enough. The sleepy little creature who has spent the previous several hours impersonating a throw pillow suddenly becomes a 10-pound neighborhood correspondent with important business to conduct. There are smells to investigate, birds to monitor, squirrels to pursue, other dogs to meet, and, most importantly, pee-mail to read. Mailbox apparently subscribes to every neighborhood newsletter. He walks quickly and enthusiastically and would be thrilled with an adopter who considers 'walk' to occasionally mean 'brisk walk bordering on a light jog.' His foster takes him out for about 45–60 minutes, and Mailbox thinks this is an excellent arrangement. Tell him 'no pulling' and he'll listen. But jog alongside him? FINALLY. A HUMAN WHO UNDERSTANDS DEADLINES. He's curious and friendly when he encounters other dogs and loves having the opportunity to get outside and experience the world. Then he comes home and returns to his regularly scheduled programming. Sleeping. You've Got Mail...and He's Watching You When Mailbox first arrived in his foster home, he wasn't quite sure what to make of everything. For the first couple of days, he would sometimes bark or give a little growl when he heard someone moving around the house. It wasn't aggressive. It was more of an announcement: 'ATTENTION. SOMEONE IS WALKING. I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO KNOW I HAVE DETECTED IT.' Then the mysterious person would actually appear, Mailbox would see who it was, his tail would start wagging, and apparently the security threat was neutralized. Once he figured out the household routine and realized that people walking through their own home was going to be a recurring event, he stopped feeling the need to announce it. Now he might get up and greet you. Or he might go back to sleep. It really depends on how strongly he feels about you versus how comfortable he currently is. Affection on Mailbox's Terms Mailbox likes his humans. He likes knowing where they are. He likes keeping an eye on one particular person at a time. But he's not necessarily interested in becoming your permanent lap accessory. Mailbox isn't a Velcro dog. He's more of a management-from-a-distance dog. He'll stay nearby and supervise your activities, but he doesn't feel the need to participate in every single one. Of course, this presents a problem. Because Mailbox is extremely cute. So naturally, humans pick him up and cuddle him anyway. His response? Apparently a deeply resigned expression that says: Fine. If this is what you need. And then he allows himself to be snuggled. It's a sacrifice. He makes it for the people. He does, however, enjoy a good belly rub. Mailbox isn't anti-affection. He simply has standards. Teenage Boys? Apparently Excellent. One surprise in his foster home has been how quickly Mailbox bonded with the family's 12- and 16-year-old sons. In fact, given the choice, he often chooses to hang out with them. We don't know what secret negotiations took place. Perhaps snacks were involved. But Mailbox has spoken. He's also very friendly with dogs he encounters on walks and enjoys meeting them. Cats? Well. Mailbox once thought chasing a cat seemed like a fun idea. The cat had thoughts. Strong thoughts. Mailbox received the feedback and has since decided that particular cat can go about its business uninterrupted. We love a dog capable of professional growth. Home Alone? No Crisis Here. For a dog who enjoys keeping track of his humans, Mailbox is remarkably independent. His foster family has left him home for about eight hours in an x-pen. When they returned, there was no destruction, no apparent panic and no dramatic reenactment of abandonment. Mailbox basically got out of bed like: Oh. You're back. He's also housetrained and crate trained. It took him a couple of nights to decide the crate was an acceptable sleeping arrangement, but once he learned the household routine, he settled right in. At night, he gets a final potty break around 10:00 PM and then heads to his crate to sleep. He doesn't chew things. He doesn't dig. He doesn't spend his day barking at everything that moves. Honestly, Mailbox has this whole living-in-a-house thing pretty well figured out. Road Trip! Walks aren't Mailbox's only favorite mode of transportation. This little guy loves the car. He'll poke his nose toward the fresh air so he can take in all the smells passing by. The only problem? Eventually the car stops. Mailbox finds this unacceptable. Why have vehicle if vehicle not moving? He may actually whine when the car stops because apparently every red light is personally interfering with his adventure. Mailbox would be an excellent companion for someone who wants a dog to actually do things with them. Take a walk. Go for a drive. Explore somewhere new. Come home. Collapse on couch. Repeat tomorrow. Seeking One Mandalorian We need to discuss the ears. Because when Mailbox's little floppy ears open up just right, his foster says he looks like Baby Yoda. And once you see it, you're probably never going to unsee it. Which means there's really only one thing left to do. Mailbox needs his Mandalorian. His ideal person doesn't need to entertain him every waking minute. In fact, Mailbox is remarkably easygoing around the house. What he DOES need is someone who understands that his daily walks aren't just potty breaks. They're his enrichment, his entertainment, his morning newspaper, his social hour, and his chance to check whether that squirrel from yesterday is still engaging in suspicious activity. Give Mailbox a good daily adventure and he's perfectly content to come home and spend the rest of the day doing approximately nothing. The Fine Print Mailbox has a nonshedding coat, which is wonderful for your furniture but does mean his forever family needs to commit to regular brushing and professional grooming. Nonshedding dogs do not magically wake up looking fabulous. Someone has to maintain the Baby Yoda situation. Change of Address Requested Mailbox isn't the dog who's going to demand your attention every second of the day. He's something pretty wonderful in his own right. He's independent but connected. Active when there's an adventure to be had and wonderfully lazy when there isn't. He's housetrained. He's crate trained. He can stay home alone. He likes other dogs. He loves walks. He loves car rides. He doesn't need to be entertained constantly. And when you insist on picking him up because he's simply too cute to leave alone, he'll patiently tolerate your affection like the benevolent little creature he is. Mailbox has one final piece of mail to deliver: his change-of-address form. He's ready to leave foster care behind and put down a permanent address with a family of his very own. All he needs now is someone willing to sign for the delivery. Apply today. Mailbox is waiting. August 5, 2026, 3:03 pm
