Size
(when grown) Small 25 lbs (11 kg) or less
Details
Not good with kids,
Good with dogs,
Needs experienced adopter,
Spayed or Neutered,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Doesn’t this sweet little face make you want to pick him up and give him a hug? Alfie is a 4 yr old, 9# male Maltese that was surrendered by a breeder that was “downsizing”. He is playful and outgoing, microchipped, vaccinated, and neutered. Walks are the highlight of his day, and when his foster mom picks up his leash he will start to happily bark (but is easily quieted). Alfie is an active dog that will need some regular form of exercise daily – walks are a great way to tire this lively little dog out, so his person should be physically able to keep up with him. Living inside a home with a family is a new experience for him. Initially he had an issue with being picked up, and would become fearful and rigid – a person’s hands seemed to frighten him. Now he is fine with being picked up and cuddled by a gentle adult. Alfie wouldn’t do well with fast moving, vocal children. Having previously lived in the kennel with dogs, he does great with them, and his ideal home would include another same size canine for companionship. Alfie does not do well alone, so his adopter should be home much of the time – perhaps someone that works from home. Coming from a breeder, he wasn’t housebroken coming into our program but his foster has a routine for him that seems to be working well – he goes out on leash at least every 4 hours (goes potty fairly quickly then), and wears a belly band when loose in the house. He has a 6x6 pen in the house, and he rarely potties in there. He has a great start on the house training, and his adopter will just need to continue until he is reliably housebroken. He sleeps quietly all night long in his indoor pen. No cat experience. Fine meeting and interacting with visitors. No problem going up and down the stairs.
To give him every advantage to being successful in transitioning to a new home, we are looking for a quiet adult home, with someone that has previous dog experience. Because of the frequency he needs to go out, he would do much better in a home than he would in an apartment (a fenced yard would be great). There should be another small-medium dog in the home. Alfie will need to be groomed 4-5 times a year – be sure you can afford this ongoing expense. He just had a bath and got his nails clipped before these pictures were taken, and he was a perfect little gentleman.
If you have questions, or would like to meet Alfie, please call 651-771-5662. His adoption fee is $400.
