We are heavily involved in Maltese rescue for the American Maltese Association. Local animal shelters will notify us when they a Maltese for adoption... Yeah! really?

Maltese are a highly adoptable breed and the only time we get notified about a Maltese in the amimal shelter is when the shelters deem the animal unadoptable. They would, of course, rather get the adoption fees rather than to turn the animal over to us.

Never-the-less, we have found great homes for "unadoptable" Maltese. Over the past couple of years, we have found homes for a deaf maltese and a blind maltese. We have found a home for a Maltese with diabetes with a dentist who also has diabetes. And, of course, we have found homes for Maltese who had been running the streets and who looked just terrible due to flea and/or tick infestations and just plain lack of care.

Koko was one of these. When I saw this little guy, my heart went out to him. I also thought that we would have him forever. He had no coat over his rear body and the coat up front was terrible. he was skittish and terribly frightened of big dogs. However with some TLC over a couple of months, he looked good and he even accepted out Goldendoodle, Holly, as no threat.

Sweetheart came to us full of sores and scabs from fleas and ticks. She was pregnant and gave birth to a pair of puppies the day after we began fostering her. She was a wonderful mother and, even after her terrible life, she has a great personality. We know that she got a good home because we adopted her into our family. Her two pups were adopted into loving "forever homes" also.