Maltese

It wasn’t that long ago that we published an article on Tilly, the 15 inch little dog that may become Britain’s smallest dog.  However, now we might be looking at a new contender for the world’s smallest dog – so meet Scooter, a Maltese puppy whose owner believes may be the world’s smallest dog, if he’s stopped growing that is.

Scooter lives in New Zealand with his owner Cheryl McKnight and currently, at six months old, he is only a mere [read more]

On Tuesday this week, it was announced that $136 million of late New York property and hotel billionaire Leona Helmsley’s estated would be given to charity, but it was disappointing to hear that just $1 million will be distributed to dog-related charities that she preferred.

Helmsley died aged 87 in 2007 at her home in Connecticut, leaving instructions to the trustees of her estate that most of her multi-billions should go towards the care and welfare of dogs.  However, the will also gave the trustees discretion in distributing the funding.

A judge ruled that the trustees do have sole authority on how to distribute the money and although Helmsley had left her beloved white Maltese dog named Trouble $12 million, more than she had left to [read more]

The Maltese dog breed (pronounced Mall-teez) is a lively, intelligent and playful breed.  It is not as common in the UK as other long haired breeds, such as the shih tzu or the llasa apso, but nonetheless, has grown in popularity since its first introduction to the UK.

It is said that nobody ever ‘owns’ a Maltese, but rather this regal little dog owns the owner.  Its pure white coat, when grown to its fullest, adds to its glamorous appearance but even when cut short this little dog retains its regality.

When purchasing a Maltese, it is not uncommon to see breeder’s advertisements stating ‘tiny’ or ‘toy Maltese’, ‘miniature Maltese’ or other such names that may imply a smaller and cuter Maltese but these should be ignored.  Like any other breed, there are smaller and larger forms of the breed but they are no different to any other Maltese in any way.

Typical Maltese
Height: 8 – 10 inches
Weight: 6.5 – 9 lbs (3-4 kg)
Average Litter Size: Around 3 – 5 puppies
Life Expectancy: 11 – 14 years, has been known to live as long as 18 years
Good with Children: Yes if handled with care (see below)
Kennel Club Classification: Toy Group [read more]