... I had a friend looking at Maltese sites recently also, and she called me over to look at a posted pup......No kidding, my first reaction was," EEEWWWW, That's a Maltese?!".....The hair was sparse, the eyes and feet where all stained, it just looked ill.....I told her run like h***....
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Originally Posted by Ladymom  What a great post!
I'm pretty new here, but on the Maltese forum I belong to we get people all the time who bought a Maltese with an image of a little silky coated dog they could carry around in a carrier and were shocked when their puppy grew to be 13 lbs. and had a curly coat. Or worse yet, was diagnosed with luxating patellas or liver disease because their breeder did no health screening and knew nothing about genetics or the dogs she was breeding.
I really appreciate all the time and money reputable breeders invest in showing their dogs to first determine if they are as close to the standard as possible, then doing all the health screening necessary to make sure the puppies are not just born healthy, but will stay healthy. A puppy from a reputable breeder is the real bargain, not the $800 puppy from a backyard breeder who can cost you a fortune in vet bills over its lifetime.
Doing all that shows a breeder's love of the breed and their commitment to keep their chosen breed looking and acting like it is supposed to.  |