Holly - therapy dog for our rescue Maltese....

[Richard Crowe]

We belong to the American Maltese Association and are quite involved with rescue work. Judy was the West Coast Coordinator for Maltese rescue but, now we mostly foster dogs who come to us from shelters or from homes that no longer can or want to care for them,

Many of these dogs have been abused and several have had health problems. Most are petrified of big dogs; probably resulting from some traumatic experience with larger dogs.

It usually takes Holly no more than a day or two to gain the confidence of even the most fearful Maltese. She seems to know exactly how to approach them and will take snarling and the occasional snap without reacting with an offensive posture.

We have two rescues in the house now (along with (Holly and four resident maltese - two of whom were rescues themselves). One of the new rescues snarled at Holly a couple of times and Holly did not react to the little dog's behavior. By the second day, Holly and the little dog were running the yard together.

It really makes our hearts happy to see how Holly turns these fearful little dogs into more confident pets. Holly is a jewel and we love her dearly.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

What a special girl! Holly sounds awesome!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Holly is such a special girl.

[Richard Crowe]

Actually the Maltese do a pretty good job of not getting under our feet. We are also lucky to have a rather large house and very big fenced yard. I did almost sit on one of the rescues tonight. Our house dogs know that when I am getting ready to sit on the couch - they scamper out of the place I sit down. The rescue, a boy named Porsche, did not know the drill. I didn't hurt him but, it scared both of us.

Seeing the differences, both physical and psychological, between these dogs when we get them and when we place them is heartwarming. We are very picky about the homes to which they are going. Since we are under no pressure to move the dogs on; we can take our time about getting them ready for their new forever homes. The American Maltese Association pays the vet bills so, our cost is minimal. Heck, I would keep them all but, that is not possible. We have to make room for new rescues who need us.

We do our best to get them ready to be good family members. We taught a deaf Maltese sign language and we also placed a blind Maltese. The deaf Maltese went to a little boy who had lost his home, his dad and his dog due to a divorce. He and the Maltese fell in love with each other immediately. The blind Maltese is the resident therapy dog in a retired folks home where they love her calm disposition and fight over who will have her in their room overnight.

Porsche, a young male, had testicular cancer but, the vet says that he is sure that he got it all in surgery. However, the imbalance in hormones caused him to lose much of his hair and he was a frail little thing when we got him. The hair is growing back and he is chasing Holly around the yard. We are feeding him quite a bit of food and he is gaining weight and stamina.

Shiloh, another young male whom we suspect might just have a bit of West Highland Terrier in him, had no physical problems but, wasn't house trained. We have the benefit of both of us being retired so we kept him on a lead for several days right next to us. He loves us and has been quite happy to be near us. He has been following the other dog's example and is learning where to go potty and where not to go potty, We have let him have some more freedom today and he has not had any accidents. BTW: all our floors are ceramic tile in case of accidents.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

You have a fantastic Foster DoodleMom in Holly! They can do things and conquer fears that we humans could just never do. All those fosters you take in are very, very lucky! Coudos to you and Judy!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I can't even imagine 6 little maltese's running around the house. How do you keep them out from under your feet. Holly is pretty special to realize that they need her kindness!