Toast

Maltese · Female · Adult · 4 years

Toast is a delicate little girl who came to us from a breeder and has been slowly finding her confidence in the world. She has been in foster since April and has come a long way, although she is not your average ex-breeder and still has some very specific challenges that her future family will need to understand. Toast remains extremely nervous about being touched and will avoid handling wherever possible. She can become overwhelmed if she feels pressured, so fitting her harness is still very much a case of careful timing and patience, as she will try to hide if given the opportunity. Her foster mummy has found that this can be tricky, and her new family will need to be experienced and prepared to work within her limits rather than forcing interaction. Interestingly, once Toast is out on a walk, she absolutely loves it! She walks happily and enjoys saying hello to other dogs, often approaching them with a lovely waggy tail. She has also become much more confident when visiting friends, happily running around with other dogs and enjoying herself. This is a wonderful contrast to how nervous she can be when it comes to being handled. Toast has also been to the groomers a couple of times and has tolerated this quite happily. She has even allowed her foster mummy to pick her up and cuddle her afterwards, which shows that she is capable of accepting handling in certain situations when she feels comfortable and secure. Toast is currently living with a cat in her foster home and can live with a dog-savvy cat who respects her space. She will need a quiet, adult-only home with experienced adopters who understand nervous ex-breeding dogs and can support her without expectation or pressure. A calm, predictable environment will be essential for her ongoing confidence building. Her future family will need to accept that Toast may never become a cuddly or lap dog. She is a little character who likes to do her own thing, and her happiness and confidence will be far more important than expecting her to enjoy affection. Toast is still learning about house training, and seems to be clean in the home when her foster mummy is around but can have a few accidents when she is left alone. Her new family will need to continue her toilet training patiently as she settles into her new routine. She will need a kind, confident resident dog in her new home to help guide her and provide reassurance as she adjusts to home life. Having other dogs around clearly brings Toast confidence, and she enjoys their company when out and about and when visiting friends. Toast arrived with a low-grade luxating patella on her left side, which does not currently cause her any problems, although a disclaimer will need to be signed on adoption. She has also been treated for mucky ears, right-sided otitis, hot spots and dermatitis. She requires Apoquel twice daily for allergies that cause her to itch, and her general health will need to continue to be monitored in her new home. Behind her nervousness is a gorgeous, mischievous and very cheeky little dog with a huge personality. Toast loves her walks, enjoys the company of other dogs and is clearly a very happy girl when she is out enjoying herself. She may never be the dog who wants to curl up on your lap, but for the right person, watching her confidence grow and seeing her enjoy life will be incredibly rewarding. She will need an experienced home that understands ex-breeder dogs, a kind resident dog to help her settle, and someone who will love her exactly as she is. This dog can be homed with a resident dog. This dog can be homed with cats.

Listed 5 months ago