One day last fall, UMR got a call from a
Maryland veterinarian asking us if we could foster and place a little boy Maltese. His
owners had dropped him at the vet's office saying "he's too much trouble. Do whatever
you want with him." Luckily the vet was aware of Maltese Rescue, searched for a local
group on the Internet, and called UMR.
Bailey's New Beginning is as a part
of our UMR family because UMR's Cathy Brown just couldn't part with Bailey after a few
days (make that minutes) of fostering him.
My introduction to Bailey at the vet's
office didn't start off all that well - I tried to pet him and this little 5-lb fluff ball
bit me. Little did I know that would be just the beginning. When anyone tried to pet him,
he growled and snapped. If anyone tried to pick him up, he barked, growled, and snapped.
If a stranger came into the house, he bit them on the shins. It is hard to take seriously
a 5-pound dog that bites, but I can tell you (as can the postman, some friends, and a
pizza delivery guy) those tiny teeth are sharp and they hurt. Bailey's original family
apparently did not socialize him at all. So every new person he met was someone he feared
and someone to bite. He stopped most of the growling and attack dog behavior with me in a
day or so. And, after a few weeks, most of the original "strangers" became
friends (with the help of a huge number of treats) and he no longer felt the need to bite
them either. Now 6 months later, he is greeting the neighbors and strangers on the street
with kisses and asking to be petted. All it took was a little love and some training and
consistency in his life.
Bailey apparently had never been held,
cuddled, loved, or told he was a good boy during his 5 years on earth. I will never forget
the first time I said "Oh Bailey, you are such a good boy!" The look on his face
was priceless - a mixture of astonishment and absolute pure joy. He really KNEW what I was
saying. It didn't take long before he was asking to come up on my lap to curl up for a nap
and was sleeping cuddled against me on the bed.
Bailey has lived with me (and four
Maltese "brothers and sisters") for a little over 6 months now. He is really a
joyful creature, who experiences everything in his life to the fullest and with pure
delight. Even daily walks are a reason for unbounded enthusiasm. Because he missed out on
early socialization, his response to life is usually a puppy's response. He is eager to
learn and explore, and live to the hilt. Bailey, the B-Boy, really is a one mischievous
imp who brings delight to me (and dismay to his more well-behaved foster siblings) every
day. I am so thankful that when someone "couldn't be bothered" with him, a
caring veterinarian I'd never met called Maltese Rescue!
