Benji Terrier & Maltese Mix South Portland, ME

Benji is approximately two years old and weighs 20 lbs. He was rescued from a shelter in North Carolina so we don’t have much background on him.

Likely as a result of spending so much time in a hectic shelter environment, Benji is shy and fearful of new people. This is not uncommon since people can be confusing, especially when you don’t know their intentions. Benji’s adopters will need to go very slow with introductions and give him ample time to decompress in his new home. Given that he is an absolutely adorable fluffy little dog, it seems like every stranger can’t resist the urge to try and pet him. He doesn’t like that! It’s scary! Like plenty of dogs with strangers, he needs appropriate space to assess before being interested in accepting overly eager, physical touch.

Benji has worked with one of our certified behavior consultants. She had a lot of positive things to say about Benji and has identified some solutions to help him work on overcoming his fears and thrive. Benji’s is working on his homework with his foster family, and he is a star student! It took time for him to trust in the foster home and he will need to do this again, from square one, in his new forever home. His adoption will include a consult with the behaviorist that has worked with him, to ensure a smooth transition into his new home.
Due to his fear of the unpredictable, Benji does not do well with children. He thrives with structure and knowing what to expect. He loves to play games with his people and working on his training. He is currently being fostered in a home with another dog and farm animals. He was also fostered with a cat in the past and did very well.

Once Benji has bonded with you he is a silly, playful, and affectionate guy who will bring lots of love and laughter into your life. He is housetrained and will ask to go out. He loves to go for walks, car rides and enjoys sitting on the sofa together. He loves to play ball and will bring it back to you. He enjoys having all types of toys to play with, but by far he loves his tennis ball the most. With patience and proper decompression time, Benji will be a wonderful companion!


PLEASE NOTE - We will check your veterinary reference, to ensure that current and prior dogs have a history of being kept up to date on rabies and distemper,
Current pets must by spayed/neutered.

Adoption fees cover age specific vaccinations, martingale collar, spay/neuter, microchip, heartworm/lyme/ehrlichia test, worming and transport fees.

Adoption fees:
Through 6 months of age $450;
7 months to through 5 years $400;
6 years and under 9 years $325: bonded pairs are $500;
9 years and older $250: bonded pairs are $300

This dog is available unless it is marked as Pending, meaning Pending Adoption. This dog is in foster care locally, ONLY if Maine or New Hampshire is listed next to the dogs name; otherwise, the dog is still waiting with our partner rescue for an adoption or foster home in New England.

Imported dogs are transported on a USDA approved transport with a Health Certificate. All imported dogs are quarantined 14 days prior to getting on transport.ve had annual heartworm tests and are on heartworm preventative.