Max Maltese & Poodle Mix Santa Monica, CA

**PLEASE READ MAX'S BIO THOROUGHLY BEFORE INQUIRING. ALL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE MET IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. **





This is Max, our handsome little guy who needs a VERY specific home. Max is a 14 month old male Maltese/Terrier/ Poodle mix who is approximately 17lbs of pure cuteness! This little guy came to us as an owner surrender when they felt they no longer had the time to care for a puppy. Unfortunately Max did not have much socialization and it shows because he is a very nervous pup. He took almost 2 months in his foster home before we began to see any signs of trust. He still will not let us attempt to pick him up and it takes careful maneuvering to do so. He is also NOT GOOD AT ALL on leash and will definitely need work on this issue. He is a fast and very agile pup and will require a very active home that can eventually run and hike with him. He CANNOT be in a sedentary home. Max is a puppy still and we only place our young dogs and puppies in homes with another young dog. He cannot go into a home if the only other dog is an adult or senior. This boy is ENERGETIC, FAST, and VERY ROUGH. When Max gets comfortable with his dog friends and starts to play, well, he plays very rough and tough. He likes to play bite on the tail, legs, and ears and drag the other dog around. He likes to pounce on them out of nowhere. He likes to chase them. If your dog does not play like this or you don't think they would be comfortable with playing like this, then Max would not be a candidate. Due to his jittery and jumpy anxiety, he cannot go into a home with young children 12 years or younger. One thing to know is Max is still in the puppy chewing faze. He is slowly growing out of it, but we see that he still will pick up things in his mouth and chew on them. He has recently chewed on the corner of some outdoor furniture, so his new home MUST be puppy savvy and ok with "accidents" like this and not get upset. We DO NOT want him crated because his last owner kept him in a crate most of the day and it was very detrimental to him. Another main requirement for Max is that he MUST go into a home with a yard. He cannot be an apartment/condo type dog. This guys loves to run here there and everywhere! Max is not an easy dog to feed and it definitely has to do with issues in his last home and the lack of socialization. If you set a plate of food down, he will just stare at it and not eat. He needs a lot of coaxing and someone who is willing to work with that issue by hand feeding him so he can gain trust. We want him in a home that will continue to feed him the way we do and what we feed him. He needs a good high quality dry food along with adding some high quality wet food and some home cooking. Max is on the thinner side and needs a little bulking up. We see that his fur was sparse/thin in areas and we want someone to continue adding supplements to get his coat in good condition. Max is very agile and can jump easily and because he is fast we require a 3ft gate at the front door in the inside of the home. This is contractual and will prevent him from taking off each time the door is open /closed. This is required regardless if you have a secure screen door or a gated front yard. This little guy did not have the best life as a young puppy and that is why we are being so specific in his forever home....he deserves it and more.


--Because of Max's insecurities, we are requiring at least 2-3 meet/greets before even deciding to go the next step. Max is in the Torrance area and if chosen to do a meet/greet, you must come down 2-3 separate occasions with everyone in the household, including your dog to get to know him.

Max's adoption fee is $550


WE ONLY ADOPT IN LOS ANGELES AND SURROUNDING AREAS AS AN INPERSON HOME CHECK AND TRIAL PERIOD ARE REQUIRED.


If you meet all the requirements and would like an application, please contact us at 310-990-2020 or at Gina@theforgottendog.org