Smuckers Maltese Benton, LA

Please read the pet description IN IT'S ENTIRETY before applying. Thank you for your cooperation.
I'm not fat I'm FLURRFY!"

You Tube video link: https://youtu.be/nBS8S-nvy_4

Reels / video link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/i8gpfmRW7YPFSc2g/

Reels / video second link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/MLBVueeEPTyf8AXm/

FOR ADOPTION! Note: Only those with a responsible dog ownership history and excellent vet reference need apply.

(For more pics, visit nr2r.petfinder.com or www.RoadtoRescueLA.org)

INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLY:

PLEASE read profile thoroughly BEFORE applying:

DOG APPLICATION LINK: http://www.roadtorescuela.org/dog-application

Smuckers (male)

Intake date: 11/14/2024

Maltese

7 years old

Intake weight: 18.12 pounds (on the green bean diet)

Weight as of 11/20/2024: 17.12 pounds

Adoption fee: $200, which includes vetting, microchip

Good with other dogs: yes

Cats: yes

Vetting and other: altered (spayed/neutered), up-to-date on age-appropriate vaccinations, heartworm negative, fecal negative, got PROHEART 12 on 11/13/2024 and Bravecto (3 month) on 11/13/2024, professional groom, microchipped

Health issues: food allergies - on special, limited ingredient food Zignature Turkey - he also got an allergy shot from our vet; all of these things have changed his life!

Temperament: very sweet, social, friendly - loves to lounge in our main area and observe the happenings

Energy level: low-medium

Groom needs: High; requires regular professional grooming, along with intermittent brushing to avoid matting

Biography: We were reached out to by a man who indicated his wife passed away and he could not take care of Smuckers and needed a good place for him to go. We took him in. He is VERY overweight. He's nearly as wide as he is long so first things first... DIET! Initially, we had him on the green bean diet but he was itching and scratching a lot and his skin turned red. We switched him to Zignature Turkey Limited Ingredient food and took him to the vet for an allergy shot. It's changed his life! Clearly he has food allergies so he'll need a controlled environment (one without kids who would slip him some food or other temptations, like cat or other dog food sitting around). We feed him a limited amount of the limited ingredient food so he can continue his weight loss. As of this posting, he's lost a pound and continues to lose weight. He also gets two daily walks to exercise that plump body. We will have him fit and trim in no time! If he gets adopted before then, we ask that whoever adopts him to continue his diet regimen. Overweight/obese dogs develop the same medical issues as humans such as diabetes, breathing issues, etc. Please don't love your dog with food. Like a child they don't know when to say "no".

Here's what we know about this sweet boy:

The wife was the primary caretaker and she's had him since he was a pup.
He is used to staying home alone while his people worked for about 6 hours a day.
He is friendly and social and can be submissive at first.
He gets along with other dogs and cats.
At night he slept in a kennel (and he does the same at the rescue and does great).
He travels well and walks well on a leash.
He doesn't know any basic commands but he is responsive and will come when called.
He does fine with a groom and in his former home, the wife was the groomer. Our groomer indicated he did well. We did notice some redness under his pits which appear to be from the groom (Maltese dogs typically do have sensitive skin so it's never good to let them get matted to where they have to be shaved to the skin.)

Smuckers is looking for his new furever home and we know that his new hooman is reading this post right now!

**WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW**

*We do adopt out of state provided the adopter is willing and able to travel to us once approved. We do not ship or transport our animals and there is no exception to this rule.

*Most of our adoptable dogs are small, and they are never to be left outside alone, ever! We only rehome our dogs to adopters that plan to have them as inside dogs and part of the family! We do allow adopters with doggie doors, provided there is SECURE fencing. There is no exception to this rule!

*PREDATORS: IF THIS DOG IS UNDER 10 POUNDS, the dog is to be monitored and protected when outside at all times! PREDATOR-THREAT IS A REAL DANGER! For example, a hawk tried to pick up a Chihuahua owned by a friend visiting Ninna's house RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE VISITOR. Thankfully the visitor was watching the dog and the hawk was wrestled off of the Chihuahua but it did require an ER visit and she is was very lucky to survive. TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!

*NO SMALL CHILDREN!! As with almost all the dogs at NR2R, young children or a very active household is not recommended. Many of our dogs come to us BECAUSE of small children, thus we do not rehome our dogs to homes with babies or young children. KEEP THIS IN MIND IF YOU HAVE VISITING GRANDCHILDREN AS WELL! Even if the children are older, it would depend on the child AND the parent or parents.

*HOUSETRAINING: We do NOT guarantee that any of our adoptable dogs are housetrained. While most should be easily trained, keep in mind that they live in a rescue where they have access to the outdoors all day and are inside at night. Even if they were surrendered to us as housetrained, it doesn't mean they will automatically be housetrained in your home. Housetraining them should be easy in the right home with time, patience, and consistency.

*KENNELING: We always recommend kenneling when you cannot supervise your dog. This helps with housetraining and any destructive tendencies until you get to know your knew addition.

*We do not guarantee the age, health or temperament of any of the dogs we rehome. Many of the dogs we take in come from animal control and rarely do we have histories and even when we do, many times the histories are inaccurate.

*Only adopters with a responsible dog ownership history and excellent vet reference need apply. If you bring this pet into your heart and home, you will receive in return many years of love, companionship, and loyalty. That's our guarantee.

Other notes: This pet is available for adoption through Ninna's Road to Rescue, Benton, La. We are 501c3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to rescue primarily small-breed dogs and to re-home them into RESPONSIBLE and CARING forever homes. DOG APPLICATION LINK: http://www.roadtorescuela.org/dog-application

Time may be of the essence if you are looking to adopt a specific animal. We do not reserve animals, unless and until we have approved your application, provided the animal is still available at the time we receive your application. The first APPROVED application we receive will be considered. We are NOT a first come, first serve rescue!! We adopt our rescues out to the RIGHT home, not just A home. Only responsible pet owners need apply.

Applying to adopt does NOT commit you to the adoption NOR does it guarantee the adoption.

CONTACT: Our adoptable pets are updated regularly, but if you want to check the availability of a pet... OR still have questions AFTER reading this profile, message us via our Facebook page. Please indicate the name when communicating with us.

www.RoadtoRescueLA.org

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~ Gandhi

Be responsible ~ Always spay/neuter, keep your dogs on heartworm prevention, vaccinate against disease... and if you bring a pet into your life, commit to that pet for life. Blessings.