Cotton Coton de Tulear Austin, TX

Adoption applications should be filled out to expedite the process:
https://www.lilpaws.org/index.php/adopt/adoption-application

Cotton
Coton de tulear
Age: 6
10#
Adoption fee: $500

Neutered, microchipped, heart worm negative & on prevention, current on vaccinations

Please read Cotton's entire bio, it is heartbreaking but any serious adopter needs to understand this sweet boy to be seriously considered.

Cotton had a very traumatic background. When he came into the rescue it took 4 hours to coach him out of his transport kennel. The abuse he had been subjected to left him fearful and especially wary of women.

However, he is amazing and has learned to move past that awful trauma and fear of being hurt. He has learned to love & trust again with the rescue volunteers and now complete strangers when approached with patience, calmness, and kindness.

He has so much personality. He's very sweet and a talker. This is the way he communicates in general and to convey if he is scared or uncomfortable. For example, his foster Dad can put his harness on with nary a grumble. But when his foster mom does it he grumbles. He has made such amazing progress but his adopter will need to always remember he has been hurt. Gaining his trust is key, his adopter will have to be a person whose nature is patient & calm. Cotton has never bitten anyone but if he reacts with a growl it's a sign he's afraid and needs reassurance.

Working with a dog like Cotton is very rewarding. As his foster family has gotten to know him better it's been fun to see that he’s a very playful boy loaded with personality. He likes to bump his paws against his foster dad’s hand and when he gets the zoomies after a bath or a walk, he likes to play chase with his foster Dad. For now he seems to have zero interest in toys but he's learning the good life a day at a time.

Overall he has a tendency to trust men quicker than women. This doesn’t mean he can’t trust women. He loves his trainer, Erin, and his first foster moms Marie and Ivy. Over the past two months his new foster mom has gained his trust. Just not as fast or completely as his foster dad has.

He is extremely affectionate. Even early on, he’ll bump your hand with his head to get pats. He will put his paws on your knee to get your attention. He’s also a smuggler. His favorite place is between his foster mom and foster dad on the couch. Now he’s sleeping on his foster mom’s pillow right above her head.

He's also good in a kennel. He’s accustomed to being fed in the kennel and held there for short periods of time.

He is house trained. He loves to go for walks. He also enjoys the dog park. Although he doesn’t play with the other dogs very much. He’s a bit of a loner. He gets along well with the rest of his foster pack, but he’s not a part of it. He would do well in a family with dogs but also perfectly fine being an only dog. He’s also really good with his foster family’s elderly cat. He will growl if the cat gets too close. But he never chases or attempts to interact with the cat.

Finally, he is working on being comfortable with being groomed. This requires a tremendous amount of trust and he are so proud of how brave he has been. We have a special groomer who is in NE Round Rock who has worked with him. His foster dad stays for now but we know that it takes time so bring there helps assure him it's ok. We feel the adopter should be ok taking him to the same groomer. It could be introducing him with frequent quick visits to get acquainted with another could be done but not initially and early on in his adoption.

We all love Cotton and know he is a wonderful loving companion. We also understand not everyone has the time, patience or lifestyle to adopt this little guy. The person who adopts him will be rewarded with his love & trust and his sweet quirky personality. We are prepared to work with an Adopter to help Cotton transition from Foster to Forever home.

** Please note: Due to their size, our dogs are not suitable for homes with children under 5.

The only way to find out if one of our pups will be a good fit in your home is to fill out the online application on the Lil Paws website. Lil Paws is a very small organization, our volunteer time is reserved for interested persons who have filled out the application to adopt.

We do not have a facility, all dogs are fostered in the homes of our volunteers. If you are interested in adopting a dog from Lil' Paws Maltese Rescue and other Petite Paws, please visit our website at www.lilpaws.org and fill out an adoption application. This is the first step in our adoption process. Our goal is to place our dogs in safe, stable and loving homes in the Austin Metropolitan area. Thanks for looking!

Lil' Paws Maltese Rescue and other Petite Paws depends on donations to keep the dogs in our program healthy. Many health issues are taken care of before a dog leaves a rescue: spaying, neutering, immunizations, dental care, and in some cases major surgery. Because of the cost of this care, donations are essential to enable us to continue our work. If you would like to show appreciation for what we do and help us continue to do it please go to our website homepage and click the donate button. We thank you in advance for your support.