Need help identifying dog!

[DoggUncertainty]

I’m hoping someone can help me, my mum has recently bought this gorgeous puppy. I’ve attached some photos.

DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about dogs and different breeds!

The lady who sold him to her said he’s a pure Maltese, however since she’s had him, 4 separate people who’ve seen him have told her he looks like a Maltese/Shih tzu mix breed.

Anyone got any ideas from these pics? She wasn’t given a certificate of his breed or anything like that, but on his vaccination record it says he’s a Maltese, so surely that’s confirmation enough? However she’s now doubting it due to the comments of others.

The dog is adorable, young and doesn’t seem to have major health or behavioural issues.

His chances of finding a nice forever home should be pretty good!

I feel genuinely sorry for your mother, OP.
The fact that she was honest enough to accept that she made a mistake and will find him a good home really does speak for her character! So many people unfortunately don’t :(

When she’s doing a bit better and re-considering a dog:

My grandfather used to adopt older dogs. Most dogs calm down considerably with age. And quite a few breeds tend to be very calm and laid back when they’re about “middle aged”.
They are perfectly suitable for people that wouldn’t cope with a high energy dog.

A good pet insurance is however crucial, especially when adopting a more senior dog.

Not everyone on pets4homes is a puppy farm breeder. It sounds like this woman was just an inexperienced breeder and just had puppies from her own two dogs. She wouldn't be keeping in contact if she was a puppy farm breeder. Is there no way your Mum can keep him?

I agree that the breeder doesn't sound like a puppy farmer, but someone very naïve to breeding and was clearly misled by their vet, or misheard what their vet has advised. It takes 10 seconds on Google to find out that a breeder must legally microchip their dog and it's been that way for many years now. I presume no adoption contract was signed.

If your mum doesn't want to return her to the breeder, she would be best reaching out to local reputable rescues who usually have long waiting lists for small fluffy dog breeds, plus will be able to get the operation this dog will need for his plums. Many rescues also have intake waiting lists at the moment though, the demand is so high :(

Sorry I’m lost. Why does your mum now no longer want the dog?

She’s had cats in the past and many dogs and just prefers dogs and had her heart set on one for the past few months.

I’m more of a cat person myself 😻

Yes I totally agree with you, no one really benefits here, just a shame all round.

Definitely a lesson she’ll learn from, I really hope so anyway.

Thank you so much for your kind words, yes she’s not in her right mind honestly since losing my stepdad and didn’t realise how much hard work this would be. We did try to warn her and get her to do through research first.

I like the idea of a middle aged dog, someone calm who also likes to be quiet and just chill out. Do you know which breeds are especially ideal for this?

Yes very true about the insurance.

Thanks for the last few comments, sorry I haven’t replied individually, am rushing around but wanted to say thank you and to update.

She took him to the vet this afternoon where the puppy allegedly had his vaccinations and that they had no record of. I went with her. While talking to the reception staff one of the vet nurses saw me holding the puppy and recognised him straight away. She said “Aww I remember this boy, I did his vaccinations!” We showed her the vaccine record and she said that’s her handwriting. She also mentioned details that she’d only know if this was true, like how many were in the litter and the fact he was the last one left. So the woman definitely did get him vaccinated at that vet and wasn’t lying about it. The woman says it was her aunt who actually brought him to get these done but the woman probably wouldn’t have known that, the fact is that the dog himself was brought in.

We mentioned the lack of microchipping and the staff said that the woman who brought him in was offered it and she declined and said she’d rather his new owner get it done. They said that yes this isn’t legal but they can’t enforce it and make her get it done, so they had to just accept her wishes.

As for why my mum wants to rehome him. I wasn’t going to bring that up when I first started the thread as it wasn’t relevant, but as it’s progressed and I wanted to post that vets letter stating it, I wanted to be honest. She says she didn’t realise when first meeting him that he was so lively and clingy, and that she can’t go anywhere or cope with the mess everywhere. She says the woman told her he’s fully toilet trained but he isn’t, and wees and poos everywhere, sometimes on puppy pads but sometimes not, and she can’t deal with it. She has a lot of health issues and underestimated and forgot how much work raising a puppy is.

The good news is she’s found someone through a friend of hers who is willing to foster him. This person is an experienced dog trainer who often fosters dogs, has the space and facilities to look after him, and has contacts to try to find a forever home for him.

Obviously the bad news is she’ll lose her £700 plus all the money spent on food/puppy pads/toys/a bed/harness/lead/car seat/vet appointment etc for him. But that is the price for making an unwise decision and she’s heartbroken at the thought of saying goodbye to him.

It sounds as though the situation is being resolved. Fingers crossed the little chap finds a good home.

Maybe your mum could go on borrow my doggy to test the waters with how much she can cope with before she makes any more spur of the moment decisions about getting one of her own? She could be helping look after a calm older dog that needs somewhere to go while its owner is at work. Then she could decide whether she does actually want one or not. I guess the trouble might be her getting attached to a dog while she’s so vulnerable and how she would cope if the arrangement ended

Thank you so much.

Brilliant idea, I will mention this to her. I’ve heard that’s a very good site and as you say it’s a way of testing how she’ll get on. Yes the attachment issue might be a problem- will talk to her though.

Especially as it was an impulse buy.

It looks like a typical Puppy mill puppy- small, 'scruffy' {poorly groomed} and white.

Please, NO!
A Greyhound deserves FAR better than someone who crazily impulse buys a puppy mill puppy on whim, then seeks to re~home the poor little thing.

People just treat animals as if they are disposable. They are not.

An undescended testicle can be removed- that poor little dog just does not deserve to be further bewildered.

Greyhounds deserve dedicated, loving homes.

Not whim homes.

Animals really suffer from being bounced around from pillar to post- Greys deserve better, as they have already given a lot.

This thread is from February

Doesn't matter..If it makes people consider being sensible and fair about buying an animal, it doesn't matter how old the post is.

Animals suffer at the whims of impulse buyers...who buy off and fund the back yard breeder and puppy farm pups.

They haven't given due thoughts as to the massive commitment owning a dog is.

The dog is the one to lose out.

How much does it weigh?
A real Maltese will be quite light because they have a less fattening centre.

Thank you for sharing that video, @oakleaffy . I watched it with tears in my eyes, with my rescued ex-breeding cocker snoring at my feet (rescued by Eileen who's in the video, in fact). I dread to think what sort of life she had before she came to us last year, and if this thread makes even one person think twice and do their research rather than buying a puppy from a cute ad online, it'll be worth it.