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 Majesty
Maltese previously known as Quail Hollow Maltese was
born in 1999 when I first fell in love with the Maltese
breed. The name Majesty Maltese is based on the fact
all I have belongs to my Lord and Savior and I want to
glorify him in all that I do and I am so grateful for
all he has given me.
 Who could
not love a Maltese? The puppies I saw in the books
captured my heart. I set out on a journey to buy my
first Maltese, where did I go but the newspaper! It all
transformed from there. I set out to do as much research
as I could. Many books tell you about the breed but do
not tell you how to find a good breeder or a
reputable breeder. I was attracted to the breed
not only for their looks but also because they did not shed.
Maltese are a hypo-allergenic breed that is single
coated. The Maltese breed does not have dander as
double coated breeds have such as the Labrador
Retriever, German Shepard and such. Maltese are
very gentle it is written they are the most gentle of
the toy breeds. I had children that had been bitten by
other small dogs so I was attracted to the known fact of
their gentle nature. I bought books,
searched the internet, and called breeders. Finally I
purchased my first Maltese male, named Keller. He was
the love of my life we adored him. We taught Keller to
fetch at a very young age, and he loved it so much. It
was as if he was a Golden Retriever in a Maltese body.
He had a great personality and a strong tendency to want to bond and
please his master.
As time
passed and Keller got older I began to become more and
more interested in the breed. I subscribed to the
Maltese Magazine and searched for my next Maltese. The
thing I did not understand was the difference in all the
types of the breeders out there i.e., show breeders,
backyard breeders and of course pet stores and puppy
mills. After several years of heartache and experience
from different breeders and different Maltese I have
owned I have come to the values I breed by today. First
of all I breed for health. If the Maltese is a show dog
or pet it deserves to be in this world without ailments
that I could have prevented. A breeder brings the
puppies into the world and needs to be responsible in
doing so. There are many breeders that are not like
that, they breed strictly to generate an "income".
I also breed
to better the breed. What does that mean? It means to
produce the Maltese that people read about on AKC site,
and see in the show dog pictures. The AKC has a
standard for a reason so that the Maltese will stay a
Maltese and the beauty that lies therein. To me the
site of a Maltese in full show coat is such an
incredible site that no other breed can compare to.
The Maltese
breed is a breed that does require much more care that short
coated larger breeds. Maltese need to be brushed
daily when in full coat. If the Maltese dog is a pet
and in a "puppy cut" they still need to be cleaned up
and groomed every 4-6 weeks and their face washed and
kept clean daily. There are grooming videos
and/or Maltese books to teach how to groom yourself you
have to take the Maltese to be groomed.
Maltese have
very tiny mouths and must have a teeth cleaning by a vet
annually. The teeth can be cleaned frequently by the
owner to prevent the plaque build up on a daily or
weekly. Simply brushing them with a canine toothpaste
can be taught from and early age.
 Maltese
puppies love attention need to be loved and socialized from
the very early time
of a couple of weeks old when they start to get around
and the mom will not get stressed out having them be
touched and held. There are stages a puppy goes through
mentally that if not handled correctly produce a timid,
shy puppy. Puppies need to be trained and taught before
they ever go to their new home at 12 weeks old. It is a
foundation that a breeder must lay and then the new
owners can build on it. Touching their feet, laying
them on their back, touching their face, and checking
their teeth are just a few of the things that need and
must be done. Then when the puppy is grown it will
trust humans and be relaxed being held, given a vet
exam, riding in the car or having it's teeth checked by
a vet, or in a show Maltese the judge.
In the
Maltese pet "industry" there are very few AKC Maltese breeders
whom have the Maltese breed at heart. I own, show,
and breed Maltese because I really do truly love the AKC
Maltese breed. I try my very hardest to breed
quality healthy happy puppies that are potential show
dogs and when that does not happen they will be a loving
gorgeous Maltese pet that does look like ones I saw in
the pictures years ago.
Breeding is a
tremendous responsibility and a huge undertaking
financially if done correctly. To purchase a Maltese
show puppy is between $3,000.00 - $5,000.00 with also
requiring a strict contractual agreement and for a
female show puppy you may owe a puppy back that is of
show quality from the first litter produced. Unless you
buy a finished champion you also have to take that
Maltese show puppy raise it, train it, and show it to
it's AKC Confirmation Championship. Some Maltese
breeders owner handle their Maltese themselves which I
really commend, due to the traveling and the competition
in the ring.
On the other hand there are breeders that are like
myself and do to personal responsibilities must use a
professional handler. On occasions at local shows I do
show my Maltese. Either way it is very expensive.
After you
have finished your Maltese to it's championship, there
comes the option to breed it. Where do you go? Do you
have a male Maltese stud champion? If you do not then
you must go to another kennel and pay to have the dog
bred to the very best sire you can of course better
the Maltese breed. That costs about $500.00-$1,000.00,
you also have the flight there and back which is about
$200.00 each way including a health certificate and
health testing.
After the
breeding a couple of months go by and it is time for the
puppies to come. Sometimes they are born naturally and
other times the mom must have a c-section which is about
$600.00-$800.00. At that time you may have a puppy die or the
whole litter may die. At any rate you take the puppies
home and you hope they will survive. Often times after
a c-section the mothers milk may have trouble coming in
then you must wake up every two hours and "tube feed"
the Maltese puppies. It is much like have a brand new
infant but harder because tube feeding has to be done
correctly or they can get fluid in their lungs and die
and you may have 2 or 3 to feed.
Breeding is
also a sacrifice because of the responsibility of not
being able to pick up and leave when ever you want.
Maltese are a breed that is a "companion breed". They
do not do well at all when they are left at a boarding
facility and if you have multiple dogs it would get very
expensive. So taking weekend adventures with your
family is not an option unless you are fortunate to have
a very trusted friend or family member to come in and
take care of your precious Maltese that are worth
thousands of dollars.
So why do I
breed then? There is nothing like the feeling when I
know that I have enriched the lives of people whom want
to own a Maltese. I take great care in choosing my
Maltese homes. I have a questionnaire on my site for
people to fill out so that I know more about them. I
also give references and my veterinarians name and phone
number in case anybody wants to know more about me.
There is a
huge industry in the Maltese breed right now. The
internet offers us the capability to share information about the
breed and our breeding programs so that people can make
an informed decision if they want to buy a Maltese puppy
from us. It is a really special feeling knowing that you
have Maltese all over the United States. On the other
the internet has many many bad breeders that
breed on very large scale substandard Maltese to
generate a huge amount of revenue with many sick puppies
being sold and many sick adults living in tortuous
conditions.
My hopes for
the future are to protect the breed of the Maltese. All
of it, the size, the health the look and the temperament
of the breed. I will do that through careful breeding
of a sire and dam to produce the next show prospect,
show quality Maltese that will again
produce my next show Maltese. There are of course going
to be puppies from these breedings that will need a nice pet
home and we carefully seek the right home for these
puppies. I breed with integrity and
give my dogs the best veterinarian care I can, the best
food I can, and the love that I have to give. I want to
be able to help people to avoid the mistakes I made when
I first got my first Maltese. There is a wonderful site
that describes the things to consider about finding an
ethical breeder
click here. Another site is
www.malteseonly.com the largest Maltese site on the internet.
 The
Maltese breed is truly amazing! Please visit us
again at
www.majestymaltese.com
and watch for Maltese information, Maltese books,
Maltese pictures, Maltese links and more.
Carrie -
Call 970-631-7940 MST
Majesty Maltese –
www.majestymaltese.com
Fort Collins, Colorado
Email:
majesty.maltese@gmail.com
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