Miat the Maltese

by Clifford Vincent Arrow
August 2008

We have a new member of the Arrow family. His name is Miat. He is a Maltese, born on 22 May 2008 and comes from Petite Paws Kennel of Willow Spring, NC. The owner, Kristy Humphries, has an impressive, clean, well-thought out, air conditioned kennel where her Maltese dogs are free to enter from and exit to a fenced-in outside area.

Kristy's Kennel

12 July 2008: This is Miat (left) with his littermate (right) at Kristy's kennel. Miat is 7 weeks old. The pups sleep a lot.

Puppy's (a Maltese) Ride Home in a Crate

The Ride Home

25 July 2008: Miat is 9 weeks old. I picked up our new Maltese puppy from Kristy on 25 July 2008 when he was about 9 weeks old. Kristy was kind enough to start calling our new pup by our chosen name: "Miat" (as in Mazda Miata, but without the 'a').

Before today, I bought a double-door crate (22" x 13" x 16") from amazon.com for $41. This crate from Midwest Life Stages comes with an adjustable partition that allows a pup's living area to be adjusted to a space big enough to allow him to turn around in yet small enough that encourages him to "hold it" until he can go potty outside. Two tie-downs secure the crate in the cargo area during Miat's trip to his new home. Also, the crate

Understandably, Miat was stressed to leave his familiar Maltese family, including his litter mate. He started crying about mid way during the 15 minute or so drive to his new home.

Puppy Miat (a Maltese) Exploring His New Environment

Miat on the Prowl

Before entering his new home for the first time, Miat has about 10 minutes to drink water and a chance to begin an association of the act of pottying with with an area of his choice. (See The Puppy Whisperer.)

Unfortunately, Miat did not hear the call of nature during his initial prowl.

Miat's New Bed

In addition to his crate, Miat also has new bed, the Petmate 25-Inch Burrow Bed. Initially, I was afraid that Miat would not like the burrow bed because (1) it might be too hot especially in the summer or (2) this Maltese puppy might not have the tendency to burrow, e.g., terriers. I needn't have worried. The burrow bed has been a big hit with Miat. He is usually eager to leap into it and snuggle, especially when he hasn't seen it for a bit. If he gets too hot, he will either stay on the floor or retreat to his crate.