Hello! My name is Winston, and I just might be the cutest little dog you’ve ever seen!
Quick Facts:
- Breed: Maltese mix
- Gender: Male, neutered
- Age: 8 years old
- Size: 7 pounds
- Good with…
- Dogs? Yes!
- Cats? Yes!
- Kids? Yes! 8+
History
I was found wandering the streets of Kentucky and landed in a shelter there after being picked up by Animal Control. I was in pretty rough shape but luckily the nice people at CDR saw how cute I was and decided to take me in and before I knew it, I was headed to a new life in New York! I’ve loved being at my foster home but I would love it even more to find my forever home. Could it be with you?
Personality
I absolutely love being with my people (especially women)! I’m a bit of a ladies man and while I will warm up to men over time ( I do cuddle up in my foster dad’s lap sometimes and go to him for pets and cuddles), I tend to be more comfortable with women. My foster mom calls me her shadow because almost everywhere she goes, I go, too! I love to be in her lap and will lay in your lap all day if you adopt me! I like to sleep curled up or sometimes on my back with my legs in the air (extra cute!) and I love to snuggle, be close to you, and get belly rubs and ear massages! I’m not much of a kisser, but will give you a small smooch once in a while!
I am quite a little playful guy, and I love to fetch soft toys and run and play with them! My most favorite toy is a soft stuffed lamb—I just LOVE that lamb. My foster mom’s mother has a lamb at her house, and every time we visit, as soon as I get to her house, the first thing I do is go search it out! Then I am so happy to play fetch and chew and squeak with it throughout the visit! I occasionally get the zoomies, where I will just run and run around the room, which seems to crack everyone up! Then, I tire myself out and will go take a nap in my soft bed or will sprawl out on the sofa.
I am calm and quiet but will bark if someone knocks on the door. I’m crate trained but may fuss a bit when I first go in. I’d much rather be with you than in my crate! I sleep all night on my foster parents’ bed and am quiet all night. I’m not much of a morning dog so if you want to sleep in, I’m game for that, too, and I do not appreciate the cold, so in winter, only like to go out long enough to do my business and then come right back in!
I have been working on housebreaking skills and am doing really well! I’m having at most 1 pee accident per week at this point because my foster mom is diligent about making sure I have a chance to go outside every hour or two! That’s a lot of progress from where I was when I first arrived! I’m a smart cookie!
I’m great in the car and I go out on errands with my foster mom a lot as she brings me along in one of those neato cross-body bags! I meet lots of nice people that way and I like seeing what all the stores have to offer! When I meet people out in public, I never bark at them, but when I meet people in my house or my “grandma’s” house (aka “my territory”), I will bark a little bit at first, before warming up and making them my friend! My foster mom thinks I am doing my job of protecting her a tiny bit!
Cohabitation
People are my favorite! I am friendly with everyone but do love women best! Because I’m so people oriented, I would do best where someone is home a lot of the time. I just love being with my family!
I am fine with kids as long as they are respectful and gentle. Since I’m so small, kids 8+ might be best as they will understand they need to be careful with me (and not accidentally fall on or step on me)!
I pretty much ignore the cats I live with but sometimes will go sniff them just to see what they smell like. I don’t bother them at all!
I don’t really play with other dogs and don’t like other dogs in my face. I would likely live just fine with another calm, respectful dog once we got to know each other, but being an only dog would be awesome, as I love being the center of attention and getting all the belly rubs!
Favorite Activities
- Belly rubs!
- Ear massages!
- Snuggling!
- Playing/fetching soft toys! My soft lamb!!
Medical
In general, I am in good health. When I first arrived, my teeth were hurting and in poor condition, so I had some teeth pulled and am feeling much, much better. I do still need to eat either wet food or hot water-softened kibble; I don’t seem to be comfortable chewing on hard things like hard kibble. I also had crystals in my urine, but I switched to a different food and that is cleared up now (but should be monitored to make sure they don’t return). I have a soft heart murmur but the vet was not concerned about it at all, just something to keep an eye on!
Summary
I am such a sweet, loving, playful little guy! I have so much love to give and I hope that you will consider adding me to your family!
If you are interested in adopting me, please fill out an online adoption application and live close to Ithaca , Syracuse, Binghamton, Rochester, or Elmira. We do home visits on every applicant, and can’t do home visits where we don’t have local volunteers.
