Therapy Maltese Shitzu Mix - Logan

by Francesca
(Albuquerque NM)

Logan

I got my Maltese Shitzu mix Logan when he was nine months old. He was offered on a free website by someone who couldn't keep him because they were moving into an apartment. She didn't answer me but about three days later, there was another posting on the website about him.

I contacted that woman and she dropped him off at my house. I didn't get a chance to say whether or not I would take him... she just brought him and his things and said "here". She stated her son and husband were both allergic to him.

The first night he was in my home, my fiance was upset because he didn't want another dog (we had a German Shepherd) and especially a little one. When it was time to go to bed, I made Logan a little bed next to my side of the bed but he had none of that; he jumped up on my bed to sleep. Well I thought I'd never and certainly my fiance would never let a dog sleep in our bed but there Logan was... curled up at the bottom of my bed next to my feet.

Since I went to bed before my fiance, Logan and I were fast asleep by the time he came to bed. When he entered the room, Logan, true to his breeds, started to growl and bark at him. I calmed Logan down but from that day forward, my fiance was enamored with him. He liked his spunk and protectiveness. And Logan continues to sleep in our bed.

I am a therapist and have used Logan as a therapy dog with children. He's fantastic and intuitively seems to know what each child needs... whether he needs to play with them or just if he needs to sit quietly next to them while they pet him. He has been instrumental in helping some of the children who have come from abusive homes, to relax and and open up. He gets them to laugh which is not always an easy chore to do with children who've been hurt and abused. He is truly a sweet and loving dog.

My Maltese Shih tzu mix goes almost everywhere with me and is so well trained, that most people don't even know he's there. He's not a barker, whiner, or yelper. He gets along well with other dogs especially big dogs since he was raised with a German Shepherd and is a hit at the local dog park. In fact, one friend wondered if he was a real dog because he was so well behaved then she saw him playing with his squeaker toy!

Oh, and the 'allergies' that woman's kid and husband had, it was because he was so matted and was an outside dog, that he carried whatever pollen from his yard onto him. Once he was professional groomed, he was just fine.

I've never loved a dog quite the way I love this little guy... he's enchanted everyone he's ever come in contact with even men who don't like small dogs.