Is there a good Maltese breeder in IA or Quad-Cities?

January 25, 2011 8:51 AM

Does anyone know a good breeder for Maltese dogs in Iowa? Or even the Quad-Cities (Davenport/Bettendorf/Rock Island)? Iowa has a lot of puppy mills and I don't want anything to do with them. I'm looking for a reputable breeder that cares about health and personality. Thanks.
posted by lynnie-the-pooh to Pets & Animals (4 answers total)

The best place to start is the breed club: American Maltese Association.

They list one breeder in Iowa.
posted by Ostara at 8:54 AM on January 25, 2011

Petfinder.

Please consider adoption. There are 936 Malteses in Iowa that desperately need a home, right now.
posted by srrh at 10:02 AM on January 25, 2011 [2 favorites]

Iowa Maltese Rescue?
posted by Madamina at 11:11 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]

Even if you decide not to adopt I would strongly recommend making contact with the Maltese rescue. Breed rescue folks often hang out with (or are themselves) ethical breeders. We adopted our two Italian greyhounds from a breed rescue and met several quality breeders through meetups, play dates, helping with a rescue booth at dog show, etc. In my opinion, one sign of a good breeder is that he or she cultivates a collegial relationship with a reputable breed rescue.

If "personality" is very important to you (and of course it should be) one advantage of adopting from a rescue is the chance to talk to your potential dog's foster family, which can give you an excellent idea of the dog's personality, any health issues, its history, etc.

Good luck.
posted by Neofelis at 4:03 PM on January 25, 2011