Meet Petunia

Petunia has a unique personality. She growl-talks to communicate what she wants, for instance wanting us to make space on our laps for her or wanting to go out on the balcony to rub her body on the rug. She's not a big barker, but she does a little howl when she's excited. She loves food and will do a number of tricks for treats. Her faves are cheese, carrots and big, crunchy lettuce leaves.

Petunia has mild seperation anxiety and is inconsistent about how she reacts when left alone. One day she'll not make a sound and take a nap, another she'll bark and howl. Leaving on the TV or turning on some music for her will often help. Last month she was listening to a lot of Raggae and this week she's discovering the Twilight soundtrack.

Maltese are very energetic for a small breed. Petunia could run and play all day. She loves playing fetch and tug and meeting other dogs and people. Maltese are a social breed, so I am often organizing playdates for our girl. Petunia is never happier than when she's playing chase with a Border Collie or an Australian Shepherd, because they can properly chase her.

While I had read about the grooming requirements, the true scale of how much grooming she needs was surprising. A lot of time is dedicated to bathing, brushing, combing out her eye buggers and drying her mouth after drinking. As we didn't want to spend a lot of money for professional grooming, we bought the equipment and learned how to do it ourselves. She's had some unfortunate haircuts.