Adopt a Maltese the direct way, owner to owner, and learn what to check and what a fair adoption fee looks like before you bring one home.
Maltese
Maltese mix
Maltese
Maltese
Maltese
Maltese mix
Maltese mix
Maltese
Maltese adoption is one of the kindest ways to bring this gentle white lapdog home. On Petmeetly, most adoption happens owner to owner: a current family that can no longer keep their Maltese connects directly with the next one.
Below you'll find why Maltese get rehomed, what a fair fee is, what to check in an adult dog, and how to adopt safely. The Maltese listed above are looking for new homes right now, so read on before you commit.
Short answer
Most Maltese are rehomed for human reasons, not because anything is wrong with the dog. The biggest one is the grooming: the silky white coat mats fast and needs daily care, and many owners underestimate it. Add separation anxiety and the cost of toy-breed vet care, and a hard patch can turn into a rehoming. More than a million US households give up a pet every year.
The grooming is the surprise. A Maltese coat has no undercoat, so it mats fast without daily brushing, and it needs a professional groom every four to six weeks. New owners often underestimate the work and the cost.
Maltese also bond hard to their people and can bark or fret when left alone, which catches some owners off guard. With patience and slow practice, most settle.
The human reasons are just as common. Among US households that gave up a pet for a pet-related reason, about a quarter said they could not afford medical care. Most rehomed Maltese are healthy, devoted dogs whose family hit a hard patch, and you are giving one a soft landing.
New to this? Start with our dog adopter's checklist.
Know this before you adopt a Maltese:
Weighing another small, silky companion? You can also adopt a Yorkshire Terrier, which asks for similar grooming and company.
Short answer
With an adult Maltese, what you see is what you get. The dog is often already house-trained, its temperament is known, and the spay or neuter, vaccines, and microchip are usually done. And because Maltese live 12 to 15 years or more, even a "senior" Maltese at 9 often has many good years ahead.
Meeting the real adult dog beats gambling on a puppy. An adult Maltese usually arrives already spayed or neutered, meaning desexed so it cannot breed. It is often vaccinated and microchipped, fitted with a tiny ID chip under the skin. So the upfront cost comes in lower than for a puppy.
A Maltese is often called a senior around 9 or 10, yet many stay bright into their teens. A senior Maltese asks for a warm lap, short walks, gentle grooming, and your company. Older dogs do need more vet and dental care, so plan for that.
A genuine owner can answer all of these easily. Ask them before you commit, following the AKC's questions for adopting a dog.
The trust move is simple: ask for the vet's name and have the records sent to your own clinic, and you can call the vet as a reference. A real owner will share both.
Short answer
A Maltese breed rescue usually charges about $325 to $625, because the dog comes already spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and vet-checked. An owner-to-owner rehoming fee is smaller, usually $50 to $250, and should rarely top $300. Many rescues discount senior Maltese to around $150. Either way it costs far less than a puppy, with the vet work already done.
On platforms like Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet, the owner keeps the full fee. A breed rescue charges more because the dog comes spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and vet-checked. Be wary of anyone treating a Maltese like a high-priced sale, because that is not rehoming. Want a puppy instead? Read what a Maltese puppy price really covers, with guidance from Adopt-a-Pet.
A simple way to set expectations is the 3-3-3 guide. Give the dog about 3 days to decompress, meaning settle and calm down, then 3 weeks to settle into a routine, and 3 months to truly feel at home.
A newly adopted Maltese may be quiet, clingy, or unsettled. Give it a calm, warm, quiet space, keep things low-key, and do not force interaction.
The dog learns the house rules and its real personality shows. Set a steady routine, and keep up the daily brushing and short walks.
Most dogs need about three months to fully trust a new home. Keep the routine steady, and a Maltese becomes a devoted little shadow.
Keep things calm and predictable, and give a small, sometimes anxious dog a warm, quiet spot of its own. At handoff, update the microchip to your name so the dog is registered to you. A microchip only holds an ID number, so get the dog's actual vet records too. The 3-3-3 guide is a reminder to go slow, not a strict schedule.
Short answer
To adopt safely, meet the dog in person before any money changes hands, and never pay a deposit to hold a dog you have not seen. Real rehoming does not involve shipping a dog to you or paying by wire, gift card, or crypto. Pay only at the in-person handoff, ideally by a traceable method, and complete a simple transfer of ownership.
You want to see where the dog has been living, and you can do the final handoff and payment in a safe, agreed place. Pay at handoff, never before, and update the microchip registration. The Animal Legal Defense Fund and Adopt-a-Pet give the same advice. For more on spotting fake sellers, read our guide on how to avoid puppy scams.
Petmeetly connects you directly with owners rehoming their Maltese. The dogs available for adoption are listed near the top of this page. Use the questions and safety checks above before you commit. Set on a puppy instead? See our Maltese buyer guide.
Sources
Get answers to common questions about adopting Malteses responsibly
Most Maltese are rehomed for human reasons, not because anything is wrong with the dog. The biggest one is the grooming: the silky white coat mats fast and needs daily care, and many owners underestimate it. Separation anxiety and the cost of toy-breed vet care add to it. More than a million US households give up a pet each year, and a rehomed Maltese is usually a healthy, devoted dog whose family hit a hard patch.
A breed rescue usually charges about $325 to $625, because the dog is already spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and vet-checked. An owner-to-owner rehoming fee is smaller, usually $50 to $250, and should rarely top $300, and many rescues discount senior Maltese to around $150. Either way it is far less than a puppy, with the upfront vet work already done.
With an adult Maltese, what you see is what you get. It is often already house-trained, its temperament is known, and the spay or neuter, vaccines, and microchip are usually done, so the upfront cost is lower. Because Maltese live 12 to 15 years or more, even a "senior" Maltese at 9 often has many good years ahead.
Check the coat for hidden mats and the eyes for tear staining, and ask how the dog is groomed and how it handles being left alone. Ask about any cough (tracheal collapse), knee-skipping (luxating patella), dental issues, or liver problems, and confirm it is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. Ask for the vet records to come to your own clinic.
Meet the dog in person before any money changes hands, and never pay a deposit for a dog you have not seen or let anyone ship a dog to you. Pay only at the in-person handoff, ideally by a traceable method, and update the microchip to your name. Be wary of wire, gift card, or crypto payment requests, which are common in rehoming scams.
More vetted material for Maltese adopters
A standards-backed dog adopter's checklist covering readiness (lifestyle, budget, household), questions to ask the previous owner or shelter, your 30-day supplies and paperwork kit, the 3-3-3 decompression rule, and long-term care.
Find out how to re-home your pet responsibly. Learn the steps to ensure a safe and smooth transition for your pet into a new loving home.
Find loving dogs of various breeds waiting for their forever homes
Browse Maltese looking for new homes on Petmeetly, then use the checks above before you meet and commit.
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