Maestro - One in a Million
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So why does Maestro get his very own page? Well, he has enough personality to fill one all on his own! This is Maestro's story.
We bought Maestro as a stud prospect - our first stud prospect in fact, back in February of 2006. I had fallen in love with the parti color poms and had found a breeder who was taking deposits on her new babies. I knew I would have to act quickly if I was to hold one of these little gems, and I had to choose between 2 boys. Both were black and white, but one had a narrow blaze and one had a wider blaze. I asked the breeder which one seemed to be the more docile and relaxed of the two at that stage, and it was Maestro. Being quite green around the ears, we went ahead and placed our deposit. 6 weeks or so later, we met the breeder and got to take Maestro home. The breeder was very eager to see him go. It was then that we found out that he had developed into the holy terror of the litter. Since he looked like he was wearing a tux and tails, and with my own musical background, we settled on the name Maestro for him - and he ran the show ever since.
Maestro came home at about 8 or 9 weeks old, an average size pom puppy. He was full of life, and very social. We thought he had a very big personality trapped in a little dog...and then he kept growing, and growing! When he had jumped over the 7 pound mark and still a youngster, we knew that he would never be suitable as a stud - he was just too big. How could this be? Both of his parents were 5 pounds! He wasn't done yet, and even after being neutered continued to grow until he hit his final weight of nearly 16 pounds! Of course by this time, he had thoroughly worked his way into our hearts and we could not bear for him not to stay as a member of the family. This was not without its trials however - remember what I said about being a holy horror? Well, he was that and more. Nearly every single day for at least the first two years of his life he would destroy something. Every. Single. Day. This ranged from small things like toilet paper rolls to nicer things, like my moms brand new set of glasses. He discovered the entire world directly through his mouth. Added to that, I think he still stands as being the smartest and one of the most athletic dogs we have ever had, big or small. Where most dogs would forget or give up about something they weren't allowed to have if you set it up out of range, he would remember - even days later, that there was something he wanted and where we had put it. From there, he would open drawers and cupboards, jump up, dig in, even moving multiple objects or furniture to create himself a path where he could get to the desired object. This included pushing chairs across the room. It was very hard to keep things out of reach of a dog that could reason better than most toddler children. Eventually we ended up putting child locks on any cupboards and doors, got an extra high dog gate to close off an area for him when we were away, and basically mega child-proofed the house. Even then, we still would run into some interesting situations. Every possible item that could be seen as something he might find interesting had to be put away and definitely not to be left on the kitchen table or counter tops.
Despite being such an amazingly smart dog, it took us nearly 2 yrs of consistent potty training before we finally got him trained. As a mature dog, he became the most trustworthy and reliable of all the dogs for potty business! People asked why we didn't get rid of him, he had cost us a ton of money. Our response...we just didn't want to give up on him and he was my best friend. Time and patience would eventually win out. At the time I wrote this, he was about 8 yrs old and once in a while he still had his moments, but overall he turned out to be one heck of a dog. He still loved his toys, but at least was now pretty good about leaving our stuff alone. Yay, no more child locks! He would have been such a star had we taken him into agility! Even as a senior dog, he was still incredibly athletic and could jump, turn and run strong.
Maestro always thought he was the dad and guardian of any puppies born here and he would keep other dogs away from mom and babes when they were new. Once the puppies had eyes open and started to move around too much though, he happily gave up daddy duty and would jump up on the bed where he knew they could not reach him. They learned that they can only play with him at times of his choosing.
He was by my side through thick and thin and was the most devoted and loyal dog. We had nearly 16 yrs together before he devastatingly crossed the rainbow bridge. It has taken me four years to update this page of his passing and I still cry my eyes out for my boy. He was laid to rest in the fall of 2020 after something mysterious had turned his lungs into 3/4 solid matter. It was like cancer, but did not test as cancer. The vet was confounded, but sadly there was nothing we could do. We took him home to pass in my arms.
I still like to tell people Maestro's story to give hope to all the owners of "bad dogs" out there. Chances are, if you are consistent and give them enough time and love, they will turn out to be wonder dogs and like Maestro, the dog of a lifetime.
We all love you Maestro! Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Maestro came home at about 8 or 9 weeks old, an average size pom puppy. He was full of life, and very social. We thought he had a very big personality trapped in a little dog...and then he kept growing, and growing! When he had jumped over the 7 pound mark and still a youngster, we knew that he would never be suitable as a stud - he was just too big. How could this be? Both of his parents were 5 pounds! He wasn't done yet, and even after being neutered continued to grow until he hit his final weight of nearly 16 pounds! Of course by this time, he had thoroughly worked his way into our hearts and we could not bear for him not to stay as a member of the family. This was not without its trials however - remember what I said about being a holy horror? Well, he was that and more. Nearly every single day for at least the first two years of his life he would destroy something. Every. Single. Day. This ranged from small things like toilet paper rolls to nicer things, like my moms brand new set of glasses. He discovered the entire world directly through his mouth. Added to that, I think he still stands as being the smartest and one of the most athletic dogs we have ever had, big or small. Where most dogs would forget or give up about something they weren't allowed to have if you set it up out of range, he would remember - even days later, that there was something he wanted and where we had put it. From there, he would open drawers and cupboards, jump up, dig in, even moving multiple objects or furniture to create himself a path where he could get to the desired object. This included pushing chairs across the room. It was very hard to keep things out of reach of a dog that could reason better than most toddler children. Eventually we ended up putting child locks on any cupboards and doors, got an extra high dog gate to close off an area for him when we were away, and basically mega child-proofed the house. Even then, we still would run into some interesting situations. Every possible item that could be seen as something he might find interesting had to be put away and definitely not to be left on the kitchen table or counter tops.
Despite being such an amazingly smart dog, it took us nearly 2 yrs of consistent potty training before we finally got him trained. As a mature dog, he became the most trustworthy and reliable of all the dogs for potty business! People asked why we didn't get rid of him, he had cost us a ton of money. Our response...we just didn't want to give up on him and he was my best friend. Time and patience would eventually win out. At the time I wrote this, he was about 8 yrs old and once in a while he still had his moments, but overall he turned out to be one heck of a dog. He still loved his toys, but at least was now pretty good about leaving our stuff alone. Yay, no more child locks! He would have been such a star had we taken him into agility! Even as a senior dog, he was still incredibly athletic and could jump, turn and run strong.
Maestro always thought he was the dad and guardian of any puppies born here and he would keep other dogs away from mom and babes when they were new. Once the puppies had eyes open and started to move around too much though, he happily gave up daddy duty and would jump up on the bed where he knew they could not reach him. They learned that they can only play with him at times of his choosing.
He was by my side through thick and thin and was the most devoted and loyal dog. We had nearly 16 yrs together before he devastatingly crossed the rainbow bridge. It has taken me four years to update this page of his passing and I still cry my eyes out for my boy. He was laid to rest in the fall of 2020 after something mysterious had turned his lungs into 3/4 solid matter. It was like cancer, but did not test as cancer. The vet was confounded, but sadly there was nothing we could do. We took him home to pass in my arms.
I still like to tell people Maestro's story to give hope to all the owners of "bad dogs" out there. Chances are, if you are consistent and give them enough time and love, they will turn out to be wonder dogs and like Maestro, the dog of a lifetime.
We all love you Maestro! Thank you for sharing your life with us.
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