Puppy Adoption Questions?

First, be prepared for the "teacup" backlash. To put it shortly, "teacup" is a term used by pet stores and backyard breeders for poorly bred runts. Perhaps you just meant "toy". "Toy" is the term used for the smallest AKC recognized dogs.

If by "adoption" you mean actual adoption through a shelter or rescue, good for you for taking a homeless dog on. If by "adoption" though you really mean purchasing, do NOT purchase a dog that someone is calling "teacup". A breeder who uses those terms is nearly always a backyard breeder or puppy mill.

As for health, again, "teacups" are prone to a strew of health issues because they are the runts being bred with runts. In general, their life spans are shorter and their medical bills longer.

Agression is something that will be determined by your dogs individual genetics, and the training you put into it. As for size, anything labeled "teacup" shouldn't grow any larger than five pounds.

there's no such thing as a "teacup" maltese. Its just a poorly bred maltese with a fake label on it and a huge price tag.

health issues.. all the health issues found in maltese, plus the health issues that come from breeding dogs to be too small- hypoglycemia, hydrocephalus, liver shunts, kidney shunts, epilepsy, etc.

aggression depends on genetics and how the dog is raised

Maltese are suppossed to be 7 pounds or less.. but substandard dogs can easily end up larger than this. I've seen puppies labelled as "teacups" end up being twice the size that the breed is suppossed to be.

Teacups are fake. They are just the poorly bred runts of the litter.Poorly bred runts are unpredictable and can't be adopted at a shelter. Just get a regular Maltese from a shelter.

"Teacup" dogs are very badly bred runts, so there are MANY health problems. Weak bones, weak organs... they're extremely frail and tend to die early in life. They may be aggressive due to poor breeding. Some get larger than "standard" Maltese, and some are smaller than normal.

There is no such thing as a teacup. They are just runts bred by people who want to make money by selling tiny dogs, when in reality they can have many health problems. I recommend doing more research and finding a suitable toy breed to buy instead. And yes, small dogs can be aggressive if not raised correctly.

theres no such thing as a teacup dog. theyre just runts of the litter that BYBs (back yard breeders) try to sell as many of to make a profit. sure theyre cute but on the inside theyre filled with diseases and they live much shorter than the regular , not teacup, dog. if i were you i would think about where i shold get my dog and NOT get a teacup puppy. its not worth it.