Chai is a 5½-year-old, 7-pound Malshipoo (½ Toy Poodle, ¼ Maltese, ¼ Shih Tzu) who has been lovingly raised since she was a puppy. She’s the definition of a sweetie-pie and certified cutie patootie—the kind of dog that melts hearts within seconds. Truly, no one seems resistant to her charm.
Chai is incredibly loving and social. She adores people (especially greeting them with enthusiastic kisses!) and gets along wonderfully with other dogs. During her stays at boarding, she thrives especially when she has a dog companion or two and attentive humans around. She seems happiest in a home with two adults and with another dog around her age, size, and temperament.
She’s also great with children and loves to run and play. Because she’s so tiny, though, she would do best in a home with older, gentle kids or mature adults who understand how delicate little dogs can be.
Chai’s ideal home would be with homebodies— people who enjoy companionship and don’t leave her alone for long stretches. She loves daytime outings (she happily hops into her carrier to be your lunch or shopping date!) and is a world-class snuggler at night. She also sleeps cozily in her padded crate solo, with or without the door open.
As perfect as she is, Chai does experience separation anxiety and has a noise phobia (especially thunder and fireworks). Living in Central Florida, that can be challenging. With recent travel and family demands, some of her confidence training has regressed. She would truly flourish in a stable, loving home with the time and patience to continue confidence-building and positive reinforcement training. She’s extremely smart, food-motivated, and eager to please—she just needs the right teacher to help her shine. She was prescribed anxiety medication for New Year’s fireworks two months ago, but it’s not something she uses regularly and noise-sensitivity training would be best in the long run.
Health-wise, Chai has been very well cared for and maintains a clean bill of health overall. She has mild seasonal allergies and a luxating patella in her back left leg. It occasionally causes a little limp if she’s had too much fun, but it causes her no pain and has only required monitoring per her vet. She would do best in a one-level home without many stairs and should avoid jumping off furniture too much. In the future, she may benefit from an orthopedic evaluation and a routine deep dental cleaning.
Chai has lived a life full of love, high-quality food, attentive care, routine grooming, and cozy comforts—and she deserves to continue living happily in that same spirit, just with more stability and presence. Rehoming her is not an easy decision; she is deeply loved. The hope is simply to find a family who has the time, structure, and devotion she needs to truly thrive.
If you’re looking for a loyal shadow, a tiny adventure buddy, and a warm snuggle companion who will adore you endlessly, Chai may be your girl.