My first dog as a adult was a puppy we named Mandy. I wanted a Maltese because of my allergies and asthma. Being ignorant of puppy mills I bought her from a pet store. She came with a free vet visit who said she was in good health. Didn’t like the vet so took her to a different one for her shots. Turns out that her heart valve doesn’t close and her heart is enlarging. We have had her 2 weeks and she needs heart surgery for 4K. I had charged her so told pet store to refund or I will dispute the charges. They want her back and will give me a healthy puppy and I say no. I get my money back. Turns out if I had stayed with the first vet Mandy would have died shortly after she was one and her warranty would have been up. She has been the sweetest dog ever. Today we say goodbye due to kidney disease and dementia. She was the inspiration for the Maltese Mansion and we have adopted mill dogs and went to many animal events to educate people about puppy mills. In fact I typed up Mandy’s story as a puppy and Josie’s story as a mill breeder to hand out to people. Needless to say we are heartbroken.