Breed: Maltese
Date of birth: 6.12.2017.
Gender: Female
Neck circumference: 23cm
Chest circumference: 36cm
Base of neck to base of tail: 28cm
Height to shoulder: 22cm
Weight: 3.5kg 

Snow-white, feather-light and serenely unbothered by the world around her, Arri-Elle is a Maltese whose spirit animal, according to her owner, is a koala. The comparison is affectionate and entirely accurate. She is calm, sweet and happiest in close company, content to follow her owner’s daughter on horseback or doze in her arms depending on the day’s demands. She shares her home with five other Maltese, a parrot and a collection of African pygmy hedgehogs, which speaks volumes about the composed, sociable nature that makes her so easy to be around.

The Maltese is among the oldest of all toy breeds, depicted in the paintings of Titian and other Renaissance masters and treasured by the European aristocracy for centuries. Mary Queen of Scots is said to have kept one close to her even in her final hours and the breed’s association with refinement and gentle companionship has never really faded. More recently the Maltese has found favour with figures including Elizabeth Taylor and Halle Berry, maintaining its place as a byword for understated elegance in a small, beautiful package. Arri-Elle reinforces that tradition with her immaculate white coat and her show ring credentials, having trained to the standard required for Crufts competition where she executes her gaiting, stacking and directional movement with practised composure.

Arri-Elle’s show training gives her a specific and valuable skill set. She runs, walks, turns and stands on command with the precision that comes from serious ring preparation and she sits, lies down and comes to call with equal reliability. That level of obedience makes her a dependable choice for period drama, literary adaptations and any production requiring the archetypally elegant lapdog. Her particular delight in lying on her back – relaxed, trusting and entirely at ease – is a disarming quality that would serve any scene calling for a dog who simply radiates contentment. For commercials or branded content where serenity and warmth are the brief, she delivers both without effort.

A pure white Maltese coat is one of the most striking canvases in the animal world and Arri-Elle’s is immaculate. Luxury homeware brands, high-end fragrance campaigns and premium pet care labels would each find in her the kind of effortless visual purity that is almost impossible to manufacture through styling alone. Her show ring stillness means she holds position beautifully for composition-led photography and her calm, untroubled temperament keeps shoots unhurried. Bridal and occasion wear brands seeking a canine accessory with genuine grace would find her a natural collaborator and her social media presence at Bellissimo Maltese on both Instagram and Facebook gives any campaign an organic extension to an already engaged audience.