Kentucky veterinarian Dr. Matt McGlasson was handed a sick 0.8-pound Maltese puppy and a request to put her down. Her owners had paid a breeder a "pretty good amount of money" for her, but when the puppy, later named Chickie, stopped eating and the vet bills added up, they decided they were done. McGlasson refused the euthanasia and took her home "to foster," quietly fearing she wouldn't survive the week. Eight years later, Chickie is a healthy 5 pounds, flies to his speaking conferences around the world, and has her own TikTok account.
The euthanasia request Dr. Matt McGlasson refused
Chickie's first owners bought her from a breeder as a designer puppy and brought her to the Kentucky veterinary practice where McGlasson worked twice for parasite and parvo checks while she was sick. The third visit, they said they didn't want to spend any more money on her and asked for her to be humanely euthanized. She weighed 0.8 pounds. McGlasson could hold her in one hand.
"I said I really don't feel comfortable putting this puppy to sleep," he later explained in a viral TikTok video on his @dr.mattmcglasson account. He hadn't offered to take her, but the owner did: "Well, do you want her? You can have her." So the "foster" began.
From 0.8 pounds to a McGlasson family member
McGlasson planned to nurse the Maltese puppy back to health and rehome her with a loving family, if she made it at all. Weeks of care later she was eating, growing, and by then he and his wife had fallen in love. The foster became a forever adoption, and the puppy nobody would treat became Chickie, a permanent member of the McGlasson family.
He later shared one more detail. The original owner came back to the practice with a brand-new puppy a week after surrendering her.
Chickie today: gym mornings, airplane cabins, and her own TikTok
Eight years on, Chickie is a healthy 5-pound Maltese. She goes to the gym with Dr. McGlasson every morning at 6, sleeps in bed with both parents, and flies with them to the medical conferences where he speaks. "I never considered myself to be a 'little dog person,' but I've been obsessed with Chickie from day one," he said. She runs her own TikTok account, @chickiethechick, while his @dr.mattmcglasson account keeps the rescue story in front of millions of followers.
What Chickie's story teaches about surrender, vet costs, and second chances
Money drives most surrender-to-euthanasia requests like Chickie's. More than 6.3 million pets enter American shelters every year, and an estimated 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized annually, often because shelters have no space. The other options deserve a conversation first: payment plans, financial-aid programs, breed-specific rescues, or pet insurance bought before the emergency.
A puppy who stops eating needs a vet fast, because small breeds like the Maltese have almost no body weight to lose before they're in crisis. And if you do adopt a rescued puppy, size drives everything from feeding to exercise limits. The breed-by-breed growth charts are the practical next step.
Follow @dr.mattmcglasson on TikTok or Instagram for updates on Chickie and the rest of his rescue crew. If a sick puppy ever lands in your life, ask your veterinarian about every option before you decide anything. If cost is the barrier, say so out loud. Most practices would rather find a plan than see a treatable puppy put down.