[AD from SpringBay]

Charles Darwin theorized that the Maltese Dog breed could be as old as 6,000 years.

So, in 4,000 BC, great herds of the Maltese roamed the wind-swept steppes and rocky grags of that island. One of the lost books of Odysseus was about the time he and his sailors shipwrecked on the island of overindulged, yip-howling, ankle-beasts. It must have been them.

[lonevoice]

It must have been them.

It very well might have been, except for the yip-howling part. They're notable for their calm, quiet demeanor. So they may have snuck up on Odysseus and his crew, all crafty and stealth-like. The better to disarm them. :)