Meet Stella — one of Ardenwoods' newest pups

In honor of National Pet Month, we are proud to introduce Stella, as one of the newest four-legged additions to the Ardenwoods family.

Linda Stockton, Stella’s human mother, moved to Ardenwoods two years ago with her third Maltese, Mica. Due to old age and medical complications, Mica sadly passed away in late March of 2024.

“Mica was my heart, but she was starting to fail. She was 14, and she had arthritis, a heart murmur, and collapsed trachea. It’s still rough on some days,” said Linda.

Linda did not jump to get another dog, but when she came across a ‘puppy for adoption’ posting on the Facebook page “Mandy’s Maltese,” she jumped at the chance to meet the remaining puppy from a recent litter.

Linda fell in love with Stella at first sight and immediately adopted the two-pound pup. Linda considered naming her new companion Tig after the comedian Tig Notaro, whom she likes to watch, thinking that Tig would be a cute name for a small dog. However, her brother in Indiana, who encouraged Linda to adopt, insisted that he be able to name her Stella.

“She’s a very sweet, very smart little girl. She is catching on to her training really well. She’s up to over four pounds and getting to have some long legs,” said Linda.

Stella is even starting to understand verbal commands, as well.

“The first word I taught her was stay so that when I open the apartment door, she doesn’t go barreling out in the hall. Super important,” Linda said.

In addition to much training, Linda and Stella play and exercise several times a day, enjoying the warmer weather.

“Stella’s just learned to fetch, which I think is good for 20 weeks old. I throw her toy and tell her to bring it back to me. We go for walks; however, leash training has not been the easiest. She’s like a little whirly kid and gets herself all tangled.” After a long day of play, Stella favors collapsing on the floor, where she sleeps on Linda’s feet like a “foot warmer,” said Linda.

Stella is also very social and loves receiving visitors and meeting other four-legged friends at Ardenwoods. Ardenwoods is home to dogs, cats, and other pets of all shapes and sizes. And now that Stella has finished her required shots, she loves meeting and playing with other four-legged Ardenwoods residents and their owners.

Ardenwoods is ideal for dog owners due to its fenced dog yard, miles of wooded walking trails, and welcoming pet-culture. Ardenwoods ‘pet board’ displayed in one of the common areas gives residents a chance to meet all the communities pets — learning what they look like, their name, breed, owners, and more. Ardenwoods also places photos and names of pets outside resident’s apartments in case of a fire or evacuation to alert rescue personnel of pets inside.

Linda adores the pet-centric community at Ardenwoods and praises other resident’s and staff’s support through the loss of Mica and the new adoption of Stella.

“People just really rallied around me when I lost Mica. They knew how close I was to her. Just absolutely adored her. And then when I decided to get a puppy, they did the same thing,” she said.

With her new furry friend to introduce to friends and family, Linda looks forward to this summer when her “Stella-naming” brother will visit. She also looks forward to having Stella graduate from leash training and out of her puppy stroller to explore more of the trails at Ardenwoods.

“I’m glad I made that decision to get Stella. I was really kind of scared. I always worked when I had my other puppies, so I never had the time or energy to have so much playtime. I managed large law firms and worked long hours. So, this is very different puppy time and really fun,” said Linda.