I think Chip came from a puppy mill... could they...

[Ashley V]

If Chip came from a puppy mill, which I'm positive he did, is it possible that they didn't know exactly when his birthday is? On the paperwork it says that he was born on Jan 16, 2007, but when I see pictures of pups comparable to his age at the time, they don't look the same. He seemed to mature faster than most pups so maybe he was older than what they thought...? Like around what age do pups ears stand up? Also he was almost, you might as well say, 3 lbs when we brought him home at 7 1/2 weeks old. Most pups seem to be under 2 lbs when people bring them home at 10-12 weeks. Chip isn't HUGE either. He's only between 7-8 lbs.

[TeresaM]

Hi! Sorry, but I'm not going to be a lot of help in the info department. I do know that each Yorkie is different. Some are soooo tiny at 10 weeks and others seem to be larger. I'm assuming you were not able to see the parents, that would help you a lot to know what size Chip may turn out. I think your vet may be able to help if you think he's much older then you were told. Although there isn't an absolute based on their teeth, it does give you a good ballpark.

[Tcarnagie]

When I was looking for my Yorkie, I came across a lot of dogs that were around 3 lbs at 8 weeks. I think it just depends on the size of the parents. When I found Emme, she was only 1.25 lbs at 7 weeks so she was small. My first Yorkie, Teddy, was right at 2 lbs at 8 weeks and when he passed on he was only 4.5 lbs. I think it has a lot to due with the size of the parents. Yes, I believe that they can get the papers mixed up if they are not careful. I had one breeder show me a female when I was looking for a male and she stated that the ones she was showing me were all males.

[YorkieMother]

Where did you get him from?? That be you best idea of if it is a puppymill.

It depends on the. Some pure breed papered from great breeders are large dogs into the 13 pound range and some from the same breeder are 2 pounders.


JL

[lolagrace]

Yorkies should not be taken from there moms until 12 weeks minimum. My yorkie did come from a puppy mill and was delivered to the pet store at 10 weeks which is not uncommon. Is your yorkie a year old yet? If he was 3lbs at purchase and 6-7lbs now I would say he was about 15 weeks when you adopted him. puppy mills are chaos pits and I would say very poor records are kept. Good luck with Chip, he is Adorable!!

[YorkieMother]

Originally Posted by lolagrace

Yorkies should not be taken from there moms until 12 weeks minimum. My yorkie did come from a puppy mill and was delivered to the pet store at 10 weeks which is not uncommon. Is your yorkie a year old yet? If he was 3lbs at purchase and 6-7lbs now I would say he was about 15 weeks when you adopted him. puppy mills are chaos pits and I would say very poor records are kept. Good luck with Chip, he is Adorable!!

Yeah sadly the taking home of a puppy at 12 weeks will mess up soicalization n dog very badly and that is why a great fear of fear and lack of social skills are seen in small dogs. or should I say dog in genral.

JL

[Ashley V]

We know that now he was taken away too young. Both my husband and I always had big dogs before so it was never a problem at 8 weeks. We see now where Chip does have some personality problems that probably could have been helped by staying with his mother longer. We love him anyways :-) I'm like 99% sure that he came from a puppy mill. First off all they said they had a "kennel" in PA with MULTIPLE small breeds. They didn't know exactly when Chip's birthday was and I had to actually read the papers later and when we first talked to them they said they didn't have a puppy available then called back and said they "forgot" they had a puppy. How do you forget you have a puppy in your house?! Chip also wasn't able to chew hard food when we brought him home and they told us he was eating Purina Pro Plan. When we brought him home he tried to eat it, but couldn't keep it in his mouth and he kept throwing up. He became really hypoglycemic and almost died the next day when we were taking him back to the "breeders" house. After a little wet food, some meds, and nutri stat, he perked right up. All the red flags were there, but all we saw was a cute puppy.

To the person that asked, Chip is now 19 months old.

[Rudys Mom]

Does it say on the papers where you got him what the breeders name & address is? It should but if it doesn't you could call & ask them. Then you can look up on the internet ( I forget the site right now ) and see what for PA Kennel license he/she has.

Before we knew any better, we bought Rudy from a Puppy Store and it did list the breeders name & address. I looked him up on the internet & he has a class 5 PA Kennel license. Which means he is legally able to have over 200 dogs @ one time. Which to me just screamed Puppy Mill.

Good Luck. I hope they will give you the breeders name. If you want PM me and I'll look for that site so you can look the name up if you get it.

[mscat]

He could have been from a puppy mill. Fortunately, yours is a healthy dog. I think that is very important. He did not have a good start in life, but is doing well with you . I got my Suzi when she was 10 weeks. I did not know that 12 weeks is the ideal time for a Yorkie.
It is not a good idea to purchase a puppy from a pet store either. They are often from Large Kennels and mills too.

[Ashley V]

Originally Posted by Rudys Mom

Does it say on the papers where you got him what the breeders name & address is? It should but if it doesn't you could call & ask them. Then you can look up on the internet ( I forget the site right now ) and see what for PA Kennel license he/she has.

Before we knew any better, we bought Rudy from a Puppy Store and it did list the breeders name & address. I looked him up on the internet & he has a class 5 PA Kennel license. Which means he is legally able to have over 200 dogs @ one time. Which to me just screamed Puppy Mill.

Good Luck. I hope they will give you the breeders name. If you want PM me and I'll look for that site so you can look the name up if you get it.

I can't seem to locate his papers right now. I think they may be in my car. If I find them I'll definitely PM with their name. I'm positive he came from a puppy mill, but it would be nice to know that my speculations are true. I just wish I could also find out where Smokey came from but the only information I have is that his breeder's first name is Ivy and he came from somewhere in Southern VA. I know he is a puppy mill dog.