is this paying too much for a morkie?

[Fantastic49]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Good for you!

FYI, there are a lot of really shady places with FABULOUS websites. There's a lot of great info on this site about how to pick a good breeder. #1, go visit the home and meet the parents.

I think morkies are darling, and I don't have strong feelings on mixed breeds. However, malteses and yorkies are both adorable breeds on their own, and it's much easier to find a good breeder. You're won't be getting any benefit by getting a cross between these two breeds, and you will be taking a much bigger risk in finding a healthy, well cared for puppy.

[Mardelin]

Originally Posted by 2girls

Did you do your research and find out about the parents or did you see a designer dog in a pet store? I would say it's to much $.

Nancy1999 just posted a great article regarding the price of yorkies, the posting has great information that could help answer your questions.

Nancy's thread has nothing to do with the pricing of yorkies. It's on educating new puppy buyers on how to support reputable breeders.

[Brooklynn]

I'm glad you decided to change your mind there are alot of nice mixed breeds in shelters that are in need of rescue and that is where money should be invested in wanting a mixed breed. If you want a pure bred do your research on a good reputable/responsible breeder.
If someone is purposely breeding a "designer" dog it should not cost anything and if money at all just the cost of a spay/neuter and I do NOT condone breeding one breed to another...you just don't know what you are going to get healthwise. I don't even believe in breeding a labradoodle...labs do "SHED" and if you have allergies you are running the risk of getting a dog you could be allergic too....I don't care what anyone says about a labradoodle on the allergic aspect of it because you can't garnuatee it won't cause allergies...why run the risk..there are other breeds for that and purebred

Donna

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

Nancy's thread has nothing to do with the pricing of yorkies. It's on educating new puppy buyers on how to support reputable breeders.

Well, I was hoping to educate on the pricing as well, many people such as the OP have no idea what a dog should cost. There are lots of different prices on websites and pet stores. They really think that they can't afford to buy from a really good breeder, so they often turn to back yard breeders and mix breed breeders. For $1000- $1,500 dollars you can find a purebred from a reputable breeder, if you do your homework. I would never recommend buying a mixed breed, there are too many in rescues.

[2Morkies]

YES!!! Way too much to pay for a Morkie. I have two and paid 950 for both. Just find a good breeder that only has Morkies or one of the mixed breed. Ask lots of questions get refrences and call them.. Go see the puppies if you can. I had to do out of state, bcse the breeders where I called in my area sounded like Puppy mills.
Next time I will probably do a rescue.

[megansmomma]

I have to "Morkies" that are rescues, they are in my avatar. If you look at them they do not look anything alike. Bogey is from a shelter and I paid $35 for him plus the cost of a neuter. Doodlebug was from a rescue and I think his fee was $250 from a reputable rescue. He was 12 weeks old when I brought him home. They are both very cute (I'm partial ) and love them very much but they do not look anything at all alike. Bogey has brown eyes and Dbug has black, are over 10 lbs and one has a cotton coat and the other silky. So you can see there is no reasoning they will look a certain way. They both have the very sweetest personalities and are total love bugs too.

After rescuing both of my boys I would have to say there are plenty of mixes that are available if you look.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

I have to "Morkies" that are rescues, they are in my avatar. If you look at them they do not look anything alike. Bogey is from a shelter and I paid $35 for him plus the cost of a neuter. Doodlebug was from a rescue and I think his fee was $250 from a reputable rescue. He was 12 weeks old when I brought him home. They are both very cute (I'm partial ) and love them very much but they do not look anything at all alike. Bogey has brown eyes and Dbug has black, are over 10 lbs and one has a cotton coat and the other silky. So you can see there is no reasoning they will look a certain way. They both have the very sweetest personalities and are total love bugs too.

After rescuing both of my boys I would have to say there are plenty of mixes that are available if you look.

Great post!

The problem with mixed breeds is no breeder can predict what the offspring will look or act like as adults, there are too many genes thrown in the mix. It's a problem for purebred breeders as well, but they have "some" idea. Mixed breed puppies can change in ways that puppy buyers didn't expect and that's why so many end up in rescues, they make wonderful pets, but it's best to only support those breeders who are breeding with a goal and purpose in mind, and making money shouldn't be the goal or purpose.

[Jennxling]

Originally Posted by RDB911

here's one that I found in california...
Adoptable Yorkshire Terrier Yorkie: JJ: Petfinder

I think that is SO SAD!!! I can't believe the family surrendered him because he was bigger than they expected!! I would never do that to my babies...I feel bad for JJ. Hope someone snatch him up because he sure is a cutie!! I totally would if I could!

To the OP, yes the price is WAY TOO HIGH for a mix breed. I see SO MANY ads of morkies that are OVERPRICED. Don't they understand that the price they are charging for a mix breed is enough for buyers to get PUREBREDS? Yes, I see many that don't turn out to be very cute on CL, it's really sad.

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Great post!

The problem with mixed breeds is no breeder can predict what the offspring will look or act like as adults, there are too many genes thrown in the mix. It's a problem for purebred breeders as well, but they have "some" idea. Mixed breed puppies can change in ways that puppy buyers didn't expect and that's why so many end up in rescues, they make wonderful pets, but it's best to only support those breeders who are breeding with a goal and purpose in mind, and making money shouldn't be the goal or purpose.

This is so true. When we were looking for a puppy as a companion for Daisy we met a breeder who had Yorkie/Bichon puppies. The breeder told us that Teddy Bear was from 2 breeds that don't shed - Yorkie and Bichon. Well Teddy Bear does shed, just a little, but you can see the hair if you are wearing black or a dark color. She said his parents were 5 and 9 lbs and he should be around 7 lbs. He is 14 lbs. She also told us that mixing the breeds will 'weed out' the health problems that one of the breeds might carry. At the age of 6 we found out Teddy has LP. I want to add that Teddy Bear is a total sweetheart and a love bug. His temperament is perfect, he loves every animal and person he meets. I love Teddy Bear to death and don't regret getting him for a minute, but he did not turn out at all like the 'breeder' said he would. We paid about the same as it would have cost to adopt from a shelter so at least we didn't get gouged on the designer dog price.

I'm glad you are going to look at the shelter. I'm sure you will find a great dog there. Every dog I have gotten from a shelter has turned out to be wonderful dogs. The dogs I adopted were 7 to 8 months old and healthy and already potty trained when I got them. Any dogs I get in the future will most likely be from a shelter again. The only reason we went to breeders this time was that we were turned down by a shelter for a small dog and we were heartbroken. They never gave us a reason and I gave up on getting a shelter dog. He was a mixed breed Maltese and we would have given him a great home.

[2Morkies]

The SPCA is horrible in my area. I understand being picky about the adopting family, but it gets to a point where a dog could have had a good home, but the family was turned down. 13 years ago before I bought my Cocker Spaniel, I went to the Humane Society to look at dogs. When I said I was looking to adopt, they grilled me and said I couldn't adopt from them because I didn't own my home and I didn't have a back yard....all before I even looked at the dogs. After my Cocker died I rememberd that. I do own my home now, but I don't have a back yard.....I do have lots of grassy running space nearby though. My babies love it.

[BellaDonna]

Originally Posted by 2Morkies

The SPCA is horrible in my area. I understand being picky about the adopting family, but it gets to a point where a dog could have had a good home, but the family was turned down. 13 years ago before I bought my Cocker Spaniel, I went to the Humane Society to look at dogs. When I said I was looking to adopt, they grilled me and said I couldn't adopt from them because I didn't own my home and I didn't have a back yard....all before I even looked at the dogs. After my Cocker died I rememberd that. I do own my home now, but I don't have a back yard.....I do have lots of grassy running space nearby though. My babies love it.

I realize that the Rescues and Humane society need to be careful about who they adopt pets to but I have to agree with you. Sometimes people end up buying from BYB's because they meet up with someone at a rescue on a power trip. I went through that about 8 years ago when I wanted to adopt a dog. They wouldn't consider me because I worked and they didn't feel I could give enough quality time with the dog. I think that's bullpoopy. I work full time now and my pets are well adjusted, much loved and very well taken cared for.

[Poochieheaven]

Originally Posted by BellaDonna

I realize that the Rescues and Humane society need to be careful about who they adopt pets to but I have to agree with you. Sometimes people end up buying from BYB's because they meet up with someone at a rescue on a power trip. I went through that about 8 years ago when I wanted to adopt a dog. They wouldn't consider me because I worked and they didn't feel I could give enough quality time with the dog. I think that's bullpoopy. I work full time now and my pets are well adjusted, much loved and very well taken cared for.

I recently got turned down from a rescue because I didn't have a fenced in yard. The first words out of their mouth when I called was "do you have another dog and do you have a fenced in yard?" No other questions...I was heart broken as the dog I was interested in was what I was looking for and had been in the foster home since september.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by BellaDonna

I realize that the Rescues and Humane society need to be careful about who they adopt pets to but I have to agree with you. Sometimes people end up buying from BYB's because they meet up with someone at a rescue on a power trip. I went through that about 8 years ago when I wanted to adopt a dog. They wouldn't consider me because I worked and they didn't feel I could give enough quality time with the dog. I think that's bullpoopy. I work full time now and my pets are well adjusted, much loved and very well taken cared for.

Originally Posted by Poochieheaven

I recently got turned down from a rescue because I didn't have a fenced in yard. The first words out of their mouth when I called was "do you have another dog and do you have a fenced in yard?" No other questions...I was heart broken as the dog I was interested in was what I was looking for and had been in the foster home since september.

This is true sometimes, and it makes me mad whenever I hear of so many people have been treated the same way. I have a customer who wanted to adopt a dog from the petsmart (or it could have been petco) adoption days. He said the lady had such an attitude and was power tripping, and bc since he worked, he couldn't adopt a dog bc he wasn't home for 9 hrs each day. Well, doesn't everyone work? Don't you need to work to make money to spoil the dog? Don't these dogs need homes? Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to me. Another customer heard his conversation with the adoption lady, and she told him, sometimes you just have to lie.

Now that I am a foster mom, I interview potential adoptive parents too. I feel there is absolutely NO reason to be mean and power trippy. If you don't feel the person is a match, then they are not, but I dont understand why some have to be so downright mean.

[Poochieheaven]

Now that I am a foster mom, I interview potential adoptive parents too. I feel there is absolutely NO reason to be mean and power trippy. If you don't feel the person is a match, then they are not, but I dont understand why some have to be so downright mean.[/QUOTE]

I agree that you don't want to adopt to everyone, I just wished they would have gotten to know me first.

But I will still continue to look at humane societies and rescues!

[jrsygal37]

Originally Posted by RDB911

check out petfinder.com there's plenty of mixes that need home and will not cost you an arm and a leg...

Thanks for posting this. Rescues are filled with mixed breeds (or) what they now call designer breeds. One reason is because people see someone else's mixed breed (or Morkie for argument sake) and they fall in love with what that dog looks like and think that if they buy the same mix that their dog will look like that. The problem is that because it is a mix there is no guaratee what that pup will look like as an adult. And, breeders can tell you all they want that they breed for a specific look or size but that means crap, because with a mix you will not know until that pup is grown. Elaine