one or two yorkies

[lildivadesi]

Right now i have a male yorkie that is about 3 years old (people who gave him to me in january didnt give us papers) I love him like crazy but i really want a girl yorkie. I am 15 and have a job and live at home, I will have money to take care of them on my own. I dont start school until halfway through august and will only be at school 2 days a week.I just need help on how to convince my mom it would be better for me to have a second yorkie, like how it will help my other yorkie when i am not at home. thanks

[Ellie May]

I can understand your desire for a little girl.

Try not to think of it as needing to convince your parents about this. Think of it as figuring out with them if this is (or isn't) the best decision for your family right now.

Some Yorkies require an extreme amount of medical care which costs a lot of money. Even if the pup is insured, I'd say $1000+++ is needed for vetting, food, more for grooming, etc. Even routine medical care costs hundreds a year.

Another thing to think about is what will happen to these pups long term. If you go away to college, will your parents keep them?

Your current pup might like a friend, but not all pups get along. They may not be able to be together unsupervised. There are also training issues that commonly come up with Yorkies (potty training, barking, separation anxiety). Lots to think about before adding another one to the family.

Take your time and remember that if your bank account is empty over a $5000 vet bill, your parents will need to be the ones to pay.

Also, reputable breeders (that sell pups at 12+ weeks, do prebreed testing, etc.) take time to screen homes and a lot of times have a waiting list. So I wouldn't plan on getting one before mid August.

Good luck with your search.

[Maximo]

^^I agree with Ellie May on all points, and I want to add that you cannot count on a second Yorkie helping with your first when you are not home. It doesn't always work that way. They don't always entertain each other when you are home or away. My boys still look to me for entertainment. I adore them, but having two is twice as much work and they require twice as much attention. Life was a lot simpler with one. I am an old lady and I have the freedom to devote the time to them.

[lovespandp]

I understand as well with you wanting another yorkie, Esp wanting a female. I have a male, he is 4 years old. I am dog sitting for my friend, 2 females age 4 and 2.

I can tell you from my exp now it is way more work, one barks, they all bark, one wants to play they all play, one needs to go outside to potty they all need to go out, I just spent 3 hours giving them all a bath, more food, more money spent on vet bills... etc etc.

I think for you, ( and I am just saying this based on what you said in the thread) you should just concentrate on your school and the yorkie male you have now. Then maybe after school see what your plans are and go from there. It may not seem like it is going to be extra work, but when you add another one it adds more than you think. I also think maybe you are not ready to get another yorkie, if your reason to get a female now is "to help my other yorkie when i am not at home" Just because you are not home, doesnt mean you get a 2nd one to be alone with him. Yorkies are very social and they need their owners to be around them.

[ArmaniMan]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I can understand your desire for a little girl.

Try not to think of it as needing to convince your parents about this. Think of it as figuring out with them if this is (or isn't) the best decision for your family right now.

Some Yorkies require an extreme amount of medical care which costs a lot of money. Even if the pup is insured, I'd say $1000+++ is needed for vetting, food, more for grooming, etc. Even routine medical care costs hundreds a year.

Another thing to think about is what will happen to these pups long term. If you go away to college, will your parents keep them?

Your current pup might like a friend, but not all pups get along. They may not be able to be together unsupervised. There are also training issues that commonly come up with Yorkies (potty training, barking, separation anxiety). Lots to think about before adding another one to the family.

Take your time and remember that if your bank account is empty over a $5000 vet bill, your parents will need to be the ones to pay.

Also, reputable breeders (that sell pups at 12+ weeks, do prebreed testing, etc.) take time to screen homes and a lot of times have a waiting list. So I wouldn't plan on getting one before mid August.

Good luck with your search.

I have two and a lot of times it is great for them to have company- but sometimes it is double the work. Today one was in an awful mood and kept snarking at the other- which meant a fun day of rotating them in and out of confinement, playing with each one individually to insure they both had their fill of mental/ physical stimulation even though they couldn't be together.

Also- at 15 your parents need to be totally onboard and ready for a second. What happens if your little one gets sick in the middle of the night, will they get up and drive you to the ER vet? Will they take off from work if the pup needs to be seen during the day?

[lildivadesi]

I also left out that the reason I want a second is because i love my baby like crazy and what a lil girl too. and they will never really be left at home by theirselves because my mom does not have a job, so she stays at home. I will be at school 2 days a week (about 10 hours total for my classes) and work not even 15 hours a week so i will not be gone that often so i will still have time to care for them, (give them a bath, play will them, brush them, walk them, etc)

[lovespandp]

Well is it going to be your dog or your Moms? I think you sound a little young to take on that much responsibility.

[GoofyBritt]

I agree, you are a little young to take on that responsibility. Plus if it's going to be *your* dog then you should pay the vet bills, you should feed it, you should do everything for it. Otherwise it's a family pet and your mom will have to do the work. Have a long heart to heart with your mom about it. I'm pretty sure what she would have to say.

[Ellie May]

Well, I think you should do what your parents think is best.

It took us ten years to bring another furkid into the family after getting the first. I was prepared to make it work, whatever it took, even if that meant that they had to be totally independent of each other. Thankfully that has not had to happen as of yet. If one of the major reasons for getting another one is so your first will have a playmate, just know that they may not get along and then you will have two to deal with separately. Girl Yorkies are amazing, but honestly mine has been far from easy to take care of.

We are at $8000+ for her vet bills now. This kind of money does need to be available to have dogs (or insurance needs to be purchased). I'd be concerned that you have only had the one for a few months. There are medical and behavioral issues that can come up that you haven't had to deal with yet. Does your family have the financial resources and patience to deal with it? (not looking for an answer, just something to think about).

It might not be what a 15 year old wants to hear when trying to talk parents into another dog, but this is a much bigger commitment for your parents to make than for you.

Moms are great, but 25 hours a week is a lot to have somebody watch your pups for you If she is home, I'm sure the pups will be out. My mom loves my dogs, but I doubt very much that she would want to watch them by herself this much.

You have a long life ahead of you to be thinking about adding furkids to your family. Unless it's going to be a family dog and your parents don't mind the commitment, then maybe it's best to wait. You already have one that may not be able to come with you when you move out/go to college/get an apartment/get married.