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04-15-2014, 09:20 AM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Charlottesville, VA, USA
Posts: 5
| Considering Adoption of 5 y.o. female yorkie...advice needed Hi everyone, I'm writing to get some advice regarding a possible adoption that we are considering. It'd be great to hear suggestions from seasoned yorkie owners about things to consider, potential issues, questions to ask, etc. First, we currently have two cats and a 4 y.o. dachshund / basset mix (weighs about 30#). All of our animals generally do well with other animals. We also have two kids, ages 7 and 10, who are pretty calm. The dog we are considering (Sparky) is a 5 y.o. AKC/CKC registered female who was used to breed two litters, but the current owner is no longer interested in breeding. The dog seems very friendly, happy, sweet. Barked 2-3 times when we entered her area and that was it. Has "never" bitten or tried to bit, per owner. Loves to play with her 6 y.o. grandson. The dog is kept in a confined area in the basement but does get outside every day to walk and play. She goes to the bathroom on "puppy pads". One of my biggest hesitation is housetraining, and how difficult / time-consuming it might be to get her to go from using the pads indoors to only going outside. I'd love any predictions on how easy / difficult this might be. I saw the other thread dedicated to this topic as well as the book that was mentioned - we will definitely get that if we adopt her. Other than the house-training issue, are there other specific issues / considerations we should think about? She seems well-cared for, but is clearly in need of a bath. We would need to spay her (on top of the $400 the owner is asking for). We would want to have her in a crate at night (at least at first) and also in the daytime while we are at work and kids are at school. Apologies for the long post! Thanks for reading this far. Again, would LOVE any advice any of you have to offer. Thank you very much, Jason |
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04-15-2014, 12:34 PM | #2 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: dearborn heights
Posts: 1,148
| Is she ok with bigger dogs and is your pup ok with other dogs ?? I know that 30 lbs doesn't seem like a big dog, but it is next to a yorkie. I just got done babysitting a 20 lb dog and he could have hurt my little guy pretty easily. They tried to play once and one swipe with the bigger dogs paw knocked my little guy over. He also tried to mount him and my little guy completely disappeared underneath him. I had to constantly supervise the bigger dog around both of my yorkies. My little one doesn't mind bigger dogs, but he's just too little and my other yorkie does not like bigger dogs. He only likes dogs that are his size(other yorkies, Chi's etc). Also...has the owner kept up with her health?? Is there anything wrong with her, that you know of?? If she's 5 years old and has never had her teeth cleaned, she could have major dental issues, which will cost more $$. I know other 5 year old yorkies that have lost all of their teeth from lack of dental care. If you are going to pay for her, is there any kind of health guarantee?? Last edited by theporkieyorkie; 04-15-2014 at 12:38 PM. |
04-15-2014, 12:38 PM | #3 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Charlottesville, VA, USA
Posts: 5
| Thanks for taking the time to reply - I really appreciate it. Those are great questions. My dog loves every dog he's met, but good point that "playing" to him might be dangerous for a sub-5 pound dog. The yorkie is around a bigger dog at his current home and it sounds like it hasn't been a problem, though not sure how much unsupervised time they've had together. |
04-15-2014, 01:19 PM | #4 |
YT Addict Join Date: May 2012 Location: secaucus, nj
Posts: 483
| My 5 lb Biewer Terrier is best buddies with an 80 lb Golden Retriever. There are more significant issues that should concern you other than size differences. Is the 5y/o yorkie a good match for a household filled with other pets & kids? I don't know. Yorkies can be very very picky about housemates. If she's been solo for 5 years, she may not mix well. She may become downright ornary & then everyone would be miserable. The last thing I would want is for that little yorkie to end up at a shelter because she was not re-homed appropriately. If she was a breeder, she may not have been treated as a house pet. You've got a house full of fun loving pets. The yorkie may not be used to that kind of life. It might be frightening & stressful. You mentioned that she needed a little care - so even though not neglected, she also probably wasn't a pampered princess either. I have a 3 y/o yorkie & 1 y/o Biewer (like a yorkie). Recently, as the puppy has entered puberty, the yorkie has become vicious & territorial. I'm keeping them in separate rooms for the time being. My sweet yorkie turned on a dime, it seemed, without warning or notice. And she can be rough on my little pup. Anyway, my point is, yorkies can have a real "terrier" attitude in a very small body. You have to see if she mixes well - for a period of time. I would consider adopting her but have the right to return her if she just can't adjust to your active home. It's not her fault that upon ending her breeding life, the owner no longer wants the responsibility to care for her. Best of luck! I admire anyone who wants to adopt these babies! Tracey |
04-15-2014, 01:25 PM | #5 |
YT Addict Join Date: May 2012 Location: secaucus, nj
Posts: 483
| BTW: You really shouldn't have to pay $400 for the dog. That's ridiculous. The owner should be happy that you're willing to adopt & spay. The dog is NOT fully AKC accredited - so she should NOT have that cost!!!! Frankly, the dog is a mutt by accredidation standards. Go to a shelter. Fee will likely be under $200 (which goes to support the shelter.) And you'll find the perfect additional pet. Good luck. Tracey |
04-15-2014, 01:36 PM | #6 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Merritt Island,FL
Posts: 1,400
| My daughter just adopted a 8 yo yorkie, she is the sweetest thing- very easy going- we are still figuring out her potty habits, not sure we will ever be able to change them tho. She is quite set in her ways. She did not pay anything for her (and should not have) the women was glad to find her such a good home. |
04-15-2014, 01:50 PM | #7 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S. W. Suburbs of Chicago, IL
Posts: 12,235
| Her price of $400 is way out of line! I'm taken aback that she'd allow her unspayed female breeding dog to even leave without prior spaying. In addition to her soya, most Yorkies would need a dental by this age and that's an additional fee of at least $200 plus preoperative blood work.
__________________ “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain |
04-15-2014, 02:30 PM | #8 | |
YT Addict Join Date: May 2012 Location: secaucus, nj
Posts: 483
| Quote:
It's amazing what our doggies can learn! Even though Yorkies can be willful & it may take some time, it can be done if done properly. Good luck. Tracey | |
04-15-2014, 05:11 PM | #9 | |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Charlottesville, VA, USA
Posts: 5
| Quote:
In any case, thanks for the feedback on the $$$ (and others who have said the same thing).... that sheds a whole new light on the whole deal. | |
04-15-2014, 05:13 PM | #10 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Charlottesville, VA, USA
Posts: 5
| Thanks, luvlee, for the thoughtful, thorough reply. It's great to know that her current temperament may change dramatically in a new environment.... she seemed so happy-go-lucky and affectionate that I was perhaps falsely reassured by that... |
04-15-2014, 05:49 PM | #11 | |
Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,721
| Quote:
She would be a lucky pup to have a thinking considerate owner doing research to make sure she is a good fit and absolutely spaying (like the nice fellow who started this post) unfortunately, all too often the first person waving cash will take her home to whatever end. Bummed but not surprised :shakeshead:
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04-16-2014, 06:31 AM | #12 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Charlottesville, VA, USA
Posts: 5
| I want to thank all of you again for your responses. After reading through the replies, and multiple discussions with my family last night and this AM, I don't think we are going to go forward with this. The hard part is I feel bad about leaving this dog where it is currently. But I fear that to adopt him will mean spending quite a bit of money (for his needed medical care, and whatever selling price I might be able to negotiate) AND more importantly, taking a risk that she won't successfully be able to adapt to our environment, leaving us in a very difficult situation. If she didn't adapt well, I wouldn't want to return her to her current owner, and the process of rehoming her appropriately might be lengthy and time-consuming. This has been a frustrating experience and I find myself increasingly angry with the current owner, but I'm not really sure of what I can do. The dog doesn't appear to be getting neglected, but is certainly in a far from ideal living situation. |
04-16-2014, 06:55 AM | #13 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: dearborn heights
Posts: 1,148
| I personally don't think $400 is too much to pay for a pet quality yorkie. If you go on pet finder, you will find rescues that are asking that much to rehome the dogs. Heck, my friend paid over $300 to adopt a mixed breed from the Humane Society in Detroit. The biggest difference is that when you get a dog from a rescue or a humane society, the dog is usually spayed and up to date on shots and the rescues will often even do the dentals. It sounds like the OP will have to do these things himself. From the sound of things, it seems like the owner doesn't really want the dog, but she wants to make one last buck off the little girls back. If I were the OP, I might go back and try to reason with the owner and offer a lower price . I'd explain that the dog will need to be spayed and have a dental AND that it is an adult 5 year old x-breeder and that you can find one on Petfinder for the same price, or even cheaper that IS vetted. I had a similar incident happen to me recently. Someone didn't want their little female yorkie and wanted to rehome it and a friend told me about it because he knows I have the boys. Of course, I volunteered to take her and give her a good home even though I am pretty much at my capacity with pets. I knew she hadn't been vetted and had probably had a tough life. As soon as the guy found out I was interested and he might be able to make a buck, he wanted to SELL me the dog....the dog he didn't want and was trying to get rid of. I told my friend to tell him no...I wasn't interested in buying the dog. I was doing it more as a favor to give the pup a better life. I hope, for the sake of the pup, that the OP at least is able to get the pup to try her out. I hope he's able to talk down the current owner in price as well. It sounds like the current owner has made enough off this little girl's back. Last edited by theporkieyorkie; 04-16-2014 at 06:57 AM. |
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