A BAD Yorkie reseller

[cdspas]

I have been searching for a GOOD Yorkie breeder for a couple of months now. Having never purchased a dog before, I was unsure of where to start (my other dogs have come from a pound). I have fallen in love with the Yorkie breed and have decided that this is the dog for me. I too called Countryhome Yorkies. The website looked professional and from that, you would assume that the puppies are hand raised, etc. I have to thank you so much for posting this on this website. Had I not read this, I would have gone to see Denise and I am sure ultimately fallen in love with one of the dogs. I will ABSOLUTELY NOT purchase a dog from her. I even sent her an email letting her know how disgusted I was to hear that she is a broker! Thank you all so much again. I will keep looking for a Yorkie :-)

[satman]

Don't give up. Yorkies are great little companions. There are also some very good breeders here in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America (Yorkshire Terrier Club of America) has a referral list of member breeders so you can look there.

While I never endorse or make a recommendation for any specific breeder I can tell you that in my experience any one of the breeders from Connecticut, listed on my web site (yorkies.com), are breeders I wouldn't hesitate to adopt a Yorkie from. Each of my three current Yorkies came from separate breeders from CT. I know that a few currently have pups available.

While no breeder can guaranty the health of a dog for a lifetime, the more reputable ones will take responsibility if one of their puppies has a genetic problem that affects the quality of life of the dog. Most of all, you'll know from the AKC papers, that they are actually the breeder of the dog they are trying to sell to you!

Originally Posted by cdspas

I have been searching for a GOOD Yorkie breeder for a couple of months now. Having never purchased a dog before, I was unsure of where to start (my other dogs have come from a pound). I have fallen in love with the Yorkie breed and have decided that this is the dog for me. I too called Countryhome Yorkies. The website looked professional and from that, you would assume that the puppies are hand raised, etc. I have to thank you so much for posting this on this website. Had I not read this, I would have gone to see Denise and I am sure ultimately fallen in love with one of the dogs. I will ABSOLUTELY NOT purchase a dog from her. I even sent her an email letting her know how disgusted I was to hear that she is a broker! Thank you all so much again. I will keep looking for a Yorkie :-)

[Jo-el]

Originally Posted by Lula168

I also want to advise to stay away from Laughlin Kennel in Oxford, MA. When I got Lula I had done very little research and just went to "look" at the yorkies as I had only ever seen maybe one in person before. I had planned on leaving there and doing more research to find a reputable breeder etc. I got there and was horrified. They had at least one dog from over 20 different breeds to choose from. I could not see where they were all kept (I am assuming stacked cages in the basement from what I could hear) nor would they let me see when asked. This is when they brought Lula up.

There were probably 5 other families/people in the room at this time looking at other breeds and when they brought Lula up all 1 pound 12 ounces of her I could not let her go. She was so small and helpless in this crazy place that I had to get her out of there and take her home. I did not in any way want to contribute to a kennel or potential puppy mills (as she had actually come from Missouri or something) but I could not leave without her she was $1800 and I gave over my christmas bonus with 0 hesitation.

She was very close to being hypoglycemic so we gave her honey at 1st as they advised us. After her 1st vet appt. we learned she had Giardia and she still has it now and we have had her for over 4 months and she has gone through 3 rounds of treatment. She also had tapeworm (we found out a bit later) when we got her as well.

I love her more than anything and would not trade her for the world but my advice is to stay away from this place!!!

If you go to their website they clearly state on the site [Laughlin Kennels] they are BROKERS. This concerned me as they have a page for "Bargain Puppies" and it just breaks my heart.

I have a question out there to all who have had terrible experiences with breeders. Is anyone reporting these people so such negative experiences and the health of these puppies are addressed?

Just curious. I had a neighbor who abused another neighbor's dog when it escaped from their yard. I retrieved the dog and reported the incident to the owner who then contacted the authorities (otherwise I would have) because the "abuser" had a cat and a dog of their own.

[sheilajom]

Originally Posted by satman

You're not rude at all. From the reports I've received from those that have dealt with Denise she charges upwards of $3500.00 for a puppy without AKC papers and she generally asks for CASH.

There is validity to "Champion Sired" pups but a Yorkie should never be referred to as a TEACUP. As for "Coby Bodied", that term isn't found in the standard as set forth by the YTCA or the AKC for this breed.

You also have to define "Champion Sired"! How many generations ago were the certified "Champion" introduced? Did the breeding program stay consistantly with Champions or did it stray off to unknown parentage? And finally what agency certified the dog as a Champion. Here in the USA the only group valid to certify a Champion is the AKC. There are over 15 other bogus registries that will convey the title of Champion to any dog who's owner pays a fee. Deception is pervasive when selling pups by less than honest people.

Puppymill and Brokers advertise consistently and in just about every venue as possible, because they have so many puppies to get rid of before they're too old to be considered as puppies. It's the nature of the beast and the internet hasn't helped in reducing the incidents or proliferation of puppymills, brokers or commercial breeders.

Knowing the Sire and Dam may be an advantage but even that doesn't guaranty a healthy puppy. Unfortunately some of the best known breeders have produced a puppy with Liver Shunt. It's what they did and how they handled it when they found out. That's important and separates the good breeders from the bad. The good breeders will immediately spay/neuter the pair that produced the sick puppy so as eliminate the possibility of it happening again. And more importantly they will aid the new puppy's owner with medical costs or give a full refund while allowing them to keep the puppy.

In the proper facility the recovery rate for Liver Shunt surgery is slightly over 95%. Yes, the medical costs are expensive to return the dog to health but that's the cost of owning a pet. There are many other preventable situations that bring medical costs as high or higher.

For instance, a few weeks ago my Katey chewed a plastic decoration on a topknot bow and swallowed it. It was large enough to pass down her throat but too large to exit her stomach. When she first stated vomiting we thought it was the same virus that Kcc had gone through the previous week so we gave her some fluids and Pediasure when she wouldn't eat. Eventually 5 days later she required surgery when the part showed up on an ultrasound ( it didn't show on x-ray). The cost for a week of medical care and surgery exceeded $3000.00 and was worth every penny of it to have Katey back home and healthy.

A dog with MVD can lead a fairly normal life with a normal lifespan if taken care of properly. Yes there are additional medical costs for special foods and medications but if you love the puppy you'll take on that chore to preserve the life.

As to breeding: I have several friends that are breeders. They won't even stud out their dogs for fear of who he'll be mated with. This even hold true for frozen sperm used for artificial insemination. And they'd never pair their females with a strange male.

This is in comparison to the pet owner with a female that will mate her to any male capable of "Getting it done", or just the opposite. I could relate tragic stories that occur when this is done just for the possibility of the dollars returned from any resulting puppies. For those interested just email me privately and I'll send you several stories that would turn your stomach and they are all true. They are far to long to post here.

That's a lot of money for a pup with no papers! I don't know anyone that would be that stupid, yes I said stupid, to buy a pup for that much and not get papers with it!

[Stormy]

Originally Posted by satman

You hit the nail right on the head. Denise only wants to show one puppy at a time and as she brings one down to the kennel she'll bring another up and just by coincidence the second cost more than the first. It's kind of like "Bait & Switch". I'm not aware of any customer that's been allowed to see where the puppies are housed.

Denise has also said she was voted as the best Yorkie breeder in MA but failed to say what organization bestowed that upon her. It certainly wasn't the YTCA of which she's not a member. It wasn't the Worcester Kennel Club, of which she's not a member. If wasn't the Framingham Kennel Club, of which she's not a member, or the Classic Toy Dog Club of Western Massachusetts of which she's not a member!

Please consider the source of this "thread" as ONE person with NO actual information. One visit to Denise's home will be proof of her love and care of these beautiful dogs, as well as the horrible untruths that have become part of this thread that has become a cancerous web of scare tactics."

I was a victim of Denise ....so I am ONE PERSON WITH ACTUAL EXPERIENCE AND HAVE STRIVED TO KEEP THIS THREAD ALIVE AS A WARNING TO OTHERS !
"WHEN I MADE MY APPOINTMENT TO GO TO COUNTRY HOME YORKIES I specifically asked Denise if the parents of the pup were there in her home. I was told the Mother was. When we arrived the only Yorkies that were there were an alleged grandmother and aunt dog and a very young male puppy that could barely stand up. These dogs were brought up from the basement for our viewing. We had come a long way to see this puppy...what we found was a beautiful lady, a beautiful home and a SICK puppy !!