I'd like suggest a way for Yorkie rescue organizations to determine if the parent has good parenting skills, leading to a safe, loving environment for the Yorkie.
Before I adopted Tika, I spent some time applying to various Yorkie rescue organizations. Some had questionnaires or application forms that were short and some had questionnaires or application forms that were very in depth.
The best questionnaire (in my opinion) was one that asked basic, open-ended questions about the Yorkie breed such as "Please tell us about the Yorkshire Terrier breed's teeth" and "What special health issues should you watch for in a Yorkshire Terrier." These questions weeded out the people that really know about the breed from the ones that didn't.
So in regards to children, why not ask a series of questions such as "What kind of experience does your child/ren have with pets?" and "What would you do if you walked in and your child was being rough with the dog?" and Answers to these questions would really give a rescue operation insight into how parenting is done.
I'm not saying it is a good idea to send a Yorkie who doesn't like children to a home with children, but to determine based on the breed and it's size that all dogs should never live in a home with children limits their dogs' chances for finding a loving, forever home.
For example, I have a wonderful home with the ability to provide unlimited veterinarian care because of my business. When Tika is fully house trained and settled in, I could very easily take in another "wounded soul" and spoil him/her for the rest of his/her life. Being rejected from providing a good home for a dog that needs me because I have a daughter doesn't make sense to me. |