I agree with you 100%. I fell in love with Yorkies many years ago and always planned on getting one as my "empty nest" dog until my Maltese Lady came into my life as a rescue eight years ago.
I joined YT to learn more about Yorkies as I plan to get one next time around (along with another Maltese
) and was shocked to see all the health problems in this once hearty little dog. It seemed like just about everyone here had Yorkies with either liver disease or luxating patellas ..... or both. I was also amazed at how many Yorkie puppies are being sold at only eight, even six weeks old.
Then I did some research and found out that according to a study done at the University of Tennessee by Dr. Tobias, Yorkies are thirty-six times more likely to have a liver shunt than all other breeds combined.
And the Orthopedic Foundation of America ranks Yorkies #4 in number of cases of luxating patellas.
I think both those numbers have everything to do with this number, the fact that Yorkies are now the #1 most popular dog breed.
Too many would be Yorkie owners seem to shop for a puppy as casually as they would a pair of shoes. They don't take the time to go to the YTCA website to learn about the breed and how to find a responsible breeder or join here and ask questions before buying a puppy.