[jadecomputergal]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

This 'they' you are talking about wouldn't be a pet shop selling dogs, would it? You're not very clear in your post just where this pup is coming from. I understand your feelings as I have 'rescued' a pup from a breeder before. I'll never do it again as all it does is help them to continue their bad practices. If you look around, there are, sadly, too many pups out there that need rescuing from breeders, pet shops, etc. I applaud your big-heartedness but there are some out there that count on that quality in people to sell dogs. If your mind is made up already, all I can say is good luck and I do hope this pup is healthy.

Woogie, thanks so much for all your responses. No, this isn't a pet shop. I never buy pets at pet shops, though I can't walk by one without stopping in to look at the animals

The people who have her for sale are a Mennonite family. (I live near Amish country.) They're farmers, not dog breeders, but people who have several pet Yorkies they allow to breed once per year to help put some food on the table (meaning what they can buy with the money, not that they're putting the dogs on the table).

They've been looking for several weeks for an owner for this puppy. All their puppies up until now have been in the 4.5 to 6.5 pound range, and they first though this puppy was sick because she was the "runt of the litter" as farmers like to call it. They've already sold their "normal-size" dogs from the litter, and they're trying to find someone with experience with very tiny dogs and with good references to sell this one to. Since they've never had a puppy turn out this small, they aren't sure what to do about it or who should own it. I've had to go back and forth on the phone about this for two weeks now to even get an appointment to go look at her.

They really know nothing about breeding. They told me they were going to have to have my "personal information" so they could "report" me to the AKC. When I asked what that meant, they said the AKC tracks all the purebred dogs in the US so they know who has them and if they're being taken care of. (Had to put the phone on mute for that one while I laughed.)

The fact that they aren't "breeders" doesn't mean they have defective dogs, and I'm not looking for a show dog, just a nice family pet. I know how to check for most potential problems, but I'm stumped on this LP thing. Like I said in an earlier post, I can't tell a bit of difference feeling Tali's knees vs. Tea's, so I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

Thanks so much to everyone for your kindness!