[Nikitta34]

Elaine,
Don't hate me, but I actually got her at a pet store. After months and months of searching for a breeder in Korea, I followed the strong recommendation of a friend and got my dog at a pet store. I have been to many, many pet stores in Korea, and the majority of them are places I will never step foot in again. They were dirty, had messes on the floor (in addition to lots of dirt), dogs in cages stacked up to the ceiling, etc. The odor was horrible, and I felt so badly for the dogs. They barked like their lives depended on it. It was no doubt a miserable existence for them all. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the "good" pet store with my friend (who is Korean and speaks the language). First of all, it was immaculately clean. There weren't any messes in the crates. The crates were all clean and the dogs had nice beds, toys, and friends to play with. The dogs barked as all dogs do, but they all seemed happy, well-adjusted, playful, and certainly well-cared for. The owners were very friendly and candid about Meg's history, and they had great records (which I was able to take with me). At one point, the owner even called her husband to ask a question about Meg's mother. I met Meg's father and he was happy, playful, and friendly. The father was boarded by the breeder during the breeding period, so Meg isn't some inbreed dog.

My vet mentioned the same thing about dogs being told they are older than they are to make them appear "teacup" size. I suppose that is a distinct possibility, but I did see teh father and he looked like 3 lbs, which is what they said he weighed. I met the man who owns the father, too. I didn't meet the mother. There was one boy in the litter, and the man who owns the stud is keeping him.

It all sounded to up and up. They offer a guarantee against any congenital defects, against anything she's been vaccinated against, etc. They offered to let me take her to a vet of my choosing to get her checked out before I purchased her. They seemed so confident in her. She doesn't have AKC papers, but apparently they don't do papers in Korea unless the dog is put in shows. I don't really care about AKC papers or "teacup" size (put in quotations because I know there is no such thing as a "teacup" Yorkie). But she was just so sweet. I went back several times to visit with her before I took her home. It was all within the course of a week. Maybe I should have waited to visit with her for a longer period of time before I purchased her. But I just fell in love with her.

I did *so* much research before I bought a Yorkie. Ideally I would have been able to get one in the US from a reputable breeder with years of experience. But I'm going to be in Korea (husband is in the Air Force) for two more years, and I just didn't want to wait any longer. Meg is not the first Yorkie pup I've "met" while in Korea, and she was not an impulse buy.

Of course, now I am freaking out that maybe she wasn't healthy when I took her home. She did have a cold, as I said before, but the vet said it wasn't anything much to worry about, and just to make sure it didnt' get any worse. I asked the vet to do blood work and get her fully tested out before I took her home, but the vet was reluctant to do anything because "her veins are too small to draw blood." I should have pushed harder.

Anyway, now she's mine and I'm doing the best I can for her. And praying more than I have in a long time!