You do realize that this is a BREED forum with like 99% pure bred Yorkies right?
I guarantee that *most* of the people on here bought their dogs from breeders because they wanted a specific breed. I also have allergies and I would hate to get a Yorkie puppy from a shelter and
later find out it's part something else and I have to give it up (not that you can get one, heck around here I've been told by the shelters that any young Yorkies are snatched up by volunteers before they are ever put up for adoption). I am completely allergic to my neighbors labs yet I can live with 2 Yorkies who sleep in my bed. I would consider that "good for people with allergies" Plus, my two have enough issues as it is even without ever being in a shelter or pet store.
I'm sure they checked the shelters first, but then changed their minds when they found out about this puppy. Like anyone here wouldn't do the same. I'm THRILLED they stayed far away from anything remotely resembling a puppy mill. Actually, respectable breeders have been shot down a lot recently with the whole movement against puppy mills. I'm all for closing the puppy mills, but the average person needs to be educated that IF they want to buy a puppy and can't find/don't want a rescue, a pet store isn't the place to do it. You can seek out a reputable breeder for a puppy. And people need to know what that means. Rescue OR Reputable Breeder NOT Pet Store NOT Puppy Mill. I think that's an OK message.
I understand what you all are getting at, I mean, it's not like they would be turned down by any rescue organization. And no matter what, everyone is going to have an opinion on it. I just don't agree that it's as bad as some people think. Heck, I'm thrilled they put this much thought into it, if nothing else it might make people realize it's OK to seek out the right dog and not impulse buy!
Rather than just telling people NO PUPPY MILLS I think we need to give a list of things to look for in a breeder like: No more than 1-2 breeds, hand raised/socialized, make sure the mom isn't bred every cycle, make sure you SEE the mom and where the puppies are kept, don't buy a pup before 8-10-12 weeks, make sure the "breeder" is also the "owner" on the papers (to avoid brokers), health guarantee, OFA/lineage, legit papers (AKC vs APRI) etc. etc. etc. Otherwise, do people really know what a puppy mill is? I had a friend tell me she "thought" she "probably" bought her dog from a puppy mill and then described the stacked cages and the smell and I asked, how could you "think" it was anything else???
Sorry for the rambling
For the record, Sam was re-homed to us, though personally and not through a shelter. I'm just sayin, "rescue" is not the only way to go.