[_jenn]

Tons of posts lately, I’m so sorry! I wanted to post this last night, but my internet was out, so please if anyone has any advice, respond before 5pm Pacific Time. I have class all day but will check my email before I make a final decision.

Okay so here goes … everyone on YT has seen my posts introducing myself and looking for Yorkie purchasing options in CA. I was thinking about buying one at the pet store (which I did walk away from) and also thinking about fostering one for 3 months. Well, I decided not to foster that Yorkie after the replies I got. I didn’t want to deal with any legal issues if the Yorkie were to get sick/hurt and also felt it would have been hard to get attached to the Yorkie and give it away after 3 months. Plus, I didn’t want to get locked into this deal if something were to happen in which I could not go through with it for 3 months. So I also asked about breeders in CA and browsed some other posts on YT that were very helpful.

But … I found another option. A man who posted an ad had a male Yorkie for $900 – a steal in CA. I was very suspicious, but when my boyfriend and I met him, he was very legitimate. He had the AKC registration and the pedigree for the parents. He had bought the parents from breeders in CA (one from Nor Cal and one from So Cal). I didn’t catch the breeders’ names, but I think one of them may have been “white house” or something with a W and a House. He has had the parents for 2 years and they had one litter last year and one litter this year (3 pups each litter). I saw the parents, and they are not exactly show quality pups or pups that I would purchase, but I also have a certain type of preference for Yorkies, so I would never say that they were not cute or unacceptable. The parents appeared healthy and were very active/friendly. They greeted me and my boyfriend and my boyfriend fell in love with the mother who licked his face and begged for him to rub her tummy.

So when I met this man, my concerns were eased and I let my guard down. He said he didn’t know that Yorkies (even males) were in high demand and could have gotten more than $900, but will stick to his ad’s asking price. He was a friendly man and had 2 adopted cats as well (that he rescued from a shelter apparently). He lived alone in a decent sized apartment, appears to have a well-paying job, and loves his pets. He advocated against shopping at pet stores (as we all do!) and talked about how loyal shelter pets are. He also had a whole backyard set up for his pets.

The only thing I was really worried about was that the Yorkie I wanted to buy was very shy and whimpering. He was crying so I put him back in his carrier. I played with one of the girls and the man asked me if I wanted the female instead (she is $600 more at $1500). I would love the female, but can’t afford it right now. The female was so friendly and hopped around but the boy appeared sad and when I held him, he was shivering. This was a big concern for me and when I asked him, he held the dog but the dog stopped shaking with him. Can dogs sense strangers? I know they sense danger, but I promise I am not dangerous at all!! It made me so sad that this pup I wanted to purchase seemed sad with me. Why do you think he was sad and shivering? Could he be sick? His sisters seemed fine …

Anyhow, I have to put down a $300 deposit by 6:00pm today if I want to hold the puppy. I was going to type out a contract with things the man told me he was including … and this is what I wrote so far. Does anyone have any suggestions for anything to add or ask before I put down $300?

PROOF OF SALE

This signed contract is to verify that (MY NAME) paid a deposit of $300 towards the purchase of one purebred male Yorkshire Terrier puppy from (HIS NAME).

With this deposit, the seller agrees to hold the puppy until November 1, when the remaining $600 shall be paid in full.

The seller, (HIS NAME), has agreed to the following:
• Provide AKC registration and pedigree
• Have the dog up to date on all shots
• Have the dog examined by a licensed veterinarian before the final purchase date
• Assume full financial responsibility for the dog’s health for the first 4 months (i.e., if the dog becomes ill, the seller is responsible for all medical costs)

What else should I add? What else is important and reasonable to put in?

I’m sorry this is such a long post … but I don’t think I will be able to keep the pup at my apartment, so I was going to keep it at my boyfriend’s house. He has 3 cats that I’m afraid might hurt the pup, so we were going to keep the dog in his room most of the day (in a large caged area with mats down for “accidents”) and then take him out at night for walks and let him run around the room while we were home. This is actually a big room, and probably safer and bigger than my bathroom. My boyfriend is home Mondays – Wednesdays by himself and I come to stay with him on Thursdays – Sundays. So I am confident I will be a great mommy the days that I am there, but I don’t know about my boyfriend … he works all day and then visits me on Mondays/Tuesdays for dinner so I know he goes home tired. My concerns are … what if the pup barks a lot at night (do they tend to do this?) … my boyfriend will not be able to go to work the next day if he was up all night with the pup  What about training the puppy? I think it would be fun, but I also know it is really hard? What about marking/humping, etc.? Is it super overwhelming?

Another huge concern is the amount of money spent on the pup … besides the price of the pup, I am willing to drop down a fair amount for the cage, toys, and carrier (since they will last a long time and this is the funnest part). But how much are medical visits (after 4 months since the guy said he would include them)? What about food? How much would you say you spend monthly on items for your Yorkie? We can definitely afford him, but we also don’t want to be living paycheck by paycheck if we don’t have to. And we’d like to know before hand if we aren’t financially ready for a Yorkie.

I just wanted to thank you for reading this long post and thank you for any replies. Everyone on these forums has been so incredibly friendly and supportive and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope I keep up the Yorkie Talk tradition by being a great mom to my pup someday …