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Originally Posted by mscat  I Found my first Yorkie puppy through a newspaper ad> It was a elderly couple who lived in farm country out in the middle of nowhere. I drove and met her, the parents , babies. She only had one female , and it was the first litter of only 3 babies. I begged the owner to hold the female.
So far so good. There have Absolutely no problems with Suzi, and she has be delightful. A wonderful little Yorkie . Perhaps I was lucky. But, not a day goes by that I feel blessed to have my Suzi who has now been with us a year. She is a silvery blue and full of life, energy and swetness. A very smart, clever , doll baby. Ladymom, I am unsure if i was terribly wrong for going to the newspaper , however, I do know that I made the right choice buying my Yorkie who is perfect in my eyes, with No health problems whatsoever> No all news paper sellers are terrible babckyard sellers of puppies, wanting to make a quick buck, who have not bred their puppies well , not taken their pups to the vet, given vaccines, left the pups and parents outside, ECT.
It is always imperative for the buyer to do ask QUESTIONS, lots of questions, before ever taking a new puppy home. Play with a puppy , spend time talking to the owner, and loomk over the puppy carefully. Take the puppy to your vet ASAP as soon as you bring home the pup. THat is what I did  My breeder also was very good and wanted to keep in touch, left the communication open with me. ANd made certain that I had not been around other dogs , exposing her puppies to anything .  |
It is also very important that whatever breeder you choose health tests the parents to make sure they do not pass on any genetic conditions to their puppies. That is usually one way to differentiate between a backyard breeder and a reputable breeder as byb's are all about profit and cut costs.
By health testing, I don't mean a wellness check by their vet. All breeding dogs should have bile acids tests to screen for liver shunts, orthopedic examinations to make sure they don't have luxating patellas, eye exams, thyroid panels, etc. One only has to read the Health and Emergency sections here on YT to see all the Yorkies who are battling genetic conditions.
It is very important that any prospective breeder be able to discuss genetic illnesses Yorkies are prone to and the steps she has taken to make sure her lines are free from them. She should be able to show you results of bile acids tests, knee exams, etc.
Just remember, many of the "genetic time bombs" may not go off for years. My Lady was perfectly healthy for the first four years of her life. She now has epilepsy, diabetes, hypothyroidism, just to name a few.
That's why a breeder must really know her lines and the background of all the dogs she breeds as they may not show symptoms of disease until after they have produced puppies.
Remember, a backyard breeder doesn't have to be literally breeding in her backyard. Many keep them in darling little nurseries in their homes. Backyard breeders breed pet quality dogs who are not to standard and don't do health testing and genetic screening.
The best way to evaluate a breeder is to look at the YTCA's Codes of Ethics and Conduct and see if a breeder follows them:
Yorkshire Terrier Club of America