Thinking about a Yorkie I just found this board and figured that along with some heavy internet research, posting here would also help in garnering information for my decision to or not to get a Yorkie. I guess the best way to start this is to just list the situation and criteria and hope that the many experts on here will throw in suggestions. In order to keep it short, I'll just get to the points:
I'm looking for a small, child-friendly dog that will be a good companion for my 6 and a half year old daughter. She is good with animals as we currently have two cats that I got when they were both kittens. I am divorced but lucky enough that my daughter is here three or four nights per week. I live in a two-level town house and have access to lots of grassy areas for play as well as some fairly large parks in the area. There will be 2 and sometimes 3 days of the week where the dog will pretty much be alone in the house for roughly 12 hours. I don't know many dog owners but have been told that I could keep the dog in a cage/kennel on those long days alone. I don't know if it's a "normal" practice to do so, but it seems kind of cruel to me. But then again, I am uneducated.
Nutrition won't be a problem as I'm feeding the cats high quality food and the dog will get the same. I'm not looking for a teacup sized dog as I think they are a bit too fragile for my needs, so a "regular" size is what I'd be interested in. One of the things I'm not sure about is a difference between a male and female. Some of the sites I've been to have their females priced higher than males. I have no intention of breeding, now or in the future and unless there is some incredible difference between the sexes, I'd be happy with either.
I don't think I'm missing anything but I'm sure if I am it will be brought up by anyone replying.
So with those things mentioned, is a Yorkie a possibility for me?
Thanks. |