I am not a Newbie - I joined on July 31, 2004
I have a embarassingly high post count - but NOT totally embarrasing like V's
- sorry V
Honestly, I
DO believe that we have an
"elite group" of breeders - those breeders who have given their love, blood, sweat, tears, $$, and a lifetime of dedication to the betterment of Yorkies - and to enable others the opportunity to "purchase" or if you would prefer the word "adopt" one of these magnificient dogs.
Most of these breeders are long time YT members and have given untold numbers of hours worth of help to countless people - via pm's, telephone, email - and in some cases even in person. They have paid their dues, and earned the right to be respected - even if we don't always agree with them.
After reading over and over and over again about owners needlessly risking the lives of their babies, asking questions and totally ignoring advice, it does get frustrating. We are lucky that any of our more experienced members are still willing to pitch in with a word or two of wisdom. I totally agree that sometimes emotions get out of kilter and the fur flies - we are YorkieTalk members because of our passion for our Yorkies. In a perfect world, we would all agree on what makes a perfect pet owner, an ethical breeder, etc. and each one of us would be "perfect". But our YT world is filled with thousands of imperfect people, each with a lifetime of experiences that frames who we are, what we think, how we react and respond. What works well for one member may have been disasterous for another -- that doesn't mean one is right and the other is wrong, it means that we have tried the same thing with different results.
Some of our members are more aggressive and direct with responses, some are abrupt to the point of being rude, I am an old school "GRIT" (girl raised in the south) where being polite and respectful of others was not optional. So the way we respond is a matter of how we have been shaped by our life's experiences and by our culture.
Way too often posters forget that they do not own YorkieTalk. It is owned by an individual and we, the members are guests. Being a good citizen of YorkieTalk requires each member to read, understand, and follow the posting rules. One of the things that I respect the most about the Admins and Mods is their impartial rulings. I may not always agree with them, but I do know that they have the best interests of YT at heart.