In my area, the costs vary widely..A puppy that IMO is not worth $500.00 might go for $1800.00. I am not sure why the person would pay so much for such poor quality unless they have not done their homework. If that is the case, they deserve what they get. That is not to say that the breeder has no responsibility for the quality-we are the only ones who DO have that responsibility. But, these live animals live for 15 years and become complete individuals in their own rights based, in part, on their environment.
I sometimes find it hard to be sympathetic to a caller who says "I bought htis puppy from the ________pet store and it has been sick since I got it. Bad hair, poor bite, LP and so on. Vet bills already in the thousands and the puppy is still sick!" I ALWAYS ask how much research they did into the uniqueness and health problems common in Yorkies...I swear, I try not to blast them, but sometimes I just cannot help it. There is NO excuse for not knowing about puppy mills, PSS, LP,LCP, heart murmur and so on. You don't even have to have a computer--just watch TV for goodness sake. Animal Planet is informative as well as entertaining.
I am getting calls from panicked husbands just starting to look for that Yorkie their wife has been wanting for a long time and he decided this Christmas is the perfect time to give that precious soul. Well, buy a sweet stuffed Yorkie, give your loved one the toy and an IOU so that you(and SHE) can select at a more leisurely pace and research more thoroughly..Everyone will thank you in the long run.. |