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Originally Posted by kjcmsw  Might be a little harsh. I remember getting my first Yorkie and all the dumb questions I asked. Thank goodness the breeder was willing to tell me everything and I became a better owner because of it. (I had always had big dogs before and decided a smaller dog would better fit our lifestyle after our big dog was ready to pass on) And your potential customer, like I, probably never paid that much for a dog before and it is "sticker shock" at first (though by the time I went to buy I knew what the average selling price was and wouldn't try to negotiate). How about this for dumb: I did research the breed somewhat prior to buying, probably learning how little they shed was the final decision point for me but at the time I went to get our first Yorkie it was at the breeders I learned their coats can lighten. hmmm, stupid? Now yes, but then...research Yorkies with novice eyes on the internet...you'll be hard pressed to find pictures of Yorkies with light coats. And I am an educated person with higher degrees (none with Ph.Yorkie in it), sometimes not all things are what they seem to be. |
You make some good points. I was very surprised when I joined YT and saw so many very light colored yorkies. I did not realize some faded that much. I also did not know about all of the other color anomalies. I did not learn near enough before I bought my first yorkie. But the next time I went in search of yorkies, I was fully prepared and knew what I was looking for and stood my ground until I found it. It only takes getting less than what you expected once, to learn a lesson.
Somehow, even though that first yorkie was out of standard and a second hand pup that I later found came from a BYB, she still gave a lot of love to our family and I would never have traded her for any other.
Thankfully after that first seller, I too found a good breeder who seemed to enjoy teaching others about yorkies. She was very patient and never made me feel stupid for not knowing things. She had a normal check list that she went through and she just asked me to listen even if I thought I knew. I would never have stopped her though. Even things I did know were verified. But she taught me so much I did not know. Then she made it clear she was always on call should my pup need help of any kind.
Not only did she fully educate me on Yorkie ownership, much later she took her time to teach me about breeding. She even helped find a match so the two would compliment each other. She went WITH me to buy the pup from another breeder! She offered to come help me through the first whelping and again, she answered tons of questions. I decided that I would do the same for anyone coming to me for pups. I know we can't just let our puppies go to the unprepared, but it is part of our job to prepare the new puppy owners. So much cannot be learned from books. Many think because they have had a dog, it will be the same with a yorkie. It is up to us to walk them through it and see that they understand.
But a prospective buyer like the one the OP had.....well, expecting a Yorkie for $100 and not knowing they did not start with long hair is really stretching things. I might not have completely blown her off but I would have suggested she was not ready and needed to do some research on Yorkies before she actually started looking. She might not even be interested if she knows they are more likely to cost $1000+ than $100. So, I see both sides of this one.