[yorkietalkjilly]

I call those that breed the very tinies that are really incapable of living a normal dog's life heartless. Some of those little things have such terrible problems and are so very delicate that their little lives can't possibly be as enjoyable as a larger dog. Having had a 3 lb.-er that I loved more than life itself and living with her many many size-related medical and other issues, I really came to understand how hard it is for a little bitty Yorkie to have a fun, healthy and full a life as a larger-sized Yorkie.

My little one was not bred for a tiny size - her littermates were normal size as were her parents (5 1/2 and 7 lbs.) and she was the "runt" so perhaps that somehow affected her differently but the fact it happened without planning still caused her so many problems. Whether they are bred on purpose to be small or just a runt, the little ones do have extra problems to have to deal with that the AKC-standard sized and larger ones don't. Just jumping off a low stool or short pile of pillows and she was in danger of injuring her shoulders - things like that. She had mal-absorption syndrome due to her size, two vets told me. When a Dalmatian attacked her when she ran at him barking -he wasn't even that riled - certainly not in a killing frenzy or anything like you see some videos on TV of fighting Pitbulls, for instance - he was able to get his whole mouth completely around her tiny body, injuring her far worse than if she had been even a 5 - 7 lb-er. He almost snapped her tiny spine from one regular bite and bruised - nearly crushed many tiny organs, her surgeon told me. He said if the Dalmatian had really been riled or in prey mode, little Jilly could have easily been dismembered or disemboweled because she was just so tiny. I could cite several other problems she had to live with and potential dangers we always had to be aware of day-to-day but you get the picture. It is just so hard a life for little doggies. So to breed for tiny size seems unthinking and heartless to me. Even at the top of the AKC standard weight, the Yorkie is a VERY small dog. That is my 2 cents!