I’m so sorry this happened to you; I had no idea she was charging that much, that’s unbelievable. She was a “featured breeder” here at Yorkietalk, and that’s probably why she was so “in demand.” There were several complaints against her mainly that she insisted in breeding Yorkies under 4 pounds. Breeding a dog under 4 pounds is very dangerous for dog and it does nothing to insure that the offspring will be smaller. The size of the breeding bitch is only one factor. While I understand that a three pound puppy is adorable, they are much more likely to have health problems and sometimes there teeth are too large for their mouth leading to dental problems and loss of teeth at an early age. Also, some breeders actually withhold proper nourishment from mother or puppies so that the puppies will seem smaller for their age. Withholding nourishment doesn’t only stunt growth; it can cause organs and bones not to grow property. Your right though, some of the breeders will stick together, but not because they like each other so much, my guess is that the breeder who talked to you has one of Natalie’s pups and was using it as a breeder. These types of breeder easily sell breeding dogs to others.
I’ve been urging people to talk to ethical breeders for a long time now, I had a horrible experience with a purebred with a genetic illness and it really made me think twice about getting a dog that wasn’t healthy. The emotional toll is too high. So many people say, Oh, I don’t want to breed or show, I just want a cute pet. Truthfully, you are more likely to get a healthy tiny from a good breeder because they won’t breed a tiny. Good breeder breed for under 7 pounds, so it’s relatively easy to get a 5 pounder from them, that’s a small size, yet they don’t have the health problems associated with the 3 pounders.
I do want to thank you for sharing your story, I hope some people will listen, but unfortunately others are too adamant about having a tiny and they think that going to a breeder who says that she “knows how to breed tinies” will give them a healthy baby. Trust me, if there was a way to safely breed tinies, experienced breeders would be doing it, but they've seen what a toll it takes on the mother.
Again, I'm very sorry, there are several articles on what to look for in a breeder, but the main thing is don't ignore all the red flags, trust your gut! |