[Minniesmthr]

Recently, I set out to find a dog to fill the empty space here in our home and hearts, after losing the last two of our Yorkies this past spring and their mother 3 1/2 years ago.

InItially, I considered a rescue dog, then an older retiring dog, but have finally decided that it would probably be best to just bite the bullet and get a puppy, so I can housebreak it myself.

We love all Yorkies regardless of their colors. The parti colors are really different though and I love the way they look. (Please remember here that I do not breed or show, so coloration would make no difference to me.) I see criticisms posted all over this site about these dogs and also numerous breeders, yet this is a big site and many people appear to be very happy with their wonderful babies wherever they came from.

Recommendations posted suggest checking the AKC site for breeders, but there must be others who sell puppies that are not a part of that list, yet are still responsible breeders. I do not see how the number of breeders on the AKC list could provide the number of dogs to happy owners on our website. So, where are you all getting your babies?

There are so many nasty comments about coloration and breeders, it makes me wonder if I really even want to purchase another dog. Welcome to the confusing world of the Internet.

We attended a dog show last weekend. To the untrained eye, so many beautiful dogs looked alike to us, it was difficult to tell them apart. I am probably not going to make a lot of friends here with the following comment, but we wondered if all of these dogs were turned loose in one room, if the breeders/owners or handlers could even identify their own dogs.

The way I understand it, is the parti colored dogs originally came from a kennel or kennels not attempting to breed for color-they just happened due to an invisible, recessive gene that showed up unexpectedly, at least in the beginning. Breeders who produced these puppies were not happy to produce this "surprise" and the resulting puppies were either "disposed of" or given away to people who promised not to reveal the kennel source. That is, until there was some interest in the off coloration. I suppose breeding these offspring back to one of the parents was probably the beginning of the brouha that now transpires, since there were more produced to meet demand for the new colors.

While those of you who show attempt to breed as close to the perfect Yorkie possible, there doesn't seem to be any tolerance for those who might enjoy a little difference in coloration. I don't understand. They are still Yorkies and are still wonderful. Would you quit having children if your firstborn turned out to have red or blonde hair?

I sure wish I had been around looking for a baby then. If someone had called me up to say they had a purple baby or some other unusual color they were embarrassed to produce, I would have been at their back door in a heart beat.

Please try not to bash me too hard here. I don't feel well today, am getting frustrated, wish I had a baby to curl up with, and will probably be kicked out of the local Yorkie club before I even get to join. Meanwhile, if anyone turns up with a purple baby, please leave it on our front porch and run, knowing it will be loved to death...

Cathie
Texas