[Belle Noir]

I really don't think you guys realize how a number of you appear to others.

There is really if you don't think, act, believe the way that we do, then you're not a good kind of person vibe from a number of members of this forum. I know, because I have experienced it several times myself, even when asking questions I truly wanted to know the answer to. Because I don't accept because <insert authority here> says so answers, I was told I was stirring the pot, or that I was deliberately trying to start trouble, or being a troll. I educate myself and do my own research, and act on what I have learned, and just because reasons are NOT good enough for me. And because of that, I was told I had an agenda (several times), my posts are too long, and was told why not go ask the maltese people, even though the question I had had nothing to do with maltese, and I don't own one, and will never own one. It was as though it was being implied that I should go ask the maltese people because I was thinking about cross breeding for Morkies.

And just as the OP posted that she had a number of people apologizing for the behavior of those on this board, SO DID I. I had a number of private messages saying they felt the way I did, but WERE AFRAID TO SAY SO because of the way people were attacked on the board for having the opinions that they had.

As to why people stay when they experience this kind of behavior, it's simple, this is the largest Yorkie forum on the web. This is where there is going to be the most information and the largest concentration of Yorkie people. If that means dealing with some people whom have an online presence you don't much care for, then it's worth it. But it also means NOT sharing things with this forum, because of the things that people will say, almost as a knee jerk reaction. And not because you 're ashamed of it, but because you don't want to have to deal with people tell you how wrong and terrible you are for doing the things you do.

There are people on this board that will openly have the opinion that I should not make the choices I have for my dogs, not because I am doing anything that is hurtful to my dogs, or to the breed, but because in their opinion what I am doing is wrong. And with no facts, just knee jerk reactions repeating back what they have been told, just because they have been told this enough times, by enough people (usually on this forum) and with enough authority, that they just go along with the pack.

I guess I am secure enough in my own self that I don't need the approval of anyone but myself. I've lived my live doing the cha cha to a rhythm only I can hear anyway, so I don't care. But I'm not stupid enough to borrow trouble either.

Since I am NOT on this board to stir the pot, I'm NOT on this board to troll and I'm NOT on this board because of some kind of agenda, I do NOT share personal information about my dogs aside from the benign, because it's just not worth the fight that OTHER people will bring to my threads because they don't like MY choices which do not affect them, their dogs, or the breed..

The world isn't as black and white as some people would like to have it be. I asked a question on one of those so called controversial posts, and I can ask it again with a bit of rewording (This is a rhetorical question, I know the answer). If there is a yorkie breeder that does EVERYTHING that a CoE breeder does, shows their dogs, same contracts, same genetic tests, but uses the word teacup in their website, are they reputable.
There will be a number of people that will say NO, this person is a terrible, unethical breeder, because they use the word teacup on their website.
That's what I mean by black and white viewpoint and knee jerk emotional reaction. This board is full of that, but it's what you have to live with to experience the rest of what the board has to offer.