[Jenn218]

Thought I would share this article I read in a magazine (Yorkshire Terriers - Popular Dogs Series (vol. 16) by the publishers of Dog Fancy Magazine).

These are not my words and I am neither for or against anything written....just thought I would pass it on.

The Origin of the So-Called Teacup

So you think you want a teacup Yorkie? Think again, says a Yorkie breeder since 1948. There is no such thing as a "teacup yorkie," she says. People have always been interested in the tiniest of small dogs, but they should never cost more money. They are generally the runts of the litter. They need more care, but they aren't rare.

Unusually small dogs can come out of any litter at any time. In 19th-Century England, people would sometimes pay a high price for super-small terriers, just as they do today. You see this with any breed. The word "teacup" started with the so-called teacup Poodle, which doesn't exist either.

Then and now, people want something that is a novelty, that they can carry in a small purse or a sleeve, says vice president of the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America (YTCA). But then as now, these tiny dogs can have serious health problems. They are easily dehydrated, easily injured, and can be extremely difficult to treat. When an emergency happens to a dog this small, seconds count.

They're simply more delicate...everything is smaller and that makes treatments much more difficult.

Unscrupulous breeders try to breed the smallest toy dogs on purpose, and the YTCA warns potential Yorkie owners against purchasing these tiny dogs just as a novelty. Most breeders recommend that Yorkies weigh between 3 and 7 pounds for health reasons.

Off-color Yorkies also fall outside the breed standard. If a Yorkie is plum-colored or white or all-tan or parti-colored, it is an incorrect Yorkie, not some rare special Yorkie worth more money.