After losing my little girl, Ashley, it was my great hope that, when the time came to add another baby to our lives, she would come from a breeder who loved her little ones with all of heart and soul and raised them as part of a family. These breeders like this, who breed for the pure joy of bringing babies into the world and who are there to protect, better, nurture, the breed they are working with so that we can have healthy, beautiful dogs with excellent temperaments are the heroes out there. What they do is a labor and a gift of love. I applaud these breeders and am very grateful for them. I was blessed to get Katie from one of these breeders. Even with very careful screening of puppy buyers, it takes a leap of faith to give up a very loved baby to his/her forever home. What these exemplary breeders do is bring such joy and happiness to people's lives and they also do much to preserve and better the Yorkshire Terrier breed. I am so very grateful that Katie was raised in such a loving home before she came to live with us and that her breeder placed her little girl with me. I heard such wonderful things about Katie's breeder from my dear friend Gemy, and she spoke to our breeder on my behalf over and above the many conversations I had with her over the phone. I personally met her breeder's partner at the National Yorkie Specialty the year before when I spent the day with Gemy there. My other dear friend Jackie, who along with Gemy are the reasons why Katie is part of our family, met our breeder when she went to get Katie for me when I was unable to. Nine months later she got her own little girl from the same breeder. I knew for sure that Katie came from a wonderful breeder, even though I never met her. I definitely will meet her someday because I know she misses Katie, and I owe that to her after placing my precious gift with me. I truly believe we owe these breeders a lot, and I am so saddened to hear about this law. I hate puppy mills as much as everyone else here does, but it is imperative that we protect ethical breeders who are doing everything right to protect the lives, health, beauty, and special temperament of the breed we love. To have such intense fear of having their loved ones seized is a horrific reality that they are faced with, and this makes me very sad. |