[jaslyman]

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to get some advice regarding a possible adoption that we are considering. It'd be great to hear suggestions from seasoned yorkie owners about things to consider, potential issues, questions to ask, etc.

First, we currently have two cats and a 4 y.o. dachshund / basset mix (weighs about 30#). All of our animals generally do well with other animals. We also have two kids, ages 7 and 10, who are pretty calm.

The dog we are considering (Sparky) is a 5 y.o. AKC/CKC registered female who was used to breed two litters, but the current owner is no longer interested in breeding. The dog seems very friendly, happy, sweet. Barked 2-3 times when we entered her area and that was it. Has "never" bitten or tried to bit, per owner. Loves to play with her 6 y.o. grandson.

The dog is kept in a confined area in the basement but does get outside every day to walk and play. She goes to the bathroom on "puppy pads".

One of my biggest hesitation is housetraining, and how difficult / time-consuming it might be to get her to go from using the pads indoors to only going outside. I'd love any predictions on how easy / difficult this might be. I saw the other thread dedicated to this topic as well as the book that was mentioned - we will definitely get that if we adopt her.

Other than the house-training issue, are there other specific issues / considerations we should think about? She seems well-cared for, but is clearly in need of a bath. We would need to spay her (on top of the $400 the owner is asking for). We would want to have her in a crate at night (at least at first) and also in the daytime while we are at work and kids are at school.

Apologies for the long post! Thanks for reading this far. Again, would LOVE any advice any of you have to offer.

Thank you very much,
Jason