[Higgin's Mom]

If you have been victimized by an unscrupulous breeder, I say post that breeder's name here and on every message forum you can. Be SURE that you have your facts straight so that you are not open to libel charges. Now then, I will begin this with Higgin's story:

We desperately wanted a Yorkie but simply could not think of paying over $500 for a pup on our retirement budget. So we started looking. We saw some pretty sad puppymill pups, and were told about breeders to avoid. We insisted on seeing the puppy in his home/breeder environment and seeing and handling the parents. We eventually saw an ad in an online local newspaper advertising a male and female pup in Brooksville, Florida, for $450, no papers.
I called and we went to Brooksville right away. The breeder was a German gentleman in his mid 70s who said he and his wife had bred chihuahuas and yorkies for years. He said they were retiring from the business and that they didn't want to be bothered with AKC, registration, etc. He was very nice. Their home was lovely. Their side yard had about 10 chihuahuas in a scrupulously clean fenced in area, having a ball playing. They looked happy, healthy, shiny, and were well socialized. The two Yorkies were in a human baby playpen and were, of course, adorable. We had come for a female, but it was the little male that was most interested in us. I asked to see the mother and father. I am sure that I saw the REAL mom because she and the pups obviously knew each other. The mother was about 10 pounds (which he had told me on the phone earlier), and was the sweetest dog! Very pretty, but mostly golden in color and of course, oversized. She was TEN years old, which upset me. That's just too old to keep breeding a dog. And Mr. Galda said that she used to have 7 or 8 in a litter, but only had 2 this time, so he thought he probably wouldn't breed her again. She looked groomed, shiny, and very healthy. The father was somewhat more skittish. He weighed about 5-6 pounds and wasn't interested in being social, though he never barked or seemed aggressive in any way. He loved it when I picked him up and cuddled him. Both parents "felt" and looked healthy. They smelled good, and clean. So we forked over the money, and all in all had a nice visit.

Now then, you will see the breeders' names on the AKC nono list: Galda. They have been banned for 10 years. So they have certainly been unscrupulous at some time. However, while they certainly didn't tell us they have been banned by the AKC, they were not misrepresenting their puppies as registered, teacup, or anything special, and they were selling them at a fair price for "just pets." We received the required Florida vet certificate stating which puppy shots had been given, that the pup had been wormed, and that he had one undescended testicle (which did descend after about 2 months).

Higgin's poops were good and all went well for about 2 weeks when he started to gag a bit, and got diarrhea. OFF TO THE VET! It proved to be tonsilitis and coccids that were the problems. A dose of antibiotics had him right in no time. I truly don't blame the breeder for these problems since he was in really good shape when we got him and stayed that way for two weeks. The vet assured me they are just common puppy problems and had us come back every week for 3 weeks to follow up on Higgins (at $8 per follow up!, don't you love it?)

I am not proud of supporting a puppymill breeder. Like you, I really wanted a Yorkie. But at least I knew what I was getting and got the best I could afford and I knew what to look for and what the BIG red flags were. I think Mr. Galda was very fair with me. Don't get me wrong, $450 is a LOT of money for an unregistered dog, but in today's Yorkie market, it's a bargain for a healthy pup.

Interestingly, compared to the Breed Standard, Higgins doesn't come off too badly. He is oversize (thank you, mama) at a tad over 7 pounds, but otherwise is a pretty good looking kid! And he has an adorable personality! A devil in angel's clothing.........

Chances are 99% that if you bought your puppy in a pet store, you have a true puppymill puppy and you are taking a chance on some real health problems. I can guarantee that you overpaid for your pup from a pet store! Small dogs, particularly REALLY small dogs, are the fashion. And where there is demand, there is big money involved. And there is the problem.

And beware of your own motives....Thinking it might be nice to have "just one litter" and recoup some of the big bucks you paid? And have lots of fun, too? Tempting. Well, I don't breed because I know something about dog breeding and I don't know any RICH, responsible breeders! It is time consuming WORK breeding healthy pups, and it COSTS BIG BUCKS to do it well and offer healthy puppies.

Thanks for letting me tell our story.