[Rachael1983]

I agree with much of what has already been said. I will share my experience in puppy shopping. My first yorkie came from what I would have originally thought was a reputable breeder however I quickly learned she was more of a hobby breeder with AKC registered breeding stock. Troy was not AKC registered because one of his parents was not registered.

Emma came from a show breeder, therefore her dogs had to be AKC registered. When I decided on this breeder it was much more than her showing the dogs that made me want to get on her waiting list. I wanted to know about others experiences, health of her line of dogs, how she treated/kept her dogs, her communication style throughout the lifetime of the purchase period and lifetime of the dog and even if the breeder was interested in knowing about my background. Costs never really came to the forefront of the decision because I wanted a healthy and sound yorkie.

So to answer your question, yes AKC papers are important to a certain point but there's so much more to consider in your puppy purchase.
Also, my breeder kept Emma's AKC papers until she was spayed so we have a limited registration for her through the AKC.