[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by FlyingNimbus

Let me just say that I am quite sorry for your loss... sounds like Jilly was a very good dog, and adorable.

I actually think, a lot of people who are enticed into buying those "teacup" , "micro" or whatever term you may have heard of... they don't even know what they're getting themselves into, much less what kind of tragedy will befall on their new addition... and the sort of practice they're endorsing...

I think that someone purposely going out of their way to get a dog like that despite of learning the truth about those poor dogs and their "breeders" have as much as a hand in the practice as the people who breed them.... For every dog they buy like that, they are endorsing those people potentially mistreating those animals, and by doing so-- they themselves are mistreating the animals.

This may appear slightly unrelated but;

I used to work at this small mom and pop pet shop(no dogs or cats being sold there just their foods, reptiles, fish, amphibians, birds, small mammals) near where I live. Now I was in charge of taking care of the animals being sold there, and I personally researched each animals care long before working there as that was my passion and everyday I came into that job we would have all sorts of customers... Majority of the people who went into the store were rather ignorant about what they were planning on buying-- which in a sense I guess I didn't expect them to.

However every single time I worked there quite a lot of the customers who would come to me with pet related questions that would really reveal the sad secrets of the pet industry. While pet ownership is definitely not wrong in my perspective(and of a lot of people), it does leave the doors open to people do as they please with other living beings...

I recall the many questions that saddened me... I will just say one prime example to make my point....

I remember being asked by an older woman, an apparent mother claimed her son just went off to college and that she had bought him a baby turtle-- showed me a photo and all. Told me that the turtle had been living in a fish bowl. Asked me what size tank they needed. The photo she showed me was that of a extremely common to get, red eared slider.

Now a red eared slider I told her, needs at least 55gallons of water to swim otherwise the turtle will become stunted. Being that turtles require some land area I explained to her how one would need to make it so. I explained everything to do with their care.

But all throughout my explanation she kept interrupting asking me if she couldn't just keep it in a 2.5 gallon aquarium. Said she didn't have the space for it, nor the money for it and that it was her sons pet that he couldn't take care of because he was going off to college.

So I explained to her that she should then seek someone who could take care of it-- she then interrupted and said that she wanted it to be there for when her son returned, so I told her to buy a large tupperware container the biggest one they made that it should be able to keep it, told her where she could get cheap light fixtures, and all she had to do was get the light bulbs here(specific for reptiles), the food and water conditioner but she just kept asking me if she could keep it in a 2.5gallon aquarium, after 10 more minutes(30minutes of repeating it) I get pulled away by a coworker and I do I see that she still decides to buy a small 2.5gallon aquarium.....


--

So in conclusion, my point is, that no matter how much you educate some people, they still will not care- and they will claim they're doing it for the animal or for some other "noble" reason but deep down we all know otherwise that it's just for their own selfish desires....

My point is, dogs, like all animals are just "items" to some people, an "accessory"... Some will learn after experiencing it first hand, others just won't care.

I just wish people could reach down into themselves and do the right thing.

I apologize for the long winded speech, but I felt the need to make a clear point.

There are many more examples of animal cruelty that I came to see/hear about from the customers own mouths... Now I am not saying all of them were bad, just saying the ones that are -- are in plain sight.

Knowledge is power.

Thank you for your kind words about little Jilly. I took Jilly, the runt of the litter from a breeder I long knew, who'd hand-raised her, saving her for herself or for a very savvy caregiver with lots of time on their hands - me, in other words. My first Yorkie, Scotty, was also a tiny, 3 lbs. and quite healthy, though I didn't know a thing about Yorkies when I got him! So naturally I wanted another just like him, though I had learned the constant watch and worry involved with a tiny was a real job! I was well-informed and well-versed at all the nurturing, time, wads and wads of money, nursing duties and worry that might be involved with a tiny runt and still it was painful and soul-wearying to see Jilly suffer over and over or try to do things she was too frail to do. Tiny, fragile things don't always live very happy lives but boy, she tried with every fiber of her tiny being. Still, I wouldn't wish her life on anyone or anything. With a tiny, the chances of getting a dog with health and fragility problems are far greater than that of a full-sized Yorkie, a very small dog anyway.

Sad, sad story about the turtle's life in that too-tiny tank! Poor thing. Totally stymied in its little wild heart to 2.5 gallons of 'life'. Poor little creature. Like those poor fish in tiny round bowls! Ugh! And like wild zoo animals confined to cages or 'enclosures' rather than the savage, open savanna, free to run, roam and wander, forage, hunt and migrate for change of food sources, mates and scenery at will, not walk the few yards of its caged/fenced area, be it small or large, it's still confined, a complete prisoner, not a free wild thing as its heart yearns to be. So sad that many people seem to put their wants first, not the needs of the animals sadly restricted to our care and custody.