We will always see Yorkies of many different sizes and colors. I don't think this is a "real problem". In fact, I find it rather amazing and quite interesting. And - even with so many different little Yorkies, we still have to meet the standards if we want to show our dogs. And, meeting these standards well is what makes the most genuine prototype of any breed...the true show dog.
That being said --- there isn't a reason in the world why anyone's dog has to adhere to any standards to be bred. Breeding always has been and always will be a personal choice. Purebreds and mixed breeds have been bred - one to the other and one with one another for centuries, and the end result has been a wide variety of many beautiful, wonderful pets.
If I had wanted to breed my (now neutered) Yorkie with another Yorkie ----
I could have. And, for heaven's sake, I wouldn't have needed any one's permission to do it. My little dog is a very handsome good-looking Yorkie - albeit, he is 1 1/2 pounds above the standard weight. His mother was big like he is, but his father was only 4 1/2 pounds. My Yorkie may well have fathered a litter of 5 or 6 pound Yorkies.
I'll leave "not registering" these little "off-standard Yorkies" to you "purists."
I tend to agree with you - but, I'm not really sure that this is your or my decision to make. Putting show-dog standards aside, I have always found the little Yorkie (with it's coat of many colors) and it's many sizes to be one of the most interesting, delightful little breeds we have to choose from. It's as though "There is the right little Yorkie for every family," and we can't say this about any other breed.
Carol Jean
PS: Yes, I do believe that "off-standard breeding" is what is most responsible for the wide variety of little Yorkies we see. But, I'm willing to bet all these little guys are going to be around for a while. |