I started this thread, yet I have not posted my breeder! LOL, I am surprised no one has commented on that. Y'all are a LOT more polite than me!
I got Wosie from a back yard breeder. Having had prior experience with puppy mills, you would have thought I would have avoided that situation. Let me tell you why I did not.
In my search for a yorkie puppy when Jasper was ill, we visited a half dozen breeders in our area. All of them were home-raised, and there were varying degrees of standard (or lack thereof) in the parents, siblings, and other furry relatives in the home. Simply because a dog is "home raised" does not give it quality. It gives it socialization, but the standards are in the blood lines. Most of these dogs did not look good.
Wosie's breeder had pugs, yorkies, and a few chihuahuas. There were about a dozen dogs in her spotlessly clean home. But outside in the yard was a pretty little building where she kept the majority of her dogs. Each dog had his own enclosed open kennel run where they could go in and out of the building at will. All the runs were kept free of waste with an ingenious cleaning system that her husband had designed and built for her. All of the dogs would come to the fences, tails wagging and friendly, not aggressive or shy. It was obvious to me that although they did not live inside the house, they were loved and well cared for. Linda described ber breeding program, and it was obvious that she was interested in the breeding standards, but did not have enough room in her home (doublewide) to keep all her dogs inside.
Did I have doubts about her? It was hard not to, with all the dogs that were there. "Puppy mill" rang in my mind. But after talking with her for a while and understanding where she was coming from, I decided that the quality of the dogs she kept and the care she took to set them up right made her program higher quality that some of the "home raised" pups we had seen recently. So we got Wosie.
Admittedly, I was still having doubts after we got her, and as some of you remember, I questioned early on Wosie's lack of standard qualities. Come to find out, she is merely a late bloomer. You have seen my pup's pictures, and you know she gets prettier every day.
Am I proud of my pup? You bet. Am I proud of her breeder? I admire her committment, but I think she has too many dogs to be able to give them the love and attention yorkies need. Therefore I will not post her info here.