I am involved in rescue and I can tell you a lot of what the problem is. The AKC keeps ranking these pups and they, in my opinion, do not do enough in terms of educating people about the pitfalls. SURE..they are adorable pups, but they are terriers. I hate that Yorkshire Terriers are ranked number two in popularity. In my opinion, unscrupulous breeders and the AKC are part of the problem...NOT the solution. I am not saying that there are not reputable breeders...there are just FAR more that are NOT.
I have seen so many yorkies get turned in to shelters and rescues for stupid reasons like "they bark too much", "they are hard to housebreak", "they don't want to sit in a carrier". UH...these are yorkie traits and if people would take the time to educate themselves about them PRIOR to just obtaining them, these things could be avoided.
It is bad enough that people get rid of their pets for divorces, new living conditions ("cannot take my pup with me"...then find ANOTHER place)...and then we have the idiots who dump the seniors. The poor babies give unconditional love all their lives only to be dumped when they NEED the love back.
Sorry about the rant...but what I see on a daily basis turns my stomach.
Microchips are great BUT they also can be removed. All it takes is someone with money who can get someone to do it. AND....vets do not routinely microchip so a person could take a dog they have stolen to a vet and never be discovered.
There is NO replacement for walking your dog at ALL times ON A LEASH...NEVER leaving them outside in your yard unattended..even for a MINUTE....NOT using doggy doors....using baby gates that prevent them from gaining access to a room that has an outside door. If that is not possible...put a LEASH at the door and put it on your pup BEFORE opening the door. The list goes on and on about how to protect them. I also have an alarm system in my home and after seeing that incident in California I am thinking of putting a video system in. That is what got those pups back! |