How did you decide that you wanted a York?

[LinsZooCrew]

With all the possible health issues, the care needed for the safety of such a wee dog and the usually high cost of one, how did you decide you wanted to be a Yorkie Mom or Dad?
I rarely picked anything that ended up with me. It was usually a rescue of some sort. Sometimes we fell in love, sometimes we just couldn't find a home for them. But they almost always came to us.
One day about 8 years ago my youngest daughter (she was about 17 then) arrived at the door with a tiny matted mess. She had found a yorkie running in the street! Running from car to car. Raised as she was, she immediately jumped out and grabbed her. We brought the little gal in, my immediate game plan was to see if we could find her home and if not either place her ourselves or call Yorkie rescue. As I began to dry her off I could not help but be heartbroken for her condition. She was so thin. That was not immediately apparent due to mats the size of my fists all over her. She was swarming with fleas! Her nails were so long they were curling into her pads. How could she even walk? Then we found 5 tumors on her! Good grief! She weighed in at 3.5 pounds. She was so malnourished her head was almost bald. We immediately began the grooming to make her comfortable, then I realized she was going deaf and blind! How could anyone be so mean to such a tiny thing! We made her comfortable for the night and gave her a hearty meal. My Shih Tzu (A puppy mill kid) who was a year old immediately took over loving her. The next morning I ran her over to my vet to have her checked out and to check for a chip. No chip. The vet said given her condition and age... Maybe 13? She should maybe have a year left. I decided if I could not find the owner.... Who better have a DAMN good story.... That I would just keep her for the last year. As time went on (Did I mention her first poop was candy wrappers and raisins?) we relized she had been abused. She was terrified of brooms shovels etc. She continually tried to hide under cars. Hmm.... Lived in the yard?
It didn't take long to become attached to something so tiny with so much spirit! After about 6 months we took her back to the vet.She now had a glistening coat, weighed 7 pounds (and not an ounce of that was fat!) Was gaining confidence and had won all of us over 100%. I asked the vet if she thought she could endure surgery to remove those tumors. She was amazed at Annies turnaround and said YES! (BTW~ We named her Annie as in Little Orphan Annie) Surgery was scheduled for later that week. The morning of surgery a new tumor popped up. Or should I say out?? It popped right out of her vagina!! Good gravy! That rathered freaked me out! We hopped in the car and off to the vet. My vet recommended a specialist and made the arraigements. Off we went for an hour drive.... Me having a tiny nervous breakdown all the way! She had her surgery, all the tumors came back benign. All hormonal, she had never been fixed. Could she have been a breeder that was tossed out? Anyway hubby and I took turns sleeping on the floor with her for the next week, so she wouldn't jump off the bed, She made a complete recovery and blossomed more. She still had a fear of brooms and shovels, she was still getting older but we were hooked. We had Annie another 2 years when old age became too much and we had to send her to the bridge. That was my first baby.... Stay tuned.... Or runaway for part 2.

[Piccolo's mom]

Oh, what a sad story but you were amazing giving her such a good life even for two years. Thank you very much for sharing it with us.

[SweetCuteness]

What a very nice story! I'm glad little Annie had a very loving last 2 years. It's so great to hear that there are such caring people out there like you.

[RLC12345678]

What a truly amazing story. Your family are very very special people. This world would be such an amazing place if there were more people like you. Thank you for taking such good care of little orphan Annie for her last two years on Earth.

As for me, I fell in love with yorkies after being around a friend of mine who had two of them. At the time, my family had a Jack Russell Terrier, or should I say Jack Russell Terror! She was SOO bad! So hyper, never sat still. My grandmother kept telling us that we needed a little lap dog that would help us learn to care for another living thing and that would bring out our maternal instincts. I guess it was meant to be for us to have a yorkie because our Jack Russell ended up biting several people, and we had to give her away. After that, my grandmother offered to buy our family a "lap dog." After being around my friend's yorkies, I recommended to my family that we get a yorkie. They researched the breed and decided that a yorkie would be perfect for our family considering our allergies. So, when I was 15 years old, we got KoKo. Our family was absolutely head over heals for yorkies from that day forward. My grandmother loved KoKo so much that she ended up getting KoKo's sister. Then my sister got a yorkie, Sophie. Then my aunt got one, Ziggy. Then my hubby and I got TWO yorkies, Hootie and Hobbs. I'm sure our family will have many many more yorkies before it is all said and done.

1. KoKo
2. Sophie
3. Hootie and Hobbs

[StewiesMom]

I wanted a small dog who didn't shed. I wanted a small dog because I am young and single and I needed a dog that would be easy to have in an apartment. I am going to be traveling a few days a month for my new job and Stewie will be staying w/ my mom or dad during that time. Its easier to ask people to watch a small dog than asking them to watch a huge shedder.
Also, I had to negotiate w/ my landlord to have STewie in my new apt and I'd bet he wouldn't have budged if I had a black Lab.

[stedmansmommy]

I agree with everyone else! What an angel you are for doing what you did and taking care of that poor, sweet baby. IF ONLY there were more people like you in this world....

I decided to get a Yorkie basically, #1 because of looks. Also, I have known people who have owned (and still do own) Yorkies and I just loved their personalities, and also the fact that they did not shed. Also, I deiced that I wanted a smaller dog, a dog that would be easy to take in the car and a dog that I could carry around almost anywhere with me. The portability factor was of big importance when I was deciding on what type of dog to get.

So basically the Yorkie had everything I was looking for Looks, personality, portability factor, and no shedding And just as I thought I would be, I am SUPER HAPPY with my choice!

[Grayson's mom]

My love for yorkies dates back to being about 12 or 13 I fell in love with a yorkie at a pet store out of town, Mom and Dad loved the pup as well but the price was high (I guess as it is now) Anyhow we ended up with another dog from a breeder it was pekapoo Loved my childhood dog and he was around for 14 years with us. Still I loved these little dogs now the hard part was talking my husband into it(he said one shoud never pay for a dog), he wanted a "big" dog and while we were on vacation I started talking about this doggie in the window from years ago and how I had always wanted one and I told him someday I would have one.
When we got home from vacation we started doing all our homework on Yorkies reading site after site looking in the papers for breeders and calling vets to see if anyone had brought in any pups or had a sign up. FINALLY we found Grayson and he has been with us for 2 weeks now. What a joy Once my husband saw his face just like me I knew he was part of our family.

Thank you for sharing your story about Annie, she had a great 2 years and she got to know what it meant to be loved! Bless you

[my2boyz]

I fell in love with Yorkies when I was in grade school. I first saw them in books at the library and then 'Liza' had one on the show Green Acres. That was it...I was in love and hoped someday I would have one! Although, after watching the show I thought only rich people could have dogs like that and that left me out. Glad I dispelled that myth as I got older!

[doortego]

My first Yorkie was just a matter of a lady in town had bred her pet to someone else's pet and the pup was cheap $125 - We had him for years & loved him dearly. He was large, down ears, bad bite but so very loyal & loving. Since my daughter has been married they have had a Yorkie (this one came from a flea market), still large with floppy ears. We also love him just as much. So after the grandkids started school, I decided to get a Yorkie of my own. I thought I was doing it right this time and went to a breeder and now have a 6 mo. old not quite 3#er with the ears up. I have since decided that breeder may not have been the best either since my pup is APR registered & I got a story about how she didn't use AKC because of the politics involved. She said both the parents were AKC but she didn't register the litter AKC. I suspect now it was the AKC inspections or regulations or such that were the problem. Her dogs were very pretty and seemed well cared for but it was in outside kennels. They were nice & air conditioned with outside runs & not far from her house but they were not in her house.

Gee I can't seem to quit rambling. We love both the large & small Yorkies & I bought my Yorkie because I love the personality & I wanted a small dog that could travel with my Husband and I.
Also he has some medical problems that would be aggravated with a dog that shed.

[ChestersMom]

I didn't decide I wanted a Yorkie; God delivered one to me. I, too, found one in the middle of the street, didn't even know what a Yorkie was (as if he looked like one at the time). The poor guy had more scabs than hair; infected eyes, ears, teeth. The vet guessed him to be 10-12 at the time. As you can see from my Avatar, he turned out to be absolutely beautiful, two years and $2500.00 later. Chester was with me for five absolutely wonderful years. It's been a year this month since I lost him and I'm still devastated. I don't think I'll ever love a dog the way I loved him.

[LuvMySissy]

What a wonderful, happy two years you gave to little Annie. Bless you for having the heart and soul you do.

Two weeks after I was terminated from my job, my 13 year old Calico cat became very ill and was sent to the Rainbow Bridge. I knew then that I wanted my very own pet. I agreed to wait until my daughter moved out and took her cat with her (two years later). I had lots of time to contemplate what kind of pet I wanted. I have always loved both dogs and cats, but have only ever had big dogs and cats that wanted to not be touched.

I determined that I was leaning toward a cat cause I wanted a lap animal, but since I've never had a cat that actually complied, I determined a small dog was the way to go. I love the look of a Yorkie and the fact that they always look puppy-like. That is what led me to the breed. I knew very little about them other than their looks and they don't shed. I have never been happier. I love Sissy so much that I can't wait to get another!! I know that they have health risks and can be more costly with vet visits, but Sissy is my baby now!!

[shecass]

Great story.

When I first fell in love with yorkies was over 20 years ago when, my husband was going through his divorce. We all lived in VA and he and I moved to GA and his ex to DE. The boys stayed with his mother until we got settled and then they came to GA to live with us. Their yorkie was Candy she was a great dog. She went whereever the boys went. Especially Sam he loved her dearly.

For the first couple of years the boys went back and forth between us and their mothers but Candy always stayed with us. I finally put my foot down and told them that they did not need to be switching schools every other year that they needed to stay in the same school.

We were by ourselves for a few months with Candy and we got a phone call that Sam had gotten hurt he ran through a plate glass door and cut his arm very badly. He desperately wanted to come back to us so we gave in. I still have a picture of him and Candy when he came home that day.

Sorry for rambling. Sam use to sleep with Candy but, she was getting older and he would have such a death grip on her that I would not let him sleep with her anymore. I think after that she really became my dog. Whenever I would come home from work she was all over me I would sit down and she would immediately be up in my face giving me kisses.

I will never forget the day I had to have her put to sleep. She was about 10 or 11 years old I didn't work Fridays then. I had gotten up and she was so sick, she had vomited up blood, bloody diahrreah you name it. I knew it was time to take her and have it done. She was also blind.

I cried all the way there and back. I so dreaded telling Sam about her. I brought her home in a box sat her in the garage and waited on Sam. He was such a trooper, he was maybe 12 or 13 I was never so proud of him as I was that day. He didn't cry he sat and listen as I told him why I had to do it. Then he took her box and all and a shovel and went across the creek in our back yard and buried her. He was gone long enough that I started out after him when he came in the door.

I went over and gave him a big hug and told him how proud of him I was, all the time I was fighting back the tears myself.

If was a year or so later when we got Bailey and took him home on a Friday with a blue ribbon around his neck and had him home before Sam got home. I don't think I have ever been hugged so tight in my life.

Sorry for rambling. Had to fight back the tears. For 1 1/2 to 2 years later we lost Bailey, he followed my aunt's dogs to the road and well you can guess what happened then.


It was 9 years before we got Mollie and now we have Wyatt as well. I can never imagine not having a yorkie from now on. They are wonderful dogs.

As some of you may or may not remember we lost Sam last August in a terrible accident he was just 26 years old. We had plenty of Sam and Candy memories to share. Mollie had just had her puppies and I was going to surprise Sam with Wyatt that's the biggest reason we ended up with Wyatt, I just couldn't bear to part with him after that. So, I guess I have a very special bond with him.

[doortego]

That is so sad. I can't bear it.

[xLoLa]

ever since i was little i dreamed of a dog with beautiful long hair, yorkies were the ideal animal for me. i know have a 2.5 pound little poochie and cant imagine life with out her, she goes everywhere with me!

[Grayson's mom]

please pass the tissues