Emotionally Draining - You help birth em... raise em... & now... JUST CAN'T LET GO!
 

Hi YT members!

I would like to ask what other breeders go through when having to let a litter of puppies go.
I feel bad that I have not yet been able to assist & respond to other posts & here I am already asking for advice...
So, please bare with me... I don't want to be selfish but I have to admit that this is HEAVY on my mind & heart right now.
Let me try to put this into a sea shell. ;-) I let my dogs breed early this year after doing much research & getting advice from multiple vets. The only reason I decided to do it was because my late husband's mother wanted one & my grandmother wanted one. A few different vets said that she probably wouldn't have more than 2 or 3 because of her size... so I thought it would all work out. Well, those two situations didn't work out afterall & I was left to find all 5 boys their homes.
I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be a "backyard breeder" so I poured thousands of dollars into vet appointments, supplies, books, dvds, etc. Around the same time, I had just started school again online (for business) & also started some network marketing.
I got the idea that I could have a Yorkie Video Contest on Youtube... let locals submit videos on why they should be able to buy a pup of their choice for $150. The video received a lot of traffic and we got some good video responses. It was a nice experience & because of it, 3 other pups found their homes as well. Now, the runt on the other hand... was just way too small and fragile to leave when his brothers left. My girl, Sarabi, had disowned him from day one... she actually tried to kill him by hanging him upside down in her mouth while he was crying & leaving him far away from her & the litter, on top of the puppy pad. Of course the emergency vet educated us on this - that she was probably trying to get rid of the "weakest link" because it's instinctual to do so before any other animal does. So, this little guy has needed extra care over the weeks. We bottle fed him, kept him warm, etc. I knew this was going to get hard because I cried (pretty bad) when the first puppy left... After that, I knew I would never let my dogs breed again because it's just emotionally draining for me. That & during the video contest a few people harassed me for it which opened my eyes to a few things. The ones that accused me of just "pimping out" my dogs and "killing" dogs in shelters... well there wasn't much room to talk to them. One, was productive in their criticism... They let me ask questions as to why a few individuals were attacking me. They said, there's an over population of dogs crisis out there & that people should really encourage adopting shelter dogs. Now I don't actually agree to the extent these individuals were taking things but I got their point & realized that 1. I wasn't even going to break even w/everything I paid 2. I would like to "Be The Change I Wish To See In The World" by encouraging people to adopt dogs that are already alive instead of breeding again and 3. It was sooo much work!!! Emotionally, mentally... feeding Sarabi special food when she stopped eating, delivering the pups, worrying, the time... everything(!) it was just A LOT. So, we're getting them fixed asap. :) Forgive me for getting so off topic - I know I'm venting...

So, here's the deal. After all that... the runt has managed to fatten up a bit to a whopping 30oz & is ready to find his forever home. I've posted him numerous places and just can't find the good family that he deserves. I don't know if it's the economy or what but I decided to just ask for people's best offer & I'm getting messages for $50 and $100!! Now to be frank, I don't actually need the money or anything so I know it's not about me getting a pretty check but I just genuinely believe he is worth more than this & can't bare to let him go for less than $400.
I would keep him myself but with school full time, building a couple businesses, and being a new home owner... I'm afraid I would not be able to give them all the time and affection they all need & deserve. IF I cannot find a good loving home, that does not have "rough" children, that will make time for him... a family that is not struggling financially to the point that just getting him will turn him into a financial burden... I will keep him. I don't care if I have to step down w/one of my businesses to make it all work.
But I just don't understand why it's so hard now to find him a good home. I don't want to judge people but when you only have 50 bucks to spare... that is not good enough to me. That doesn't show me that you'll be able to take him to the vet when it's time for a checkup or when he gets sick.

I want to know if I'm being too picky... I wonder if I should just keep him because I'm so attached to him. I don't even want to let him go to anyone that isn't willing to keep in touch on some level like email photos from time to time...
I wonder if most breeders have had this issue... where you have a wonderful, precious puppy that you just know is worth everything & you cannot find a suitable home... & what do you do when this happens???
I apologize for my story being "all over the place" but as you can tell... I'm pretty distraught and would just like to know which direction to take this so that Runtly... that's the lil guy's name we've been calling him since he was born 14 weeks ago... so that he is loved and cared for & I be at peace with it. Any insight, advice, similar stories, or ideas are welcomed.

Thanks in advance to anyone that may be of some assistance.

New at this
 

I'm new to forums so again forgive me for not being structured...
I was going to retype this & shorten it because I understand it's super long. But it just came out this way & I'm hoping it's sufficient enough for at least a few people to read it... (Next time I'll do my best to keep it simple, keep it grammatically correct, and check for spelling errors!) ;)

:thumbs up

no you are not...be careful on who you adopt him out too...for there are a lot of broker who will try to get their hands on him and then sell him out for thousand.....you sound as if you have done your part in the testing and researching before breeding and really cautious of who they go too....and i don't think you are being picky at all for you have the best interested in where you baby ends up.

to those who offer the $50-100 tell them that owning a yorkie cost a lot of money and if they can't afford the low cost that you are charging then a yorkie may not be the right breed for them. case close.

You sound heartbroken! It is hard to let the little ones go! I always feel a bit sad to see them go especially not knowing if the new homes will keep in contact or not.

I don't think your being too picky at all. I wouldn't let him go for $50 or $100 (unless it was to me! :D) at all! He is too small to just go to anyone. You need to be very picky as to who he goes to or if he goes at all!

Do you have any pictures of the little guy that you can post for all to see? Good luck on your decision! I know it is a hard one!

Wow
 

Thanks, 2 replies already!
This is awesome. I feel better already hehe.
I mean, I know it's going to work itself out.
I just have a lot to weigh in this big decision. & it doesn't help that I'm emotional right now lol.

I will attach a few photos after resizing them. :)
Thanks again already for the responses!

can't wait to see the pictures~ breeding isn't easy...and i tell you it doesn't get easier as the years go by when it comes to letting them go....hehe.....have you thought about keeping him since you won't be breeding anymore if i read your post correctly...or keep him and get him neuter?

A few pics
 

Here he is.

oh what a cutie!

Yup (to keeping him)
 

At this point, I just can't see me letting him go. :(


Here's a lil slideshow too. ^_^
Runtly.flv

He's beautiful and I wish i could have him, definitly don't let him go cheap even $400 is too little a a price on something so precious. I'm not a breeder, I don't think I'd be able to sell any of them either, even the lady i got my baby from nearly backed out on the deal, she had to take him to airport and said she nearly turned for home and refunded me, so glad she didn't, but we do keep in touch and I send her heaps of up date pictures, Best of luck on whatever you decide.

:thankyou2

Thanks! If I do let him go, I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE for someone like you who keeps their word on keeping in touch & sending photos!

well if you sell to most YT members you will be able to see them grow up...as we are pretty much active on this forum....i still talk to all my breeder and send updated pictures...hehe...and i am know to overdo picture posting on all my forums hehe...


btw welcome to YT...glad to have you here!

I agree it is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry hard to let them go, when the time comes.

It is even harder when you have invested so much in one specific puppy. My 1st litter I had to do the same thing, His mom didn't reject him is was because he was the weakest one he weighed in at less than 2oz when he was born and the 5 other pups were double his size and would just push him out of the way, when feeding.

I stayed up the first 2 weeks of their lives and made sure he ate every 2hrs from his mom and feed him by bottle in between those 2hrs.

when it came time for them to leave. I could not part with him. He was the runt of the litter and now this sept. he will turn 2yrs old. and I could never imagine my life without him. On my page he is listed as Prince Lorenzo (papas) to all who love him............

I agree with the above poster If you chose not to keep him I would not let him go for 400.

But ultimately the decision is upto you and who you feel will love and cherish this pup and pups as you would have.....

Good luck and welcome to YT.

Runtly is a beautiful Little boy!!! I wish I lived closer to you!! You have every right to be picky who your baby goes too! $400.00 is not enough for that gorgeous puppy. Put it in writing that whoever adopts him has to send pics and updated news about him. I could'nt part with him though!!! He's really got a face that just draws you in... Good-Luck with your decision...:rolleyes: And Welcome to Yorkie Talk...

I had a situation where everyone took the smaller Yorkies and left the bigger one behind. I thought that I was being picky too. Everyone wants a Yorkie, but they don't want to pay the price for one. I know the economy is bad, but I didn't want my little guy to go to a home that wouldn't be able to afford him after a couple of months. My son, Jason, had helped me so much in the process and wanted the bigger puppy since he had been born. Well, with that said, he got his wish because I just couldn't give him up. He's going to be 7lbs. full grown, and if you ask me, that's not too big at all. He's the sweetest and has already been potty trained. He's now 4mo old. My son has him sleep in his room, is paying me back for all the vet bills, is having him neutered, etc. He's learned tricks already.

$400 is a steal, and if you can't find someone willing to pay the price for him (which I think should be more), I would suggest that he stay with another family member if possible. You had mentioned other family members wanting Yorkies, did you ask any of them if they would take him and hold him until you get things under control?

Here's a picture of my son's little guy. He named him Gucci Gucci Goo.

I'm sorry, I can't offer you any advice, but I just have to say-absolutely LOVE that tongue pic, too adorable!!

I haven't been through this as of yet, so I cannot offer any advice on how I would feel. I know how much I love my "kids" and I know I would love their pups as well. My sister had yorkies years ago and had 2 litters of pups. I know it was hard for her to see them go. The 2nd litter she had produced 4 and she ended up keeping 2 of them just because she couldn't find the proper homes for them.

I think, for me, I would keep any of my babies that I couldn't find a proper home for. Since you are so attached to little Runtley, can't you just keep him? I think that you should . . .he's completely adorable and you've devoted so much time and attention to him he'll probably be the hardest to find a proper home for since you've done everything for him since the moment he was born . . .

I am not a breeder, and found myself over the last few days saying, "I could never be a breeder." I said that for the same reasons you have said those things. The time, the emotions, the heartbreak of letting them go and the thoughts that something might go wrong with your little girl or the new babies. There's really not money to be made in it unless you have a dog that has a large litter - I'm mean like a retriever that had 12 pups! :o


My Yorkie had her babies this past Saturday. It was not a planned litter. She had two, and we are keeping one, and the father's family is keeping the other. They live two doors down from us, so it won't be so bad. It's all so exciting, yet I feel like I need to decompress.


So, I am writing to let you know that everthing you said could have come out of my mouth. I completely understand and agree with what you are saying. It might not mean much, but I hope you get some peace knowing you are not alone in your thinking.

I wish you lived closer to Texas. There are so many great people I know that were so disappointed that we only had two puppies, b/c they wanted one and they know their worth (not just $$ LOL) Before I knew we were only have 2 babies, I was scrutinizing everyone, so I know how you feel about finding the perfect home for him.

For what it's worth, I would keep the little guy, if at all possible. It is in caring for something that you become attached to it, and you have definitely done that. You saved that baby's life, and it sounds like he has touched yours infinitely. Maybe the reason you haven't found the perfect home for him, is b/c he's already there. ;)

I just thought of something I do, and I tell my kids when they're trying to make a decision. Imagine, I mean really, really imagine, yourself in both situations. Close your eyes, and make a little movie in your mind.

You have found him a home or you have kept him.

Try to envision yourself in both situations, and see which one gives you more peace. :rolleyes:

Heeeheehee :D It sounds to me like you already made up your mind and know for him there is no one out there better than you! I KNOW I wouldnt be able to give him up if it were me. Good Luck! :animal36

Can't Let Go
 

I had never breed before either. And upon deciding to do so my first littler was back in January. We had 5 three boys and two girls. The one little girl I fell in love with and decided to keep her after all she was the first litter for me too. The second little girl is very small and I am holding on to her until she gets a bit bigger and have her spayed myself because she looks as though she may be to small to breed and to prevent anything bad from happening to her.

One of the boys my mother has, the other two boys are little sweet hearts. One was sold and I cared for him held him but tried my best not to get to attached. -Didn't happen- he wasn't named he was just middle boy. The other boy no one wanted because he was a boy.

Now that they are almost 5 months old I have posted them on a few websites. I have the same problem people want them but they want them for NOTHING...and because I ask questions they get offended. They don't deserve him if they aren't willing to talk to me about children, large dogs, if they have had a toy breed before, etc.

I don't know if I will breed again. It is still up in the air. Ok so now I have made the mistake of giving them names...It just didn't seem right not having anything to call them.

They are known as Milos and Dakota. It was their bed time.

Thanks for the warm welcome. :) & thanks for sharing your story...
Your Prince Lorenzo is a cutie! :p

So, if you wouldn't let him go for 4, what do you think would be good enough? Any thoughts?

I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way!
I will see if any other family members are interested. Most have their own dogs already though - - & most of the dogs are bigger & would be way too rough for this lil guy. I am almost positive I don't have any friends or family that could take him temporarily, or that would. I don't mind at all keeping him, holding onto him until we find his home, or anything... but... my significant other on the other hand thinks we need to try harder to find him a good home because we already have 2 yorkies. So I'm afraid as much as I want to keep him... we're going to have to keep searching until we find a suitable home. :unlove:

P.S. Thx for sharing a photo of your son's little guy! :cool88:

I know isn't that the cutest!! Lol.
My boy always has his tongue out like that too. He won't be panting, won't be hot, or anything but he'll sit there w/that lil tongue barely hangin' out all the time. Lol.

Funniest thing. :tounge6:

"See, others think so too!!" Hehe, that's what I keep saying... we should just keep him. ;-) But for the sake of all 3 yorkies, my growing family, etc. I think we're going to continue to look for that great home for at least a few more weeks. Either way, this whole situation kind of sucks because I feel bad in every way. I feel bad for not just keeping him, as if I don't care enough!! :cry8: & if he goes, I knooooow I'm going to be so heartbroken... I cried w/the others & didn't spend nearly as much time w/them, nor did I bottle feed them, keep them near me for this long or anything like that.

Decisions decisions. I hope we find a wonderful family soon or that my hunny comes around & we agree to make this his forever home. :love:

I think the reason it's so hard for this one is bc of the attachment you have to him. I know if I was breeding and had one that took special help, that I wouldn't want to let it go either. He is adorable!!! Good luck with your decision.

he is so adorable!!! i am sorry this is so hard for you. of course it's hard, he is your baby!

i would not let him go to anyone who offers so little money for him. you need to make sure that this baby finds a good family to go to. he deserve to be spoiled rotten and LOVED by his new family. (like ALL yorkies deserve) so definitely don't let him go until you can find him a perfect forever home.

i think you are being really selfless. it sounds like you would love to keep him but you won't be able to give him enough attention with all the things happening in your life right now.

are you having trouble finding qualified families for him? there are some ways that you might be able to get help. you might contact rescues near you to see if they have qualified loving family that they've already done interviews with. i had experience with a couple of rescue places, and they do a pretty good job with trying to make sure the people are qualified to adopt an animal from them.

the little guy is so cute, i would be heart broken too if i have to let him go live with another family. but just think that he will be so loved and spoiled by the perfect family you find for him. best of luck to you and the little guy! :animal36

~Its always so hard for me to let a puppy go, I just get completely attached. There are alot of people that want something for nothing, I would stick to my guns and would not sell him for anything less than what your asking, even it means waiting a little longer. You want to make sure he is going to a good home, and whomever gets him will be able to afford the vet bills, and everything else that goes with being a pet owner. Good Luck with everything!!
:aimeeyork:aimeeyork:aimeeyork:aimeeyork:aimeeyork :aimeeyork

Cute name. :D My oh my ... no one in the CA area wants to pay 400 for a yorkie ... ARE THEY NUTS??? That's the lowest I've seen by-far. I don't know how breeders do it. I'm so worried about getting attached. But luckily I still have over a year, loads of research and tons more advise to worry about that.

Hi, I am interested and sent you a pm.:)