Curious more than anything...
 

I lost one of my yorkies in Jan to a big dog, he came in my yard, bit my dog and my Harleyman died. He and Isabel, my other yorkie, had been together from 6 weeks on so I wanted to find a companion for her. (they were 6yrs old). The vet recommended a male puppy so she could teach him her ways. She was always the dominate dog.
Well, in March I found an ad for a 10-month old male yorkie for $500. When I called, she said she had been training him for the show ring, but she felt he just didn't have the personality so she was putting him up for sale. She had had him neutered, micro chipped and all his shots plus rabies, so I thought that was a good deal. He is a great little dog, but is this usual? She said he won best puppy at a dog show, so how usual is it that she would decide he just wasn't cut out for it?
To continue the saga, I got him on a Friday night, he jumped off the bed and kind of whimpered; I figured he just got neutered, it must have hurt. He jumped off again Saturday night and whimpered a little louder and longer. Sunday morning he LEAPED off the bed, broke his leg, it wouldn't set so it was amputated in June.
So I have always wondered, did she know somehow that his leg was injured and is that why she sold him? Vet says no way of knowing.
Wouldn't trade him for the world, but this has been bugging me.
Thanks.

You hate to think that this was the case but like your vet said.. it would be too hard to tell. Sorry to hear he has to have his leg amputated.. how scary, especially after losing one. How is he doing now without his leg?

the loss of his leg has not slowed him down. It was the right front leg. Occasionally, he will forget and try to lift his leg to pee and fall over, but for the most part, it's not a big deal. He runs, plays and jumps around, so he is fine.

i know of only a few show people in Ky but she probably was telling you the truth about that. I bet he hurt his leg the first night you had him when he jumped out of the bed. How did he get up to the bed? they move so fast, I had one jump off my grooming table the other day and two of us trying to hold him. This was the dog I am showing and it scared me to death.

I agree with you Dee. Leaping off the bed 3 times would have definately been the major factor on injuring his leg.

CJ broke both his front legs just leaping from Mary Ann's lap and she was sitting in a wheel chair. All they have to do is land wrong, a mis step and it's all over.

I always have my hands on mine, I dry on my lap with both hands on them and my Tahlulah, such a wiggle worm, wiggled her way around and on the floor she went.

Why did the Vet say his leg wouldn't set? Was it broken in 3 different places? I've just never heard of a young dog having to have it's leg amputated with almost no effort in trying to save it.

He was under a year old - how much did he weigh?

Connie,

I have no idea what her deciding factor was since he won best puppy. I don't know who the breeder/exhibitor is, knowing that and seeing pics may allow me to see what she was or wasn't looking for. Most of us have a certain eye for certain things that we're looking for.

At times we have a pup that has everything we want as far as structure. However, they may be too timid, just don't have that it quality.

To answer your first question, he probably just didn't have the personality for the show ring. Sometimes you have to put them in a few shows to see how they do. Even a seasoned show dog will sometimes lose the "zest" for showing.

My Matty, for example, has a sire who is a champion and she is full of personality - until you put the lead on her. It doesn't really matter because she is too small to show anyway.

Thanks Mary & Sookie - I thought someone else would be better suited to explain it to her.

I'm still really curious as to why this dog would have to have his leg amputated. :confused:

It happens at times, can't be pinned. Circulation being blocked, etc.

OMG Mary - I've never heard of that. Well, I'm sure glad that we have about a dozen sets of steps and large pillows around here. These kids have steps going up to everything in the house. :D Of course these tile floors worried me from the beginning so we took extra precautions.

It happened to our breeder, so it can happen to the best of us.

I know a show breeder that had a one year old male jump off the grooming table and break a leg several years ago. It can happen.

Sherile, how big was this boy that broke his leg? Was he fine boned?

I don't think being fine boned has anything to do with it 50% of the time. CJ is medium boned, by all means not a dinky.

He was 5.6lbs. I never gave a thought to not putting him on the bed. I have had yorkies for 5 years, they were always jumping off the bed with no problems. (they don't anymore!) He is taller than my other dogs and seems to have small bones. I don't want anyone to get the impression we did not do everything we could to save his leg. It was cast for 2 months, repeated vet visits, 2 opinions. Because I did not elect surgery when it first happened, it was too late when it was time for the cast to come off. So, he is a 3 legged dog and is just fine. As I said, I was just curious as to why she would put him up for sale after the effort she put into training him. The kennel is called Heavenly's Terriers in Indiana.