I have recently had the pleasure of speaking to several people about my little boy. This has been an eye opening experience to say the least. For breeders, I can imagine it is the most stressful part of breeding.

I have to say most the inquiries I've had say they just lost their pet Yorkie. I am starting to get the feeling this is what they think I want to hear, as if it will make me feel compassion and I'll just hand over my pup. I am learning more every day that asking for a vet reference as well as filling out an application is very important.

It is amazing how people can come into your home and paint a beautiful picture of being a wonderful pet owner only to call and find out they have owned 5 dogs in 6 months. People can drive the best car, wear the nicest clothes and have the best professions and still be abusive parents. So how can one judge a future pet owner by a simple conversation with a person and establish mutual trust?

A lot of it is gut feeling. Any can try to BS you. Ask for pictures of their old dog....from puppy to old age. Their Vet should also have a pretty detailed record. Ask can you come to their home to check out the living conditions. I know some of the highest lebvel professionals that I would not give a dead gerbil to! Again, I would now only get a pup (regardless of breed) from someone that was super selective. I have often told my wife, I would not join a country Club if they were willing to acccept me immediately! Needless to say, I do not belong to a Country Club.

OMG I wouldn't have dreamed----
 

This is so horrifying. You've done vet checks that turned up people having had 5 dogs in 6 months?!?!? And I supposed it's the highly educated professionals who would most be able to afford that. It must be some mental disease or strange hobby that has them spending so much time going breeder to breeder deceiving them into being sold puppies. I honestly never thought of the possibility of something like that. I suppose this would totally exclude a first time puppy owner too since a vet check won't be possible. I'm a little more cautious of first time owners but have placed puppies with some I particularly liked. How sad.
That said, I can think of a couple of times I made wonderful placements where a vet check would have been just plain cruel in the moment, one following the tragic death of a beloved pet, the other the tragic death of a spouse. These are people who arrived here crying and left talking baby talk to a puppy. I have stayed in touch with them over the years, the pups board with me on occasion, and I can see with my own eyes no expense is spared in caring for these animals. OMG I really need to think about this. If the world is that dangerous I'll have to stop doing this. So sad.

Yeah, well I should copy the wonderful application I received last year from just such a person! Her beloved yorkie had to be euthanized due to prostrate cancer at the age of 14. During his life he had other medical issues....even had surgery for cataracts. I called this lady and spoke with her for an hour and she was just wonderful.

I was so excited as she wanted a little male yorkie that was hard to place.

Being the unkind person that I am :rolleyes::rolleyes:, I called the vet for a vet check and the ONLY time they had ever seen this dog was when she brought him in to be euthanized. Now surely I thought, there must be a mistake...or maybe there was another vet?? Maybe she took her yorkie to a new vet because hers was closed and he was just so sick she could not wait? I sent her an email asking if she had another vet. What came next? A loooong email about how sorry she was....she had made a mistake. There was no OTHER vet. This dog had never been seen by ANY vet until the day he was euthanized. She begged me to give her another chance.....oh, her letter was quite the tear jerker. I am sure I have it somewhere in my emails...and should copy it for you. Some people may have felt sorry for her...Oh, I felt bad...sort of...but, I can tell you that her second chance would not be with a pup from my home! To this day I have no idea even how old the pup was...if he had cancer...or what. I would hope he was in bad shape that a vet would just euthanize without having any history. She was one of those people whose application looked so good, I thought I could go against my normal way of doing things...although I would NEVER adopt to a person without a vet check....I wasted an hour talking to her. That could have been saved with a vet check which is really the first thing I normally do.

I really should save some of the nonsense I run across just for naive people like you. Your post is dripping of sarcasm....you know what..you really don't have a clue do you? Yes, there ARE people just like what the other poster remarked about. There are actually people who travel around collecting dogs from various sources to feed to their fighting dogs!!! Have you not heard of that????? Wake up I say and smell the coffee!!

no idea, you are right agout that
 

This is New England. The Yorkies we have in rescue here are imported from other states. I have friends in rescue and I think I would know if there was a local problem. Rescue of this breed within this region is extremely rare, so you are correct that I have no idea how many yorkies are ending up in shelters--elsewhere. There is no epidemic of this in New England. My lack of knowledge about this is not due to stupidity but due to the lack of this being an issue here. Ditto the puppy mill situation. We have a few brokers around but no actual mills here.

Tsk Tsk.

Rescue pups or pups being placed by a breeder; finding the right home is a difficult process. You go on instincts, but thorough investigation is never skipped. I don't do one without the other. The pups welfare is number # 1. I want a loving, stable, solid home. I don't care if someone has recently lost a beloved pet, or human family member, investigation will always be thorough.

I'm genuinely sorry---
 

I'm suspecting some of you are just jerking me around for amusement, and that's OK. Tomorrow you'll be devouring someone else.
There are bad apples everywhere, and of course there's always some chance someone bad will trick me into selling them a puppy. However, I have faith in the class of people I move with and attract for my puppies. To be extra safe I am this morning polling other area breeders and checking with my friends in rescue to make sure I haven't lost touch with reality here by not doing these vet checks. I appreciate Donna's efforts in starting the thead and the reminder to be vigilant.

This reminds me of a story about something that happened many years ago when my son was in school.

The school had a meeting with parents to discuss the open doors at the school. We were concerned about people coming in during the day and harming the children. This occured after one of the horror scenes somewhere in this country....I forget where now exactly.

Anyway......the school was planning to change certain policies; but, there was still an issue surrounding the doors. Someone asked the question about this and the answer from the principal was about how we lived in a small community and nothing ever happened there...blah blah blah.

It only takes ONE time...ONE evil person. How many times have you heard that line........ things like this never happen HERE. ????

Again, I say wake up and smell the coffee. If you save ONE puppy by doing a vet check that would be enough in my way of thinking. You really believe that everyone in the Northeast is an animal lover? Maybe there are not a LOT of yorkies in shelters in the Northeast, but there ARE yorkies in shelters. ANYWHERE in this country.

Class of people you move with? Exactly what does that mean? Perhaps you think I am just some country bumpkin?
Your remarks smack of superiority. I am quite finished with you.
As for some people jerking you around. I assure you I don't even know WHO you are nor do I care to ever know after the sarcastic remarks you have made here when people were only trying to instill good common sense ideas. People who truly care about the welfare of the pups.

It is really sad. I guess I see this thread very differently. This is the second time that you have refused to be informed. The lesson of the day is that you can go with your gut or you can gain objective information about a prospective buyer. As for the class of people you move with and attract for your puppies, I just wont even go there except to say tsk tsk once again.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Isn't this thread suppose to be an educational one. Teaching how to find a reputable breeder, as well as assisting breeders in placing their pups, which should be the number one concern.

"Class Of People", is such a superiority mentality, however, actions speak louder than words. But, in most cases, what one says when aggrivated is very telling.

I thought so. I don't make a habit of posting in the breeders sections but this one I felt I had something to offer. Oh well.

I could give you plenty of other examples but won't waist anyone's time here. I will however say I may be wet behind the ears but have already seen the tears, (with a rehome), only to have the woman call me to tell me she had made a mistake and realized her family wasn't ready for a pet. At who's expense? Not mine (other than pride) but at the dogs. It's when people are the most emotional that they do not think clearly. Please consider I am just giving you my personal experience in hopes that it may shed some light.

I will say that, as a buyer, I was not at ALL offended that the breeder took a few minutes to call my Vet and make sure that my current dog and my prior dog (deceased) had been properly vetted.

I was glad she took the time to do it. It told me something about her too.

I agree, so many are so eager to just *sell* the pup they could care less
about the vet care..and there are breeders who are offended if you ask about there vet.

You know what? That is another thing that people should perhaps think about doing. Asking the breeders for vet references! Of course I suppose some vets, in order to keep their business, would give glowing references when they should not. Still not such a bad idea!

I think what would be a good idea is to have a Stickie on here about are you really really ready to have a pet... what does it mean?.... how do you tell if you are ready..

Also a stickie on here about the health risks of very small dogs, in particular the Yorkie.

Is now the right time for me to have a dog?

A dog or a cat is a long term commitment, anywhere from 10-20 years of time. Are you prepared to commit for the caring, love, and expense of an animal over this period of time?

Do you work? Most of us do. So how when you are away at work, will you provide for the needs of your dog? Will you hire dog walkers, go home at lunch? What about going out in the evening? Away on business trips? Vacation time.. do you take your dog with you? Do you find a good boarding place? Have friends or family willing to care for your dog/cat?

Your adult will need out at least 3 times a day, rain, snow or shine. Hot humid or cold. Are you able to do this?

What happens when your dog/cat gets sick? Vet care is expensive. Can you afford it? Can you afford pet insurance, as a safety margin against unfortold health concerns?

If you are buying a dog for your children, do you realize that over time you will likely become the primary care giver for that dog. Walking, feeding, grooming,vet visits?

How do you feel about pet hair in everything?

All dogs every type, every breed, big or small, need training, socialization, and exercise. How much time can you truly see yourself giving to those aspects.

If all this seems too much, consider putting your love of animals into volunteer work, donations, maybe fostering a dog for a short period of time.

Reputable breeders also should always beware of those who want to go in the back door to obtain certain pedigreed dogs. Know who you are selling too especially to those who sell on open registration and haven't been in the show ring very long. I saw on another forum someone make referrence to just because they are well thought of here on YT that's not always the case...I do happen to agree with what I saw...always know who ya sell too..

Example:

I sold a showdog to a mutual friend of ours. The boy was my breeding. However, she contacted my mentor to obtain her permission to have her lines. She wanted to make sure she wasn't going the back door to obtain her pedigree.

I know several breeders that are in the show ring and have championed dogs I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. And I know several that wouldn't know a good yorkie if it bit them in the butt. In the show world it's really who you know and reputation and trust me there are some with a not so good reputation and NO I'm not talking about myself as some would like to think...but of course most know I could care less what some think about me because those I deal with do have good reputations and would not have a problem placing a show dog with me :) Contray to somes belief :) One has to earn the good one's trust. I'm so thankful I do have some good reputable breeder friends that are my good friends and I would go to bat for each one of them and protect them at all costs!
Donna