i do understand where the first poster is coming from. i was one of those people who people told me i didnt have enough money, they cost a lot etc etc. and the more people told me that,...the more i wanted one that day. in fact that is what happened. my partner told me no, we dont have time for one, and now we have 2, a yorkie and jack russell and i got them one by one while he was at work. and he even agrees that they are treated better than any dog he knows of. they get all the toys and all the love and 2 hours of walks a day, plus every other day we go to the dog park to play with a frisbee...(i trained them to fetch and bring it back) and they are potty trained and obiedience trained all by me, without classes, i saved money by watching dog training videos online instead of paying someone else to tell me what i could figure out, so just be careful when you start spouting off numbers to someone who is watching their budget, it might just put them over the edge. and buy one and show you all wrong! lol thats what i did. and instead of insurance...i put in 20 dollars a month per dog in a savings account so that one day when something happens. daddy has an account that will have enough money to pay in full for my babies. oh well its just me...but be nice when trying to tell someone the costs of owning a pet. it can so easily sound like a father that is controlling telling a little kid he cant afford candy...they always find a way of getting it.

I have kids and don't have health insurance, that doesn't mean that when they're sick I don't take them to the doctor ;) Everyone does what they can when they need to. Imagine if no one was allowed to have a child if they couldn't afford it, we'd all be barren! haha

I've owned lots of dogs in my lifetime and none of them have cost me thousands in vet bills(knock on wood). Heck, if I added them all up it still wouldn't be that much in just normal visits. Life is expensive and always will be, each person has to decide what they can afford or can't afford and then still do it anyway.

Oh wow. My babies, Gizmo and Bubba (mini schnauz) were both gifts from the kids dad. Otherwise we would not have these babies, I sure couldn't have gone out and paid for them. I am able to keep them in good food, treats, and lots of love. For emergencies I have opened a Care Credit account just in case. Should one need medical attention and it's at a bad time of the month I don't have to stress over it. The love that these furry critters have brought to my home is well worth every penny.:)

Pet Insurance is a very good idea! I was glad i had mine when my Staffy had to have a cancerous tumour removed...;)

That big a vet bill is not common in my opinion. With my dog and my moms dogs if they need vet care they will get it no matter how much it costs because we will always find a way to pay for it weither it be by making payments or borrowing money from a family memeber and making payments to them. Out of a group of 100 yorkies if 5 have medical problems most humans are going to remember the 5 with the problems over the 95 without and I'm not going to borrow a shovel and go well this dog is going to cost me thousands and thousands of dollars when the dog could live all 15 years with just the normal vet checks for shots and getting fixed. Its kinda like saying if you only have the money for the car you cant buy the gas.

yorkies are not cheap dogs to own, the reason i say this is because they are so small and when they get sick or hurt they go down hill fast,and thats how the bills get to be so large. yorkies love to do things and get into things they shouldnt. also because they are so small imo they need to keep warm in the winter and do need a few clothes. that doesnt mean you have to go nuts but they really do get cold faster then most other dogs. i know that when i get another yorkie i will do my research first on breeders and call past buyers to help insure it will be healthy. i did not do that with lacey and now have those huge vet bils to pay along with special food water meds and now i cant just pick up and leave without making sure she eather has a babysitter, take her with or i will be back in 4 hours to give her those meds. i am very lucky my vet allows me to make payments on her vet bills. dont get me wrong there are cheap healthy yorkies out there laceys sister is very healthy and i wouldnt give up the honor of having lacey as a part of my family, we will always figure it out in the end to make sure she gets what she needs.

Of course you can get a good quality pup for under $1,000. My boys were $750 each and they are akc registered and from a good breeder. No health problems at all. They were puppies when I got them also, 9 weeks (price goes down as pups get older).

I do think having a 'back up' of funds in the bank, maybe $1,000 as a just in case fund is a good idea. I have a back up fund just in case my boys need medical attn. Im not talking thousands of dollars, Im talking 1 thousand. That will blow through like water should anything happen, however it would give me a little time to get more funds or whatnot. Im glad to hear you have insurance though. Thats great! I am by no means rich, I am a single young woman living alone and paying a mortgage alone... my dogs do not have strollers and carseats and clothing. They do get tons of love and attention and food and medical care though, thats what I can afford! Thats what they NEED, I wish i could afford the niceties.

So I am one of those people who are on the fence with your initial issue. Many people opt to put the pet down because its sick or hurt and they cannot afford to take on the medical bills...well that is irresponsible also. If you can't or won't afford it, don't take on a pet. Its not fair to the pet either. But you are right, you do not need to spend $3,000 on a pup (to me thats extremely high).

I agree with you GOOD POSTING :thumbup::thumbup:

With having teenagers buying them cars, saving for college, prom, etc I spent lots of cash a week but what i do try and do is keep my credit good and i have NO credit cards that way if i need a loan, i can get one that way if i do come across an unexpected vet bill I have a means for the money. My vet also does payments which is an awesome feature to offer I wouldnt hesitate to use if I needed it. To say you have to have $$ to be a good yorkie mom is ludacris. Take one day at a time and do the best you can do. :) And yes, you can get a quality pup for less than 1,000 Mine were 800 and 850 plus there is always the rescue route too. :) Please dont take offense to some who make persnickety comments on here, I tend to think those that do dont really live in the real world if ya know what I mean. And lets not forget....Isnt that what YT is all about?? If someone who was struggling with money (which i have seen MANY times on here) posted and reached out for help....One way or another it gets taken care of ALWAYS I have NEVER seen a post that said I put my dog to sleep because his vet bill was 1,000 or even 10,000. We work as a family and get the job done! I think thats all you can ask for ....Look past the snotties and look at the reality of this site I ASSURE you there are some stories on here that would drop your jaw!!! (in the good way ;)) I know they have mine....I tell ya what when ya read a not so nice post go to one of these threads and read...

Pappi's Yorkie Train or Maddie is ALIVE!!! Trust me you wont be angry anymore! :) They make me cry every single time!

Many people have a very hard time staying within a budget, so I commend those who can and do. I think there are many good lower income people as you put it who do own Yorkies and take great care of them. It's a matter of good credit imo for those occassional emergencies that matter most. Care offers a great program for vet bills and offers a way for all people to afford dogs.

I agree!!:thumbup:

Well I am a proud Yorkie owner that would not be able to buy a yorkie at all !!!!!!! My baby came to me because he needed to be rehomed. His owner changed jobs , and was away from home to many hours. She felt that is was not fair for Cooper to left so long. She paid 1400 for him ( which I could not have done) And she was kind enough to give him to me. That does not mean that Cooper goes without what he needs, So PLEASE noone think hes being neglected. He gets whatever he needs plus quite a bit that he doesnt need....

i totally agree!!! i'm the same way..

Ok I think if you can afford it you should buy from a reputable breeder. The genetic testing is worth it. Of course that is no guarantee that the dog will never have problems and there are genetic things that they can't test for yet and illness that can't be prevented. Here is the problem, REALLY GOOD breeders are hard to find and tons of people are breeding and asking 1,000s of dollars for puppies who's parents have had no testing. I would not buy a puppy from a puppy mill and will warn any one else against them. Here is were people are not going to like what I have to say. A small back yard breeder isn't the worst thing!!! My sister had Shelties for a while. This was ten years ago or more when there was no genetic testing. She has owned a total of 5 shelties and carefully looked in to there pedigrees before breeding. She had a total of 6 litters I think. Her dogs and puppies were well taken care of and loved. The puppies were 10 weeks old before she would let them go and she didn't just give them to any one who showed up. I still know 3 people who have puppies from her and they are old puppies now. I am also not against mixes. I got my Yorkie mix from some one who intentionally breed him that way. It was the same thing. This lady has 3 dogs and has a litter of pups once in a while. They are her very loved pets and she doesn't let the pups go to just any one with a little cash. She asked me tons of questions. I would never go to some ones barn and pick a puppy from tons of puppies!! { my niece did this and I could have kicked her!!!} What it boils down to is don't buy a puppy from some one who just wants the cash!!!

I am not a wealthy person, I drive a school bus for goodness sake. I got Crickett for $650. She is very healthy and is such a dear little puppy. I know the owners of her mother and father and that is the only reason that I got a yorkie. Just because they cost less does not mean the vet bills will be higher.
A friend of mine bought a dog (not a yorkie, but a rare breed). Traveled several hours to get the puppy. Paid $2200 for pick of the litter and show quality dog. Supposedly this was a reputable breeder and they did their research before buying. They have had nothing but problems with this puppy. They love him and he is now 2yrs old, but his ears did not stand up, he has joint problems and is limping alot, has had tplo among other problems. Due to the contract that they signed, they can not breed or show him because of his problems (which they were not going to anyway), but this was supposed to be a show quality, top of the line puppy. It is not always how much you pay for something.
I am not bashing breeders, just that they had bad luck and anyone can no matter what the cost of the puppy be it a $1.oo or $5000. Just like in having babies, there is no quarentee that your child will always be healthy, but you do the best that you can. No body should be told that they can not afford a dog. That is no ones business but the person doing the buying. If that was the case, I wouldn't have my yorkie, westie or my son (who is adopted). Somethings are just personal and is no one elses business.
BUT, we also have to learn to overlook the small minds in the world and let things roll off our backs. We as low income people need to be stronger than this and not worry what someone else thinks. We work hard and take care of our own.
Sorry about getting a little long winded, I just feel strongly about people minding their own business. I have run into this alot with the adoption of our son. We wouldn't have him if we were not approved and goodness knows the paper work we went through, but SOME people just do not think before they make comments that turn out hurtful to someone else.
Sorry if I offended anyone!! Not something I would intentionally do!!!!

i agree. i do feel that you don't need big bucks to purchase a yorkie. mine was pure bred and champion sired for $650. plus, there are many in shelters. no matter what the breed you still need supplies and have medical expenses. i am not wealthy. my york is well taken care of. i won't lie..when he needed an emergency surgery i had to charge it, but i worked overtime to pay it off. anything for my lil guy.

i've helped lower income friends obtain pure yorkies at low cost or free. many need to be rehomed. just b/c you don't make a lot doesn't mean you can't provide a loving home or stretch your dollars in an emergency medical situation.