You might be surprised, Taylor, how many of us have been affected positively by our furbabies, mentally and physically. They give us a reason to live; to get up in the morning. It has been proven that pets improve mental health and lengthen lives. I'm so glad that Callie is in your life.

I really agree with you here.

I hate that whole you get what you paid for thing. We spent $800 on Tucker. If I had to pay for the unconditional love, cute little quirks, and amazing personality of my completley opposite-of-standard yorkie, no money in the world could have bought him.

Tucker isn't standard by an stretch of the imagination (except that he has a silky coat). However, NO one can say that his breeder doesn't care about him or his health. We are still in contact with her - over 3 years later - and every time we talk she says "How's Tucker doing?" She loves him like crazy. Just because her yorkie litter isn't "perfect" by the standards that are written down on some piece of paper, that doesn't mean that she doesn't care about the dogs she bred. She cared enough to make sure that they would all be healthy, happy little boys and girls and continues to keep in contact with the owners of them to ensure that they remain healthy and happy.

AGREE 100%

Taylor, please don't ever let anyone make you feel that your Callie is inferior in any way. When we bought our Toto, yes, we could've paid many times over what we paid for her. We wanted more than anything to have a healthy baby .... one that wouldn't break my heart by leaving us too early. Yes, she is purebred, yes, she has an impressive pedigree and yes, her breeder is a very successful show breeder. None of those things have anything to do with the fact that my Patrick and I love her more than our own lives. We would do anything for her and would sacrifice anything that we own for her! She could have grown the size of a Saint Bernard and had floppy ears to the floor and we wouldn't care ... more to love! :p From the moment we held her, she has had us under her spell. She has gotten me through so many things these few years [almost 5] that she has been in our lives. When my Mother died in 2006 [on Toto's 3rd birthday] I couldn't have gone on had it not been for Toto. She held me together as she has all the crisis in our lives since she has been with us. It was her ... her little spirit ... her loving, funny little personality, that makes us get up every morning and brings so much joy to our day, every day!! It had nothing to do with her pedigree, her size, her cost, etc. It was that sweet little spoiled personality and we made that!! It had nothing to do with what we could provide for her or any advantage that she had ... it was simply the time, attention and love that we chose to invest in her. We made a committment to her and we are living up to that ever single day!! That's exactly what you are doing for your Callie! It costs absolutely nothing for us to love these fantastic little creatures and to give them all the time and attention that we possibly can ... that's what makes a quality Yorkie!! Sounds like your Callie fits that description to a tee!! :)

We have 12 Yorkies. I breed some of them but love them all. They have totally taken over our lives and we wouldn't have it any other way. I never would have gotten so many if I didn't truly love them. If you ever want a kissee bath, just come on over :D. As a breeder though, I have to be mindful of the breed standard, no matter my personal feelings. I really wish there was more than one category for Yorkies according to size, much like the Poodle. There have always been both large and small Yorkies since the beginning, also both flop and prick eared ones. To me, it's senseless to write a breed standard that excludes so many dogs. It's almost like wishing them out of existence. It's also one of the things that leads to bad breeding practices: breeding mis-matched dogs to try to conform to the standard. This contributes to the uncertainty of just what any given pup will turn out like. If there was a standard that included the larger Yorkies, there would be more people breeding better matched dogs instead of trying to 'bring them down in size'. Our dogs range from 3 to 13 pounds. We love them all and 'standard purists' don't know what they're missing out on by being dismissive of the bigger ones. They're all Yorkie, just as much as the smaller ones and NOTHING WILL EVER LOVE YOU LIKE A YORKIE!! When folks come over to see our pups, they always fall in love with Archie, and he's our biggest at 13 pounds but he is gorgeous and one of the most personable dogs you'll ever meet, no matter the breed. They ask,"oh, what breed is he?" and we say 'Yorkie". Then we have to show them some old pictures and drawings of the earliest Yorkies and explain that Archie is a throwback to that type of dog. They're always facinated by this because they all think a Yorkie is only the type you see on magazine covers and such. It's a shame that we can't breed him because of people's expectations of a Yorkie. People are really missing out on a wonderful dog by strict standards breeding them out of existence. The world will not be a better place when they are gone. To me, it's a sad state of affairs. :aimeeyork :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :(

That was so interesting and well-worded. I would love to meet Archie! :)

:goodpost: :)

That (meeting Archie) will probably not happen due to distance. But Diane, I see you only have 2. You know, third time's the charm :D. Why not get a bigger baby to round out your family? :aimeeyork :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :)

I agree with what you say as well as a lot of the other posts on this thread. Hot Rod is not a show quality dog, but I sure get a whole lot of "ooohhhs and aahhh's" when people see him. I totally am in love with him and I wouldn't change a thing about him (except when he plays finicky with his food). Our babies give us unconditional love and I feel that I should do the same for him besides, I don't fit into the Miss Universe and it doesn't matter to him! :D

LOL! We also have a 16 year old cat. I don't think the poor ol' girl can take one more. But one day.............................:)

:goodpost: I completely agree!

new baby boy
 

hi, not to long ago i had to make the hardest chose and had to put my 7 year old cocker spanial, Shasta down. ( cancer) worst day ever. My high school age kids are at school all day and i am home alone. ( live in japan cant work here) so as a wonderful surprise my husband brought home this little fire ball of joy. He is my first toy breed and am learning all about the breed. he is perfect!:) his name fits him Samurai ichi ( # 1 ).

i think as long as you have that in love feeling and know you will commit a life time to that dog go for it. anything you bring into your life as a part of your family should be loved and taken care of no matter what. there are times when you set out to do one thing and end up in a totally different direction and loving every min. of it:)

This is the second thread I have seen regarding yorkies and one's personal finance......I don't see the need for anyone to justify or explain their economic circumstances to anyone on the internet...whether it relates to supporting a dog or oneself.

Might I also add that in my research on the history of the yorkshire terrier I found that they were the dog of choice for the POOR and lower classes, as the land barrons did not want that class to have a dog that could be used for poaching game on their lands.

The important thing is Callie is yours and she is beautiful !!!!

:thumbup:good post! Enough of this!

:thumbup: Thank you for such a wonderful post. Coming from a breeder it means
alot to me. I have a larger Yorkie and he's the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. I think he's beautiful in every way he's just
bigger than the standard and I believe he get's knocked for it as do the
other above standard Yorkies. I also think there should be more than one
catagory in judging this breed afterall they started out bigger and it was
MAN who changed that to their liking.
Buddy would have produced beautiful pups. He has a pure silky coat,
his teeth are perfect, his ears erect and placed perfectly and his back
is straight as a line. He's mine and I'm very proud of him. Yorkies, no
matter size or color are a wonderful breed. Rich or poor we are all
blessed to have these beautiful dogs in our lives.

I agree the larger yorkies are sweet also and a great size for people with children. I think there is a place for yorkies of all sizes

I have 5 Yorkies and Krissy with her floppy ears and weighting over 14 lbs is the sweetest of them all. She has had 10 puppies in two litters and all are very sweet. The puppies have brought so much joy to their owners and I have people on a list that want one of her puppies if she has more. There are actually people that want a bigger yorkie and not the tiny black and tan ones.

Love is not in the size or color or a dog or a person it is what is inside that counts.

I have both types and love them all equally. Well maybe I'm a little partical to my over 16 LB Teddy as he is a momma's boy.:D

I disagree! I KNOW my babies are PERFECT!!! ;) :) :D

Mine is perfect also !!! every inch and every ounce!!!!:);):D

I know how you feel...and I'm not trying to say anything bad about anyone but i read on a different thread someone only sells to "rich grownups" well I'm sure we all hope to be rich someday...so I'm not the richest person Nugget has never been neglected...we found a low cost spay/neuter clinic (which was recommended by the SPCA) we also have been purchasing his flea and heartworm medication there) not to mention these "rich grownups" have enough so I'm sure they go on vacation then what happens to their pups? In a kennel for 2 weeks? I'm not sure of the point I'm making but I agree more money does not mean more love or better care!

Struggling....
 

Here is my problem:

The OP and others clearly love, love, love their Yorkie babies regardless of size, shape, coat, color, etc. They wouldn't trade them and some think there should even be a whole new class for these "non-standard" dogs.

Then how can anyone condemn the breeder who produced these off standard puppies? Apparently they have given something wonderful to the puppy owners. Why is that wrong? Why is it "wrong" to purchase and own a Yorkie that isn't within the breed standard?

The "standard" of today is an arbitrary list of qualities that does not resemble the original Yorkie at all. So who is able to criticize either the breeder or the owner of these "non-standard" dogs that we love so much.

I personally think the AKC Yorkie breed standards are too restrictive. If they were attainable on a regular basis, we'd see many more Yorkies winning Best in Show. Sadly, that is not the case.

The dog in my heart is an 8 lb. Yorkie that I simply love. She is beautiful and I wouldn't trade her for any other dog. She sets the standard for me.

Yorkie hugs to all.

I don't think anyone condemns the breeder who produces off standard puppies; I condemn the breeder who breeds non-standard yorkies. Even the best breeders dogs aren't perfect in every way; but the result will be like some of the dogs mentioned, beautiful silky coat, great teeth, great structure, just a little bigger than standard.

When you ask why it is wrong to purchase a puppy that is not within breed standard, I have not read one post on YorkieTalk about people criticizing others because their dog isn't within standard. I have read posts where people recommend not breeding someone's dog because it's not within standard, but this is an entirely different matter. Most members of Yorkietalk seem unconditionally loving towards purebred yorkies and mixes of all sizes and shapes. However, if there is not some type of guideline on what makes a yorkie a yorkie than yorkies will not look and act like yorkies in the future, and I think this would be rather sad.

Great post, Katelin. Funny thing is, even a lot of champion Yorkies don't meet the standard as far as color goes once they fully mature. Many exhibitors try to finish their dog out before he/she matures and the coat gets lighter. Some also use color enhancers. Very few Yorkies maintain the dark steel blue coat that is required by the breed standard so what's the point of a standard that even many champions don't attain (or maintain)? I'm no purist but this doesn't make much sense to me. :aimeeyork :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :animal-pa :)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Since I've gotten my yorkie, I can't stop smiling. She means the world to me, and my time with her is invaluable. I agree with you whole heartedly. It doesn't matter if your dog is "up to standards or show quality." The only thing that matters is the love you have for each other. I believe that all pets, no matter what they are, greatly enrich our lives.

I could'nt agree more, after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Chewy, my oldest is 12 lbs, floppy ears, totally blond and I would not trade him in for anything in the world, he is after all ''Chewy the King'', there's nothing compared to coming home, tired and cranky after a long day's work and having this wonderful bundle of fur wriggling like crazy with nothing but loving on his mind...:animal36