I got Duke from a breeder (my best friend got hers from the same breeder 3 years earlier). Duke was 7 weeks old at the time. He is now almost 6lbs and 1 year old.

I agree with the no pet store YTs. I didnt know about that until I did the research so it's good that you're getting a mix of feedback before you make your decision. Good luck.

I got Samson from a breeder in Northern Ia, no problems. I got Ezekiel from a breeder as well....but it was a "puppy sale" in Oskie, Ia. It was set up at the Farm and Home in town. My puppy is healthy and great! My mom, however, purchased from another breeder there and got Very sick puppies(she bought 2, a brother and sister). I would say she was a puppy mill type. Mom has spent Quite a bit of money getting them healthy and she loves them dearly. There were Very good breeders there and some not so good.

I got Moses from a breeder an hour away from where i live. I was very satisfied with my purchase. He was 100% healthy and still is. His personality has not changed since day one: very sweet & curious, outgoing and loves to kiss & cuddle. He was 8 weeks old and is now 10 months. :animal36

I got all of my animals either from a shelter or a local breeder. My newest addition, Tucker a yorkipoo is coming from friends of ours.
My cousin got a boxer puppy from a petstore that she paid 3000 dollars for :eek: and the dog is a mess. Medical wise she is fine, but physically she is a wreck, she cant leave the house without panicking, she shakes, cowers, doesnt like to be petted by anyone, is petrified of kids. My cousin has been working with her for almost 2 years now and the dog is still this way. I honestly have never seen a dog like her and I wont let her around my kids cause Im afraid that she will snap and bite them. I feel bad for the dog because its not her fault that she was born into this world. :(
Please please please dont not buy a puppy from a petstore.

I now know better but Buddy was purchased from a broker who paid to bring
him and I"m sure other's, from Budapest, Hungary.
It was love at first site for the big boy and I. I thank the good Lord I found
him. He's as healthy as a horse and the love of my life. I know I am blessed
due to the fact so many are sick and die. He had to be 8wks old when he
made the flight to America, I just don't know how he survived it.
He's a lucky little boy.
I just don't understand why puppymills can't be shut down!
They are cruel, criminal and money hungary sicko's.

I bought my Yorkie from a pet store and I don't think I would do it again. She is a pure bred Yorkie but shortly after I bought her I noticed that the dogs they had in there were not well taken care of. They were not being kept in good conditions. So I guess in some way, I rescued her!:thumbup:

I love my Grace-Marie. She's such a sweet companion and I have never had problems with her chewing on things she wasn't supposed to - or rather that I didn't want her to. She's a true blessing to have around.

I got my "Happy" from a private breeder..I have always wanted a yorkie and have done lots of reserach on them before and after I found my happiness. I was more concerned with tempermant and size. I wanted a small pet but not too small. "Happy" will most likely be 7-8 lbs. So far he has only had allergies, but is the norm for dogs and people living in southwest iowa. I even have allergies...which were null and void before moving to the midwest.

I watch him closely and so far..he is seems to be a very active, well adjusted puppy. :)

I did a lot of research on Yorkie's before I purchased Grace as well. I looked for certain characteristics (shape of ears, color of paws, body, etc.) and found Grace to be perfect. Grace is a 7 lb., 12" long ball of energy. As soon as I figure out how to use this forum I will enclose her picture.

well this is confusing ...my story is a little different. I got Tyke from a breeder, but she had these puppies in a feed store that is close to her home. We live in a small town, and she knows the owners of the feed store and they let her sell her dogs in there. When we bought him he was 3 monthes old. He's 18 weeks old . He eats good and gets his exercise. I don't think they stay in the feed store long either because my husband went in on Friday and there were 2 yorkies. my daughter went in Sat. around noon and one was sold. Tyke was the one left and we had to wait and get him that Monday ( long story as why we couldn't get him that sat.)
we love him and couldn't live without him now.

2 From 2 different Breeders
 

My first boy Artie was 5 months when I purchased him online from a Breeder he is now 4 yrs. old and my 2nd Abigail I purchased from a Local Breeder in fact she owns & operates the Property Mangement Company for my Housing Complex. So I get to see her all the time, I have also remained friends w/her and her Family, we go to their House for "Thanksgiving Dinner" for the past 3 yrs. My 3rd Yorkie was free b/c she is Artie & Abigail's Daughter Pom Pom.
I was very Lucky to find both Breeders, both Dogs are very Healthy & Happy together. They are well Trained & Socialized and as they get older they seem to get better w/age. I have NO Complaints they are both Angels that have changed my Life.

I got Cassiopia from S&V Quality Pups. The person I spoke to indicated that he was a broker who worked with breeders... However, I've seen some negative post about this place. In any case, Cassi has been the love of my life. She has a really sweet disposition and is extremely friendly. She loves both children and adults. In addition, she also gets along with other dogs (although she tends to be a little bit more timid). She rarely barks and loves to play. I brought her home when she was 14 weeks old and now she's almost 10 months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she will continue to have good health.

In any case, I couldn't agree more with other folks...if you are considering on getting a yorkie, please contact a reputable breeder. If I ever bring home another furbaby, I would definitely contact one of the breeders recommended on this forum.

My Tae is from a breeder I got him at maybe 8 weeks..which now I know was too young... he is 12years old now :-)

My others I all adopted from a rescue.... and I could not be happier

So what do you recommend to those of us that are unable to purchase from anywhere else? I think this logic is unfair. I do my best to not support puppy mills but then you have a select few of us that have no choice. Did you not see that a rescue and about EIGHT breeders would not let me adopt because I have greyhounds? Also there was a lady on here trying to rehome and she would not let me "have" them due to the greyhounds. Please give me an idea of what you would recommend people like myself should do?

I am sorry you are having such a hard time finding a good breeder or rescue group that will let you buy or adopt a Yorkie. I would suggest that you do more research on the Yorkshire Terrier breed and learn more about them and their needs .
It is wise for breeders and rescue foundations to be selective on where their Yorkie's go to good homes. Not saying that your home is not a good home for A yorkie, it is just that Yorkie's are special to the breeders and rescuers and they are not going to be able to go to just any home.
Supporting pet stores/puppy mills by purchasing A Dog from these sources is only perpeturating the problems of possible ill puppies and health diseases. Which will cause future health realted costs in the future for the owner.
It is best to be selective and careful where to purchase A yorkie from a preferable reputable breeder.
I got my Suzi from A breeder and so far she has been very healthy , and lively. I am glad I did and she is my baby . :aimeeyork

Romeo came from a breeder. I was unhappy that the young kids in her home gave him a collapsed trachea and she didn't tell me.:mad: She allowed her kids to play too roughly with the pups.

Being in California I realize their are alot more breeders than possibly where you are located. I will help you in any way I can. The pet stores bring me to tears because I know the cost of that puppy is for being there. His mom & dad are somewhere in horrid conditions having litter after litter with no human love or contact. They are treated as money makers and not as pets. Where are you located? Im on a mission now to help you :)

I did do my research on the yorkie breed. FOUR years worth. I also know my Greyhounds VERY WELL. I did get my yorkie at a pet store because of the above reasons. He is a very happy healthy 4# guy that is treated well. I know how to use a crate for him and muzzles for the GH. So just to let you know research was not the issue.

I just saw this...I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I did get my little guy from a pet store, but I hated in a way to do that, but it was the only way to go. Again he is a happy healthy 4# boy. Not at all spoiled...with 8 dogs here, you can't spoil them. I have a good relationship with all my dogs. They are dogs first. They are my life. Max is the size of one of the GH heads almost:rolleyes:, but he gets along well with all of them. There has never been an issue.

Again I am sorry if I am bitter about the whole experience, but I guess I was more upset about being turned down because of the GH. Made me feel like I was harboring a fugitive. I think child molesters have a easier time sometimes. To all the good people out there.....

Remember, SOME of us, do know our dogs. I work in the dog adoption world. I know what I am doing. Yet nobody believed me. *tear*

No more drama from me..I hope:2popkorn: I will get over it.

So how did you end up with 6 Greyhounds??? They are beautiful and elegant dogs. What are the ages of Max and the Greyhounds?? I have seen photos of very large and very small dogs that seem to get along quite well, especially if they have the opportunity to be raised together.

My Aunt raised grey hounds in Indiana years ago. Not only did she have about 10 of them, she also had dachsunds and a basset hound. They all got along very well. I believe you know your babies the best and I believe you would make a great mom to a yorkie :thumbup: If you don't find a great breeder in AZ we can figure out one here in California and do a YT train...just a thought :)

Seems like most of us got our Yorkies from breeders, sometime it's difficult to find a good breeder. I always recommend going to the AKC American Kennel Club and the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America to find a reputable Yorkie breeder. The sooner petstores go out of business the better simply because they allow the funneling of puppy mills

I now agree with purchasing dogs from breeders as opposed to pet stores. But sometimes you see them there and you just want to rescue them all. At least that's how I feel. But the more people do that, the more these pet stores see their business as "booming" and they push these poor dogs to produce more babies. How can you not care for their well being? I don't understand people. These animals are so vulnerable, dependant on humans who choose to house them to take proper care of them, to feed them and love them. How can anyone take advantage of that?

I agree. There are a lot of good points made in this thread. Just remember, there are some who just plain did not know any better prior to getting their first yorkie. I've only had cats and have gotten them from friends over the years. This was my first experience in every which way with a dog.

While Hot Rod is such a wonderful yorkie, best temperament, most loving and just a plain good dog I would not get another from the store that we got him. I had a chance to get a 10 week female and chose not to. It was very difficult to say no but I managed somehow. The couple who own the small shop genuinely love the dogs and care for them very well. I don't make it a habit to frequent the shop but it is in a center that I do frequent. I have not even been back in since I saw the little girl in there in June. It is very heartbreakiing though to know that there are pups in there.

I understand and most adamantly agree with the need to close down puppy mills but please understand that there are people out there who do not know about mills and do not know any better about purchasing from a pet store. I certainly have learned a lot by being on YT.

Both of my babies came from breeders. Tatum (my female) has had alot of problems but she does have Champion Bloodlines and she did come from a very well respected show breeder. She will be 2 years old at the end of next month.

Stedman also came from a breeder and has had little to no health problems (only one issue which had nothing at all to do with his breeder or how he was bred). He will be 3 years old in February.

I got ava from a private breeder and Bowie from breedersdirect.com. Both are healthy

I got my first yorkie Gizmo from a small breeder here where I live, he had many health problems in his little life. I lost him after liver shunt surgery this past February. He was not social at all, and loved only me. He was 14 weeks old when I got him, and he was almost four years old when he died.

I did get my little girl Tenci from a pet store. I had heard bad things about pet stores, and was afraid to buy a pet from there, but she was soo tiny, and she stole my heart. I couldn't just leave her there. She was four months old when I got her, she weighted a little over a pound. She is 15 months old now, she weighs close to three pounds, and has the best personality. She is very happy and loving. I thank god that she has been healthy so far, and pray she will contuniue to be.

I got Trouble from a friend who purchased him from a breeder via the Internet. He was 12 weeks old when we got him. He will be one in December. He is aprox five pounds now, and has a good personality. He is very playful, and loving, but tends to try to be a bully because he is the largest of the pack. He has been healthy so far too.

Chip, Gus, and Pee Wee are all half brothers that came from the same breeder who I found on the internet. Chip was six months old when I got him, and turned one year old on October 11th. He is a very sweet and special little guy. He has a different personality. He is playful, but tends to want to be a bully even though he only weighs apox three pounds. Gus was three months old when we got him, and will be one in January. He is very sweet and loving. He is almost the size of Trouble, but seems to be the one who always is getting picked on. Pee Wee is my newest addition, he is seven months old now, and is very happy and playful. All of these guy have been healthy so far. I hope and pray they contuniue to stay that way..

So you have 3 little ones or 4? It must be a lot of work. I had gotten a second Yorkie when Grace was a little over 1 year. But she was a terror and she was a big bully to my Grace. She would literally drag her by her pony tail. She was very destructive and cost me a pretty penny to replace everything she destroyed. But I had to give her away because she was causing stress to my Grace. Grace's would mope around the house and was afraid to leave her bed every time the other dog approaced her. Grace's stomach began to swell and the last draw was when she went to the bathroom and stooled pure blood. I rushed her to the vet and she immediately put an IV in her and kept her there for several hours. She said that Grace was badly stressed and affected by this other dog. I had to make the decision to find her a new home so that Grace would return to normal. I love being able to give her my full attention. I wish that I had bought two dogs at the same time so Grace could've gotten use to having one of her own kind and grow with it. Now, she's a drama queen and if another dog comes to the house for too long she begins to throw up.

I work with Greyound Pets of America AZ chapter. I have 4 off the track and two that were pups one from a opps litter and one that had her leg broken at the very early age of 4 weeks. She is a tri-pod now.

Anyway: I do know my dogs and was totally disappointed when people turned me down because of the GH. They have been living with a small dog since I had them. I lost my older littles 2 weeks apart. It was finally time to get my Yorkie. After looking for almost 6 months, I finally gave up and got one from a petstore. He is a good boy. They all get along well.

Thank you for the offers of help...we did get the problem solved. :D

I would just hate to think of the people turned down because we are not considered "good enough". The references I have are unbelievable. That was of no help.

A breeder (a wonderful breeder)

Couldn't be happier

He was tiny AND, thankfully, very healthy

We picked him out of the litter because of his laid back affectionate temperament and that of his mom, he didn't disappoint

He was 12 weeks, now-10 months.

He's gorgeous.