What do you think about rehoming retired breeder dogs?
 

I was just wondering how you felt about rehoming dogs that have been retired from breeding. I know there are some differing opinions on this. I was talking about this with my mother and it really upsets her that breeders do this. She feels like a dog is a member of the family, and you don't give away a member of the family just because they can't make money anymore. She doesn't understand why breeders don't just keep their pups after retirement. I would really like any opinions on this subject, especially from breeders.
Thanks all!

I know a GSD breeder that rehomes retired breeder dogs, and it breaks her heart to do so. She S/N them and sells them to great homes. Its a breeding program, and if you kept EVERY dog that was retired, you would eventually not be able to breed anymore because your house would be full of S/N retired dogs, and you wouldnt be able to buy new breeding dogs because yu wouldnt have the room. She breeds out of passion, and to better the breed, Thereofr giving upi breeding isnt an option for her, but if she kept every retired breeding dog, she wouldnt be able to breed. LIke I said, It breaks her heart, and she always stays in touch with the families and visits the dogs. But honestly, if she did keep them, it wouldnt be fair to the dogs.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I think it's really hard to be a good breeder, you have to be a little tough, and really have the desire to improve the breed. I don't even know how they can sell a pup, I would want to keep them all.

I would never be able to breed.I wouldnt feel any home was good enough:p

I know what you mean. There are a few people on Yorkietalk who I wouldn't mind if they adopted me though!

It must be very hard to give up a dog you have had for such a long time, but if they can find them better homes I think it is ok.

Wanted to add...
 

I reread my post, and I feel like I should have added that I am not passing judgment at all. I am actually looking for another dog and this time I want to adopt an older Yorkie that is in need of a home (which is actually what I had wanted to do in the first place lol), which is how the topic came up. Rehoming a retired breeder pup seems understandable to me as long as the breeder works to find it a good home. I am hoping that this info will make my mother feel better about it. Please keep sharing your thoughts about it. :)

There are alot of Yorkies for adoption on pet finder

http://www.petfinder.com/search/sear...rancisco%2C+CA

That's the way I took you post, and I really understand your mom's point of view too, but after knowing a few breeders and knowing how important their dogs are to them, I know this is really hard to do. On the other hand, I'm sure some breeders who have no problem, and probably don't even take pains to try and find the dog a good home. Some will sell them without neutering, and they then have to produce for another breeder.

I need to change my info, I am actually living in Fresno now, I was going to school in SF. I would be willing to travel to SF area for one, but places like Wren Yorkie Rescue won't adopt if you are more than an hour or two away. I currently have an application in with YTNR. I check petfinder.com and adoptapet.com religiously, but haven't found the right match yet. We went through almost getting several, but each time there was someone ahead of us, which is why we finally ended up buying Lola. My heart keeps insisting on rescuing one as well though lol.

I think it's similar to being a foster mother, you know that you have to give the child up at some point, but you are willing to invest yourself into them anyway. Obviously, some foster mothers aren't all that involved, but some are angels on earth.

i have always said it hurts me more to have to rehome my retired girls that it does when my babies leave. i cry for days. sometimes weeks. I am thinking right now of rehoming a two year old girl that has only had one litter. She is a terrible mother and tried to kill her babies BUT she is so spoiled by myself and my hubby, I don't know if we have the heart to do it. These are very hard choices to have to make and I always feel that no one will give my dogs the good care I do. I don't trust anyone to take care of them. I am not thinking of myself and being selfish but thinking of my precious girls having to adjust to life without me in it. but my dogs stay in my house and not kennels. We get very attached to all of them.

Aww, look at this little guy :) I am obsessed with looking throught pet finder. tHis guys is in your area And there are more yorkies in the smae area!

Animal Rescue of Fresno: Main***


This is the pets for adoption in a rescue in your area..lol. Just throwing this rescue out there so you can continue your search with this place as well, because you never know when you'll find the right one :P

i personally don't like it.
what your mom said is true. dogs are family. and for them to sell the dog because its no use to them? ??

i saw an ad of someone selling a 3 year old female yorkie for $800
and im like are you serious?

Yeah, I wouldn't pay $800 to a breeder for rehoming of an adult Yorkie. That situation does seem like all the person cares about is money.

No nesacarily. the GSD breeder I know, Sells them for about 500 dollars. That incluses ALL needles, Spay/nueter (Around heere its almost 300 dollars to S/N a dog). Not to mention all the breeder dogs are champions, and are from champion bloodlines. So they are worth alot more then that. You have to remember all of the money that has went into the dog over the years. And Most reputable breeders dont make much money off pups if they are doing it right.

I agree, I wouldn't either. I only paid $600 for my first yorkie puppy. Most of the times, the breeders I know that rehome them sell them very reasonable, they just want them to have good homes. My sister used to breed, and all her original breeders are with her still as pets. Think she realized after 3=4 years she couldn't part with the mom dogs, as she had a hard time wanting to part with her pups

I think that it is wonderful that breeders will sometimes rehome a retired girl or boy. There is no way that the dog will get the some kind of one on one time in a home with many dogs and a new litter of puppies to care for. Many times these dogs are champions and well socialized and the breeder has put hours of time and endless amounts of energy into him/her so that the dog may be everything that they should be. When it is to old to breed and show it should get all the lap space it needs to retire on. There is no way a good breeder can continue to contribute to bettering the breed if they keep every dog that they show or breed untill it has passed on. I know that it is not easy and many breeders turn down many potential homes to place the dog in the right one. I also know that many tears are shed and most remember and keep up on the progress of everyone rehomed.

My Rocky was retired and I didn't have him long but both the breeder and I had a chance to love him unconditionaly and his last months were spent with him recieving as much attention as he could possibly want. I think that it is better for the dog and better for the breeder. imo:)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Good Post

I have been breeding yorkies for over 27 years and it is a very tough decision to make when one of my girls are ready to retire. One part of me feels like I have had a beautiful dog that has brought me so much joy and has produce some wonderful puppies it is now time for her to having a family all her own to love her for the rest of her life. But, than on the other hand I have placed some retired breeders and they were miserable away from their 4 legged family that they grew up with. So, with that said I really think if you are going to stay in the breeding business you can't keep them all or you won't have a breeding business you would become to overwhelmed. Or you make the decision to just breed a few and no matter what they are your babies for life. Now that I am older and hopefully a little wiser I only breed a few of my yorkie's 1 time a year and when I get up to 10 and they can no longer breed I guess I will have to stop because it is just to many dogs to be able to keep up with properly in a cage free environment.

I for one, am so glad that at least some breeders choose to rehome their retired girls! My sweet Olivia is an 8 yr old retired breeder. An older furbaby is a much better fit for our family and lifestyle than a puppy would be. And I love knowing I am providing a wonderful second-half of life for her! I know next to nothing about breeding programs - good or bad - only the little I have read on yt, but I am guessing that Olivia was not well taken care of as a breeder, due to the condition of her teeth and coat when I got her. But I could be wrong...maybe many missing teeth and remaining teeth desperately needing cleaned are not a good indicator of care given....? Regardless, she is living a princess' life now for sure! ;) I can definitely see where it would be a difficult decision to make, but I am sure there are many people that are more than willing to give these special little ones a very happy life and the best of care, and hopefully that makes the decision a little bit easier!

I am not a breeder I am just a lover of yorkies but I want to share my experience and will give you both views of my particular scenario...


I was visiting a grooming shop at which time to me the lady had alot of yorkies. The majority all retired yorkies. I visited often and fell in love with one of her yorkies. The yorkie I fell in love with was pregnant and due Feb last year. We had talked and she thought I was the perfect home for this yorkie. The time came and she could not part ... I regretfully have understood .. My heart was set on her but I also understood the owners feelings too.... Feb 14th will be one year and I am told one day she will be ready but she is not ready now.... I had bought clothes toys and blankets for this yorkie btw she is 5 years old. I still wait patiently but to the lady who owns her it is like SELLING A CHILD and she is not ready and I truly understand that now...Oh and this baby is spayed now too

NOW.......................................

With all that said. She offered me another yorkie and she walked out with her and I knew without even holding her I wanted her. She has made the best companion anyone would ever want.... I visited the shop every day for 2 weeks so it was a smoothe transition and I just did not walk in and take her from the only person she had truly known for 6 years. We visit often so my yorkie is still a part of this ladys life and it makes both of them feel good.

NOW.....................
The other yorkie female that I originally spoke of that was pregnant had 3 babies .. I was offered every single one of the babies ... I have brought them home to see if it is something I wanted to do and my heart is still set on the mama.....

So for the BREEDER / OWNER it is very hard .... VERY HARD ..... She cried she called she asked me to stop by... we send Christmas cards we even went and had a yorkie meetup this year and got all of them together again.. There were about 25 yorkies present ..... I send pictures often ..

For me the new OWNER it was the BEST DECISION I have ever made. She is already disciplined, potty trained and just in need of LOTS OF MORE LOVE and the fact I only have one more yorkie I am able to spoil her with clothes toys blankets meetups contests ect....

If anything ever happens to mine and I could bring myself to buy another it would be a retired show dog.:)

Im looking into adopting 2 retired breeding females in the Sping. The breeder and I have exchanged posts. I've seen pics of the girls. We both have the same two breeeds. It to me is meant to be. They're the same size as Baron,Love to play etc. I would love a puppy @ some point. Baron was 6 months old when he stole my heart. But right now I feel this is the right fit for my family. I do not breed But I know they love their dogs and to keep on bettering the breed they have to add new dogs to their lines. They cannot keep every dog that they have or their business will go under. I know it's a hard decision, But, They're very thorough on who they place their dogs with. We haven't worked out all the details yet, But, I think we will...I use to show Shar-Pei and had every intention of breeding. I thought long and hard and I know I would've had a hard time placing puppies in new homes. I decided to stop showing all together. I had 5 of them They all lived to a ripe old age, except one that the breeder ripped me off and 13 years later still owes me a Puppy!!! LOL This was a breeder the A,K.C. highly recommended to me!!! I feel breeders place their dogs in the best and most responsible homes they can find!! I've read alot of success stories on YT. I know it's the right thing to do for me...:thumbup: :aimeeyork :aimeeyork

I too wanted an older Yorkie for my third. Here's my experience. I was looking at Breeders on the internet, came across Gold Dust Yorkies in Holbrook Arizona. They had a 10 1/2 month old neutered male. When I inquired, I was told he was already gone, but they were looking to rehome Rita. According to the breeder, Rita was six years old, had been in the show ring a few times but it just didn't seem to be the dog's thing so they stopped showing her. She had one litter three years ago but had a difficult time so she was spayed. Rita was potty pad trained and never a bother, gets along well with other dogs and very socialized with people. No known health problems, lost a few teeth over the years, (no biggie) and her picture was beautiful. Asking price $300.00 to cover spaying & her last dental. I would get copies of her shot records, health records, AKC papers, etc. Shipping was $350.00 to fly her in a carrier on a lady's lap instead of cargo to Florida. After speaking with the breeder both by telephone and e-mails for two months, the more I heard the more I had to have her! Finally Rita arrived in TAMPA, 2 1/2 hours away from me. They had trouble getting into Fort Myers because the lady that brings them is retired from American Airlines and flys stand by only. I knew @ this and was there waiting for her when she arrived. The lady handed me Rita, no papers, said the breeder would get them to me, she didn't want papers to change hands too much and get lost in the shuffle, and she was gone, said she had to board the flight right away for the return trip. So, I now had my Rita that I had waited so long for.

Rita was just as pretty as her picture, however that's where it ends! Rita has no bottom teeth, so I grind her kibble up for her. Upon having her vet records faxed from the vet in Arizona (couldn't get any paper from breeder) we proceeded to have her checked at our vet. The excessive tearing of her left eye is from her eyelid curling in and rubbing on her eyeball. The limp is from her left leg being 1/4 inch shorter than the right. The snorting & asthma like breathing are from an enlongated soft palate and shorten snout. The curled & twisted back leg is from being in a cramped confined space and laying on the leg for long periods of time, at least that's what my vet says.The tummy hernia was likely from spaying. For the first three days, Rita would not even look at us or the other two dogs. She doesn't run, play with toys, or do anything like normal dogs do.Everytime we would pet her or hold her, she was totally baffled as to why we were doing that. If I had let her she would of only gotten out of her bed to eat. Rita is not potty pad trained, I have bought disposable as well as cloth pads, she loves to lay or sit on them but in the three weeks I've had her, she's never peed on one! Anyway, too late to make a long story short, you get the picture.

I will keep Rita as she is making wonderful progess. I have come to the conclusion that she has never known human affection other that what was required. She very much likes attention and has started to seek it out on her own. After all is said & done, I'm not sorry I got her, we love her to pieces! I would take another rehomed dog but I will have to see it in person first. I still exchange e-mails with the breeder about Rita's progress. I don't think she is a bad person, maybe not such a good dog person. Of course if she ever reads this, she may not talk to me anymore. I wanted to share my experience so others may learn from it.

I dont agree with people selling their breeding dogs because they want to breed more... What about the dogs feelings? Im sure they become attached and its like a child. Do you give your child away after they are of no use? So im not a fan of it, yet I understand why they would if they are breeders. But for myelf (and we will be breeding a few litters possibly) I could never sell my older dog as i get REALLY attached.

From a different perspective..

I am not a breeder but recently a breeder from YT was rehoming one of her females. I got the little sweetie for someone who has cancer and really, really wanted a small dog. (she had one before who had died of old age) Being sick, she didn't really have the energy to do a good search for one.

I picked up this female and brought her back and gave her to the woman and it is just wonderful how they are getting along and all the love that they give to each other. The dog is helping the woman and the woman is giving the dog so much love and attention and everything else she needs or wants. :)

So, in a case like this, it could not have turned out better.
Would I adopt a retired breeder for myself? In a heartbeat!!! :D

From what I have read on here alot of breeders who retire dogs make sure they are going to WONDERFUL pet homes.. Im sure it breaks thier heart but also comforting that they know where the retirees have gone and put alot of effort into finding new homes where they will be loved forever!! Im sure you do get attached them all but obviously you cant keep them all!!

Being a cancer patient I think this is wonderful, I searched and searched and searched for one that was no longer breeding before I bought laci.. I was advised by a cancer patient at one of my support groups that a companion animal makes treatment so much better, I can assure you 100% it does... I cant begin to tell anyone how much better my life is since I found Laci , treatments, drs appts and somedays feeling blah.. she still loves me and is happy to just lay on my bed... I am so happy I got her and am looking for another one to add to my family!!

I don't think all breeders get rid of the mothers because " they can't make money ". If your a "breeder" and your doing it for all the right reasons, you can't keep them all, if you find a great home for them to go too, it's not like they are gone for ever, I am sure they all keep in contact, send pictures and even visit if they are close enough! At least this is how I would do it if I had too, but then again I couldn't be a FULL out breeder, I was heartbroken for a month crying all the time when my 10 week old shihtzu passed away:(