I did my best to do just that "to the gallery" but this Kodak Easy Share Software is
not being accepted. Maybe Sue can since I sent her quite a few pictures.

k guys..i told brett to respond! so i'm sure he will...

also it's really not off topic. I know it's been a long time since the first post but
Brett doesn't like any dressing up for dogs so I had to rub it in.

Haha actually!! when i got home yesterday and went to let bentley out of his crate..he came out wearing a polo shirt! Brett put it on him before he left. i was mad that he put it in the dryer b/c i didnt want it to shrink..He wanted to show me it didnt

I am happy to say that most people who pay that amount ($5000) are not "status hungry" and they usually hide the amount they paid, ot at least do not advertise it because it is no one's business and they do not, frankly, NEED to brag to feel good about themselves or their dog.

Just to clarify, while I have paid a "fair" price for all of my yorkies I have never paid $5,000 and I consider all of mine to be well worth what I pais and them some. I would have paid $5000 to have what I was looking for but I found her for way less. The breeder was happy and so was I.

I do have 10 nope, 12 , I am bad at counting, but don't have litters all the time. We had 3 this year with 5, 2 and 2. The girls who produced this year are on break and we won't have pups again from the other girls 'til early next summer. Don't even come close to 30,000 gross, never mind net after expenses. Someday, maybe after I recover from some of the initial expenses and have a run of great luck,( Which would include things like no major vet bills, no dogs that you spent a lot for with high hopes for breeding and had to spay/neuter retire to pet homes when they don't work out..etc, etc. )I may be able to creep into the black on this hobby of mine. I think it would be great to make that and don't see how it would be wrong, just not sure if it's possible.

Do you know most people that pay those kind of sums for dogs since you are able to say what they are Not and if so why would they pay that if not for status? I am not being facetious, I really am curious as to the motivation to pay so much more than what the dog could possibly be worth from a realistic standpoint.

Ok I know everyone is wanting me to post up on my views of the thread so I guess I better before it grows and it takes me another week to read all the posts. I have a very busy schecule and it is like a second job to keep up with the movement of the board. this one moves a LOT faster than my car message forum.
Anyway enoungh of that.
I think the response from this thread was well stated and logical. My main purpose of starting this thread was to find out exactly what the members of the board viewed as a mill. To me it seemed as if every time one would post that they were getting a new puppy, everyone would make the same post saying make sure it is not a mill. Most of the time it seemed to me that if they were getting it from a breeder. To me a breeder cannot be a mill just merely a good or bad breeder. A mill is something that contains a vast number of dogs of many breeds, relies on puppy sales as it's only source of income, and also has many employees working for it. A breeder is one who breeds a few breeds of dogs, can but not always depend on the sale of puppies as it's primary source of income, and is run by themselves or with their family.
I started this thread because I didn't like seeing everyone ask if someone was getting a new puppy from a mill. Kelly and I are thinking about getting a new puppy, and she is determined not to buy a mill puppy. I can understand her concerns, but everytime we would see an ad for a yorkie puppy the first thing I would hear "I want to check it out make sure it's not a mill." I plan on buying a dog from a small breeder who can take care of their puppies. I see no reason to want to find something wrong with whoever you are buying your puppy from. It's like the breeder instantly becomes a wounded duck in a lake full of alligators. I believe people should check the breeder out to make sure they treat the dogs to their satisifaction levels. Members of the board should post up what to look for in a puppy rather than "make sure it isn't a mill".
The deffinitions of mills explaned in this thread were great. My only request is to try to encourage the person to buy the right puppy by giving advice of what good qualities to look for in the breeder and the dog itself. It is so easy to focus on the negitive that it brings the moral of the board and the person buying the puppy down. The world has enough problems as it is we don't need people being upset because someone told them that something that would bring them joy is bad.
That was only to prove my point that I do know how to do laundry and that I was right about the shirt not shrinking. I did not like putting the shirt on him and I took it off later that night.
For those wondering....my sleeping arrangements didn't change. I was allowed to sleep in the bed. I'm glad I did considering it is MINE.

I need to put my two cents in here.. I sold my boys for $750.00, because I didn't ask thousands does that make me a bad breeder??? My puppies had the best of care. They were brought to the vet at 3 days, 3 weeks, and then again at 8weeks. It cost me a small fortune for vet bills, and what I had to give the stud, but I still made some money (gosh, not much, but some) My puppies lived in my house and when it was time for them to run and play they were running all over my house, not in cages like some breeders. Granted I am able to do this becasue I only have two females.. But just because someone isn't charging thousands for a dog doesn't make them a bad breeder.. I'm as good as any breeder and maybe better, because I don't have many dogs.. I still have a lot of learning to do and I will learn everything I have to. Care and knowledge is what makes a breeder good, NOT HOW MUCH THEY CHARGE..

One more thought: If I were to charge for every hour I was attending to my puppies, I would have to sell them for $5000. :(

Nice Post Brett - I used to post on a Vette forum - I know what you mean - this site moves WAY faster - some sites you will see the same thread for days...kinda like yours here hehe. :D

I think most of us agree that the Ethics of the Breeder is what you want to concentrate your search on - Real Mills are pretty easy to detect ...& just by being on this site - you may even find a good breeder here. :)

So as to NOT post a long post - I'm glad your couch is lonely - That was an interesting thread you started though. Most men wouldn't take the time to do that and I like seeing both parties participate in getting a new puppy - Good luck to you both.

I think that would work as long as your hourly rate was below minimum wage! :)

Whew, did get off topic a bit, sorry. Also nice to hear the couch is lonely.

No that does not. I'm charging $800 for mine. They live in the house with house the only time they are in the pen and the door closed is a night or if I have to go out somewhere. That way they will not get hurt or stepped on early in the morning when my husband gets up for work.

I agree totally with what you said.

I do my own shots and tails too ! But I was trained by my mentor that been dogs for 30 years and the vet! My babies are taken to vet at 6/8weeks for a vet.check!Sometimes I cathck things that vet doesn't! I know my dogs better than him! Mills I'll pass on that! I know where would buy a pup and where I wouldn't! I have 16 dogs so in somes eyes I'm a puppymill! I'll show you my vet bills ! O I forgot I have a mutt I find in a ditch 9 yrs ago!

This is my point exactly!!!
I am not saying the breeders are bad because they don't charge enough but that the consumers should recognize the true value of this breed and what it takes the breeder to produce and raise them and be willing to pay the breeder fairly for her time and effort!!

The point is not bad breeders but rather good breeders who are not failry compensated for producing these wonderful babies for us to adopt.

And it is not true that there would be some who could never afford one. It depends on your priorities...you ay have to give up smoking or starbucks or buying a bigger house but it depends on what you value.

I am surprised at some who do not feel these babies are worth more than $1000! I thought everyone was always saying they are priceless and they consider them their children! That cannot be the truth is they are not willing to invest $1000. JMHO

You said this so well and it has been a big issue for me since I first started posting on the forums and hearing all the negativity surrounding good vs bad breeders, the name calling and rude remarks as well as unfair and sometimes false accusations against breeders and then the puppymill stuff as well as the "teacup" stuff. I wish we, as a board, could just be a little more positive in our focus and less negative. Breeders seem to get blamed for a lot and I think we, as "fanciers" should be a little less judgmental and a little more accepting of the responsibility for this breed.

We all abhor the mistreatment of dogs and we know it happens but, from my experience, the majority of breeders really care about their dogs and do their best by them.

A little off topic but I'm surprised vets haven't started to lobby government to regulate the sale of vaccine to licenced vets only. I'll have to talk to my vet about that, it may well be regulated in Canada for all I know.

I can say Luna is worth every penny i paid for her and yes i probably would have paid more if i was looking for something more specific. Especially if it was for a show quality animal.

I do agree with you on that point. I can see paying more for a dog if it is show quality and that is what you want.

Eww! I'm so sick to think that we're putting a price tag on quality! Brutus comes from a loooong line of champions but I didn't find this out until after he was mine. I think I'm going to puke! How can anyone say what price they'd pay? Yeah give me the teacup sick looking one for 5 grand! What?

I am totally losing the point that your trying to make - did I just read that last paragraph right ? You are taking words and twisting them - I sure don't remember ANYONE ever saying our yorkies weren't worth all the money in the world....

The posts were about paying Way more than average - YOU were saying the only to have a quality yorkie is by spending thousands of dollars. I said I've seen MANY GORGEOUS yorkies for under 1,000. BOTH MY GIRLS were under a thousand...taking that statement and trying to imply that we don't feel our yorkies are worth more is totally off base.

Personally my girls are worth MORE than thousands to me - but that doesn't mean I would have gone out intentionally looking to fork out 3-4 grand - even IF I could afford it.

LOL !! Good point and you're right...this is getting toooooo long ! ....That so doesn't surprise me hearing that about Brutus - He's gorgeous - I bet finding out about him having champion lines was a big surprise - but look at that face !! that doesn't surprise me at all :)

Not EVERYONE can afford such high prices! And if you research which you should do you can probably find a yorkie in your budget. Whatever! We all love our dogs and that's what matters!

And I've said it since I first came here that you have the most BEAUTIFUL yorkies I've ever seen! My husband could give a flying you know what but whe he saw Villette's babies it was over. He thought they were the most precious things he's ever seen and that's something for him. Don't put a price tag on our babies! There isn't one that could go up that high!

Carolyn - THAT was so nice to hear - I have to tell MY husband that you just said that - I make him look at yorkies all the time and he's the same way...."oh yeah...that's a cute one" and that's IT !

I can't believe it - Right before I saw your post - I had just told him about Brutus and his champion lines and showed HIM your Avatar pic - He loved his face ...said he had really pretty colors and asked if he was a boy cause he was so pretty !! ...Too funny ! Thank you for the nice compliment !

I haven't read the whole thread but I'm just going to chime in. This post doesn't make much sense to me. OK, maybe Villette did not like her breeder (I don't know the back stroy) but there are a ton of people who charge thousands for sick puppies. Just because people are charging an arm and a leg for "teacups" does not mean that they are taking any better care of them than a small home breeder who is just charging a small amount to cover expenses.

Unfortunately, yorkies are a money game right now.

No really can be we honest I've seen yorkies on here that people paid ALOT for that my God doesn't even look like the standard! Whatever!!

Oh and my dh is waiting for the topknots you sport!!!

Oh, how cute, I bet Brett is a sweetie. It's just hard for men to run around with
a dog that's dressed. I understand Brett.

Thank you Kara. That was a very nice and heartfelt post. You are a good example of why dogs and pets in general are so important to people. I have a hard time trusting anyone who doesn't have pets.

:grin2: I've totally enjoyed this thread!
Great points were made, all around! Informative, entertaining, spirited...but Bret, I must say that as a stay-at-home mother who's 2 sons are now away at college, my Saffron has given me another shot at motherhood. And no, I don't put dresses or bows on her but only because she's a bit of a "tomboy" and wouldn't like it. I do put jackets & raincoats on her during the colder weather,though, to protect her. (I did buy a pink harness with angel wings on it that's purely for fun for when I feel like tormenting my husband...I don't even have to put it on Saffie...I just show it to him and threaten to.)
Glad to hear you're no longer banished to the couch! :)