A puppy for an 8 year old?
 

How many of you have, or would consider buying a yorkie puppy for an 8/10 year old?

I ask because yesterday Kaji and I were having lunch at this outdoor cafe. He was sitting in the chair, in his Alex carrier enjoying the sunshine. This mom approached us and was telling me how cute he was. She asked, "How old is your little darling?" to which I responded that he would be two in Aug. She quickly pulled her daughters to each of her sides and proudly announced, "Well she has an 8 month old (10 yr old daughter) and she has a 4 month old (8 year old daughter)." I don't know what my facial reaction was, but I was able to get out a "oh wow... that's very nice." I'm shocked! The girls were so little and probably busy playing and socializing with friends, can they really take care of a puppy? I'm 24, with a 1 yr old pup, and I was having a hard time at the beginning. I kinda felt a bit inadequate as a yorkie mom. If an 8 year old can handle a 4 month old puppy, why was it so hard for me with my 1 year old???:(

i can only speak for my 10 year old but he is great with the dogs he will take them out and when we still fed kibble he would make sure there bowl stayed full he will refill the water bowl and even brush them out
when he dose not have something better to do
if he is playing with his friends or watching something on tv he dose not care what happens to the dogs they could run out the door get hit by a car and spontaneously combust and he would not know until the next commercial break
he is a great help to have around but to completely take on the responsibility of a dog no way!
maybe the woman ment that the girls owned the dogs but in reality they are a family endeavor i cant see a 8/10 year old taking care of a puppy on there own really not a Yorkie they need a lot of constant work

I have an 8 yr old son and a 10 yr old daughter who are amazing with our yorkie babies who r "Prince Henry 7mo" and "Queen Elizabeth aka Izzy 3 mo"... Of course we say they are theres BUT I take care of them and make sure they are well looked after but u would be surprised at how much they help with walking them, feeding them, bathing them and not to mention PLAYING w them... I wouldn't recommend yorkies for younger ones younger than 8 is why we waited but 8 and 10 r pefect ages...

The lady I spoke to had her own dog and made it sound like, look at us, we each have our own baby. The girls weren't very impressed though.

My daughter is 7 and the choice to get a yorkie was for her . She is amazing with Troy who is now 9 months. She isn't rough is patient and does the things I ask of her. I know she can't afford vet bills or potty train him. I don't see a problem with kids having small dogs or any dog if the parents are being responsible and teaching them properly. If kids are taught properly kids can and will be fine.

I totally agree and age doesnt really matter. It depends on the maturity of the child and the parents...

I have all boys ages 8-10-11 yrs and they are so careful with MY dogs. But I do believe it all depends on how caring they are. I believe they are learning how to be responsible of course mommy is watching. When you begin to have kids you will be surprised how smart they can be.

I have an almost 4 year old daughter and a 6 year old step son. We do say they each have their own yorkie but in reality they are mine, ALL MINE ;) However the kids do take them on walks when we are out they will hold the leash. They fill up the kibble and water when asked and play with the dogs all the time.

We actually purchased Paris for our 6 year old little girl (Cheney Catherine.) Paris is her pride and joy and of course when we first brought her home there were lots of lessons and supervision but we had gotten Louis 2 months earlier who is technically my dog so there was a ton of practice! I think it depends on not only the maturity of the child but the parent realizing that they will be the primary care giver of the the dog! Paris is more attached to me than to CC at this point but I know in the future that will change and she will transition to sleeping with CC. We think it's so cool that this will be the dog she grows up with! Since we've had Napoleon he now technically belongs to our 4 year old but of course just like with Paris I will have the primary responsibility of his care until she can do it herself. It all boils down to the parents taking responsibility and training young children on not only care but handling of these fragile little ones! It always tickles me when CC has a friend over and she gives them the rules on how to handle Paris and is very protective of her! Makes me proud that we are teaching our girls at such a young age on how to respect and care for animals!

I have a 7 year little girl and 2 yorkies .she is so good with them .she will tell me when im brushing them ,,you need to let me brush them ,you do it to hard.,,i think its fine ,if your kids know how to treet pets. here is my 3 babys ,,,thanks

Hey! And don't feel bad that a yorkie pup was hard to handle for awhile! Puppies are way easier for those of us who have already had real babies, midnight feedings, all night crying because of teething, diapers, temper tantrums and potty training! Puppies are a little easier after all of that! You sound like you are doing a fantastic job with your baby! Keep up the great work momma!!

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I know some of you are mom's but I'm a little negative when it comes to kids only because as I've seen, not all parents are as involved as you all are. I've been working with kids for the last, let's see.... 7-10 years. I've seen this new "ME ME ME" generation and the thought of some of those types of kids having puppies makes me mad. They think they know everything, then quit half way through something because they have the attention span of a goldfish. So I hope you all understand why it scares me to think that a young kid like those I met yesterday are in charge of a young pup's care.

I think we all understand :rolleyes:

I absolutely 100% understand where you are coming from! This might sound awful but I thought after I had kids I would like other peoples kids more and I can emphatically say that I don't! I have a friend who I love dearly but everytime she comes over she has her very active 3 year old with her who chases Louis and Paris until they are so annoyed they are looking for any hole to crawl in! And let me just add to what I said above: I would never suggest to anyone (good kids or not) to buy a yorkie for their child! They are not webkins and they take a ton of work that even the most consciencious child could not handle. It is a big decision and it happened to work for us because I spent and continue to spend a ton of time training the kids as well as the dogs an know the full responsibility rests on me! It is not something I would ever encourage someone to do in fact I would discourage them from doing it if anything! I know what you are talking about with the "me, me, me" generation and I can tell you that as a parent it is my number 1 priority that my kids see others first before they ever look to their own needs. We are not perfect parents by any means but it is a daily goal we strive towards as a family and will continue to work towards until they leave our house at 18! Just wanted to clear up that it wouldn't be a scenerio I would ever suggest to someone else...if they feel they can handle it they will be coming up with the idea all on their own with no encouragement from me! You are right to worry and those of us who have done it successfully in this thread are definitely in the minority! Have a great night!! :-)

The me generation!
 

I absolutely 100% understand where you are coming from! This might sound awful but I thought after I had kids I would like other peoples kids more and I can emphatically say that I don't! I have a friend who I love dearly but everytime she comes over she has her very active 3 year old with her who chases Louis and Paris until they are so annoyed they are looking for any hole to crawl in! And let me just add to what I said above: I would never suggest to anyone (good kids or not) to buy a yorkie for their child! They are not webkins and they take a ton of work that even the most consciencious child could not handle. It is a big decision and it happened to work for us because I spent and continue to spend a ton of time training our kids as well as the dogs and know the full responsibility rests on me! It is not something I would ever encourage someone to do in fact I would discourage them from doing it if anything! I know what you are talking about with the "me, me, me" generation and I can tell you that as a parent it is my number 1 priority that my kids see the needs of others first before they ever look to their own needs. We are not perfect parents by any means but it is a daily goal we strive towards as a family and will continue to work towards until they leave our house at 18! Just wanted to clear up that it wouldn't be a scenerio I would ever suggest to someone else...if they feel they can handle it they will be coming up with the idea all on their own with no encouragement from me! You are right to worry and those of us who have done it successfully in this thread are definitely in the minority! Have a great night!! :-)