I think it's true. If that is the case, and your pup was AKC registered it is the breeders responsibility to have the pups DNA tested to make sure they have proper records.

dna tests are not expensive nowadays. What kind of papers did the breeder give you? what registry? If it was anything other than akc, then i would think the breeder duped you. Akc, while not perfect, requires better record keeping, while other registries such as aca, apri, etc does not. Before I knew any better, I registered Uni with aca. They do not even require a picture, or a witness! :eek: I could have registered a horse and a yorkie. seriously.

Also if he does turn out to be a mix, you need to get at least some of your money back. While $500 is not a lot to pay for a purebred , it is too much to pay for a mixed breed. Shelters are full of mixed breed dogs that you can adopt for $200 or even less sometimes. I would not want to support someone who purposely breeds mixed breeds, esp one who then lies and sells them as purbred.

Or that cannot keep an eye on their girl long enough to know what male impregnated her. :rolleyes:

Oh yeah, that too. :rolleyes: Can't believe how often that happens. :mad:

Its hard to tell you without seeing a pic of your dog.

But, a lot of people ask if my Chloe is a morkie because her ears are floppy but I am 100% positive that she is all yorkie.

Agreed, and i would also like to add that making the breeder refund your money, etc would help to keep this person from trying this again on someone else. If the breeder is in fact not being honest with you, they need to know that not all people are dumb and are easy to take advantage of.

That's very interesting. I only see gray hair on Cooper's ears.

$500 for a pure breed, where?
 

It probably depends on where you are. Around where I am you don't see a purebred for less than $1.5k (and that is very low). I adopted Nini, who is a Yorkie/Maltese mix (called around here a Yorkitese) for $900. The purebred Yorkies are around $1,500 for the males and $2k and up for the females.

In my local shelters a mix can be adopted for $350-$400 (at least the ones I wanted, because of doctor bills, upkeep, etc., so they say). Yorkietese buyers are usually on a waiting list with the lady I got Nini from, I guess it's because these puppies are sought after around here (?).

I agree the seller should be upfront if the puppy is not what the buyer expects. For $500 I would have been suspicious because it would have been a real bargain for me since I don't see a purebred for that price anywhere (even online), unless something's wrong with the pup :(.

I only see blonde
 

in Nini's :confused:

$500 for a purebred is not unheard of, if it is an older pup, or not bred to standard, or from a puppymill with a super fast turnaround, there are lots more reasons. However, there are lots of unethical breeders who will sell mixed breeds for more than what it costs to adopt on at a local shelter. Of course prices range from area to area, but you're saying that your breeder charges $900 for a yorkie/maltese mix? (that's called a MORKIE btw, not a yorkietese, unless she is trying to get some other type of 'spin" on it.) Like i said, any breeder who is breeding mixed breed pups ON PURPOSE and calling them cutesy designer names and charging thusly are only doing it for the money, NOT for the betterment of either breed.:thumbdown

Another thing a reputable breeder won't do is charge more for females than males. Why would *some* breeders charge more for females? bc you can breed them and get puppies of course! A reputable breeder for sure will not charge a $500 difference! They would only sell on spay/neuter contracts in the first place! And, please don't tell me your breeder also charges more for micros and teaspoons. :rolleyes:

I live in Orange Co, CA, it's expensive to live here. If I go to my local shelter, most dogs that are adoptable are about $75 or LESS. Puppies and kittens are a bit more bc they have a higher demand. I'm wondering why your local shelters are charging more than some rescues. makes me think.

If you buy a dog for $2000 plus, it better be from a reputable breeder/exhibitor with a health guarantee and champions in its pedigree, plus much more than that.

I got Uni for $1200, and while i love her how she is, she should not have cost that much, being from unknown lines, ACA "registered" (means absolutely nothing), LP grade 3, too light coloring, the list goes on. We need to stop supporting bad breeders!

huh?:confused:

Oh,
 

sorry, I didn't make sense. I meant to say that I see yellow hair on Nini's ears to your mention of your baby's white hair. I'll put up a picture where she's not in the sunlight so that it's better to see. I've never seen white hair on a Yorkie mix head, unless he/she's older. I thought your baby's hair looked so light because of the light hitting him from the flash or something. BTW, your baby's beautiful :)

Aww thank you. His head is tan and light gray.

Yes, I hear 'Morkie' but Yorkietese is more popular
 

in this area and it's not just breeders but people I meet that refer to these pups that way. I really couldn't tell you who came up with it or if there's a recognized and accepted single term for this mix. If I tell people Nini is a Morkie, usually, people look at me with a huh? look. So to save myself the explanation I say 'Yorkie/Maltese' and usually they respond with, 'oh, a Yorkietese!' I let them choose what they want to call her mix :)

I agree with you lots of unethical breeders and money hungry people marketing these poor babies. The person whom I adopted Nini from, swore to me that even though she sells them out a business facility, her babies came from just a few and ethical breeders who don't mass-produce. She even has pictures in her wall of the moms with their pups in regular homes (kitchens, living rooms, etc). I guess $900 was what our market was bearing at the time (the place was full almost every day and the day I got Nini, a lot of people adopted. 'Morkies' were adopted the fastest), I don't know about now.
I thought puppy-mills were places out in the yard with kennels, one on top of another and dozens of dogs cramped into them. Anyway, that was before I knew better.

$500? Yeah, older and as you said, puppy-mill etc. I just haven't been able to add another member to my family because of the prices. If you do a search here in NE PA, NJ and NY, you'll see what ridiculous numbers for a healthy, well bread baby. Stores in NY and NJ $2.5k and $3-5k micros & tinies---yes! :( Google it, or research prices right here in YT, you'll see. I won't tell you what 'reputable breeders' want, you may have a little heart-attack.

Nicky is a Biewer, I adopted him because the girls were double the price and I wasn't going to breed them and I adopted him from 'a reputable breeder.' It's sad. Yes, females are more than males even if not breeding :eek: The breeders give me a ton of excuses as to why the girl is more that the boy.

I have got to go visit relatives up where you are, $500 is great for me ;)
I tried my local shelter, but it didn't work out, I wish it did and not for the money part but because I'd love to help a poor baby. Cats aren't so sought after here, so there's a lot of them in shelters.

Please, if you know of a (real) reputable breeder with babies at the $500 mark for a healthy, less than 3 yr old, let me know.