Questions, questions and questions
 

Hi I'm new here, my name is Cindy, from Indianapolis. I have been thinking of getting a yorkie for quite some time. I saw a local ad for yorkies for $150 on Oodle. The person says they have been doing this for 18 years. What type of questions should I ask? Her previous ads is the same picture with 3 adorable yorkie puppies.

I have owned dogs before but they were all Large dogs. This would be my first little dog. Are crates really necessary? How are they with cats? We have one cat (name: Puppy) he is very laid back and declawed. I don't work anymore so I will be home most of the time.

I have been here on the forum for a week or so and been reading and some of the things I have read is making me leary of even getting one. Is the 150 for the yorkie I mentioned above possibly not what it seems? What is the average price for a Yorkie. How do you find a breeder. We don't want a show dog, we just want a pet. we would like a little dog to travel with i the rv when we retire several yrs down the road.

If anyone can give me some pointers I would really appreciate it.

Thanks
Cindy

Stay away from that scam. $150 is NOT the normal price for a yorkie. What you will find is that you will contact the people and you will get a response something along the lines of :

"I'm actually on a missionary trip in Camaroon. I just want to make sure the dog is going to go to a good and loving home. He's a member of my family and I would never, ever sell him. Would YOU sell one of your children? All I am asking for is the transportation fee to get him back to the U.S...."

If you send them your money, sure as Bob's your uncle, you will never see your dog or your money again.

Welcome to YT Cindy! Kudos to you for researching before taking the plunge and getting a Yorkie. What you need to know is that Yorkies are not really dogs... just kidding... but once you own one you'll see what I mean... LOL!

The price you mentioned is very very low. The average price for a girl puppy is about $1,000 to $1,500 and for a boy about $800 to $1,200 depending on the area where you live and the quality of the puppy. So something can't be right with the advertised puppy. Either it is a puppy mill puppy or a mixed breed or not healthy. I would be very very careful.

I'm not a breeder but here on YT are a lot of very knowledgeable members who can help you find the right breeder and the right puppy.

Could you maybe consider to adopt? There are plenty of sweet and beautiful Yorkies in rescues and shelters that need a second chance for a loving forever home...

Welcome
 

Welcome to YT, nice to see another Hoosier here, you don't live very far from me.
Please be careful about purchasing a puppy at such a low price, I know the economy around here is not very good and the price's have dropped alot on the yorkies around here but sometimes you get what you pay for, I would hate to see anyone end up with a sick yorkie just because it was cheaper.
Good luck in your search.

The ad I saw lists an address right here in Indianapolis on the west side about 20 or so minutes from me (southeast side). I honestly don't think this is a scam. Sure I have seen ads for yorkies for 1500 but I have also seen ads for 400 - 500 here in Indiana.

There is no way I would buy a yorkie or anything else based on a photo or sending money to someone that I have no clue who they are. (No disrespect to the breeders here). I am an extremely cautious person when it involves money. That is why I have been looking locally and not nationwide. I haven't contacted the lady yet but if I do decide to buy from her I would have to actually see the dog and its parents with my own eyes and it woulld then be taken to my vet the very first day to be checked out to make sure there was nothing wrong with it.

Agree with what everyone else said ^^^ BUT also wanted to add. Just because you see a yorkie listed for $2000 also does not make it a good quality yorkie or coming from a good place. Pet stores will often sell pups for $1000-$3000, but they are coming from puppy mills. So price should not be the only thing factored in at all. Alot of reputable breeders will let puppies go at cheaper prices because they simply want to break even and find them an amazing home. Just do your research, google breeders, make sure they have health guarantees, and you can view their home or the dogs parents, etc. Rescues will often have Yorkies AND yorkie puppies for $100-$400. I paid $550 from Jackson from a backyard breeder (meaning she was not showing, had no health guarantee, no papers or anything, I have NO idea what are in Jackson's genes, etc). But he's been the best dog I could have asked for--however I should never have paid that woman that much money!

Stay away from classifieds, internet and pet stores.

They do that in Atlanta, too. They say they are local, but once you contact them you find out the truth.

Here is just one example from today's site:Adopt yorkie puppies - $180.00 / ajcexchange

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Sorry- forgot to put in the screenshot.

Hmmm.. having problems adding a screen shot...

What screenshot? Your post included the link to the ajc with the ad:)

I am very fortunate. Toby was a puppy mill rescue and he was advertised on Craigslist. His foster mom was/is an avid member of the Gateway Yorkshire Terrier Club of St. Louis. She was advertising him for $75! So immediately the red flags went up. I had to fill out a questionnaire and wait an entire week because she wanted to make sure he went to the right home. The week finally ended and she selected me as Toby's forever mom. She lived 1 1/2 hours away and the entire time I was driving to go visit him, I kept telling myself something had to be very wrong because full blooded yorkies just don't sell that cheap. When I got there I was flabbergasted. Toby was living in a beautiful log home with all kind of other animals include her own three yorkies. I flat out asked her why she was selling him so cheap. She told me she was not looking to make money on Toby, she just wanted to make sure he went to a good, loving home. After spending an hour with them, I told her I would love to take Toby. She sat right there and made me fill out the club's adoption agreement, she scanned Toby's microchip and off we went. Of course I immediately took him to the vet and he got a clean bill of health. I feel VERY FORTUNATE as we've had Toby (he's 4 years old) for almost 8 months and he has never had a health issue. He had lived with his foster mom for a year and he was very loved in that home as well. I think if I ever got another yorkie, it would have to be another rescue. He is such a special little guy and is the lap dog I've always wanted (sometimes too much of a lap dog!) He is the animal version of the love of my life. I've never ever had a dog as devoted to me as he is. Megansmomma has been here for me every step of the way and she is a godsend. You just have to be extremely cautious as I was. I was ready and willing to turn around and drive away if I wasn't satisfied with any part of the deal.

To this very day, I email Toby's foster mom with updates and pictures and she keeps telling me I am Toby's angel. LOL I think it should be the other way around.

Ok your next message did include the screenshot.

Incidentally the webpage mentioned in the ad:

Home - yorkie puppies

has a photo album of the Yorkie pups and the photos were uploaded by a Gilbert Nicratts.

I have no idea who Gilbert Nicratts is. But I do know that these same pics were on an ad that was pulled from the AJC last week. Unfortunately around here, one person gets a hold of a pic or a legit looking website and tries to pass it off as their own.

Pics on this site also show up as being an Oregon local.

Adopt yorkie puppies - portland, oregon pets for sale classifieds - wweek.com