I find this thread interesting and as a young single parent of a child under 10 when started my hunt for a furever pet I got many of No because you have a small child.

My daughter was 6 when Troy came home. There were breeders who didn't even talk to me after I mentioned I had a 6 year old. There was a poster who mentioned that young families are often very busy and I couldn't agree more with this statement. My daughter has extracurriculars and I work full time. But Troy goes to many of these places with us and he is only home alone during the work day.

Troy goes to my daughter's gymnastics practice and there are kids there. I lucked out because he's got a great temperment and literally loves little kids over adults but I have to WATCH my small dog with ALL kids.

I think that families can do well with yorkies but I also think that a total evaluation of the situation needs to be done before placing a smallish yorkie in that home. I don't agree with the close mindedness some people have about children and yorkies but everyone doesn't have to have the same opinion.

Anyone can come to our home and realize that our yorkie is loved, cared for and has no greater risk to injury or harm in a household that has one older adult or family with older children.

Great post! You are alot like me I got My yorkies when my daughter was 5 1/2. Did I get them from a reputable breeder no. Im sure they would have been alot more discerning. But My breeder did observe Alexa Rae who is a very mild manerered child with the puppies. She also took into account that I was a stay at home mom and would be with the puppies all day and also that My daughter was in school alot of the day at a year round school. Do I think I was entitled to get a small breed dog when My daughter was that age no and if breeders would have said no I would have to e=accept that. Did it take alot of supervision on my part and My Husbands having a child at that age and pups that came home at 1 lb yes and there were even times the pups were put in xpens so they could get rest and also because we had friends of Alexa Rae in the house. Were there still incidences yes one time Alexa rae had a neighbor kid from down the street over and this was when chachi was an adult but the kid kicked him. That is the thing with families that they dont take into account also. There children may have been taught to be kind and gentle to animals but they will have other children in their home playing with their kids that may have never been taught or maybe the kids are not careful around small animals and accidents happen. Breeders have to take all of it in account when deciding where to place a little life that they have brought into this world and they should. Now My Daughter is 11 and alot less supervision is needed. Do I think this is the perfect age to adopt a small breed yes I do.

Since I told My story I also wanted to say My yorkies came home at a small weight because they were young but they are now 15 lbs and 8 lbs and it is the 15 lb one that is more kid friendly I bedlieve because he is bigger and child like noises and movements dont make him nervous. He will play ball and do things with Alexa Rae where the 8 lb one is more of an adult dog. Shje would have been the perfect dog for a little old lady that just wants a dog to sit on her lap and pamper

I think many people will err on the side of caution. There is not anyone that wants to see a dog hurt. I think when you are on a public forum such as this many people will go overboard on protecting the animals. By stating no kids with dogs, there is not a way anyone can say they are permitting it or advocating it. I have noticed over the years in many situations people give an all or nothing rule just to be safe. They would rather no families with children have a yorkie than just one yorkie get hurt because the family read a post that said it was okay. Most parents that are irresponsible do not think they are. Most children that are "out of control" do not have parents that recognize it. So if people said small yorkies with children is okay in certain circumstances then many people would think it gave them a green light.

I went camping earlier this week with our yorkie. She is about 6 months and close to five pounds. There was a large group camping together. When the first little kids showed up, I went with the err on the side of caution. They may have been safe with Jessie, but I was not willing to take the chance. Jessie stayed in my lap or my daughters lap while the little kids were there. Those children may have been fine, but I never gave them the chance to find out. I think it is the same think=g on this forum. Most here are not willing to take the chance.

I also think many people get a little offended with generalizations. We tend to take them personally when all children are lumped together, or all parents, etc. If the generalization does not apply to us, then the post is not directed at us personally. If all of my generalizations (and boy did I use a lot of them) then it was not directed at you:)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
And just because someone wants a Yorkie, doesn't mean they should have a Yorkie.

My dogs are great with my kids and my kids are great with the dogs. I believe it's all in how they are taught. There may be some exceptions, but good training on both ends is a good thing.

wow good topic, & everyone has great points of view, i don't think anyone is saying that you absolutely can't have small children with yorkies, situations happen & im sure there are many yorkies with small children living awesome lives. i have only had 2yrs experience with a yorkie & i truly think yorkies (mine anyway) are a little different (in a great way), due to size & demeanor. my little guy is 6 lbs absolutely is always under foot because he always wants to be with you, he likes people a lot but i have noticed that small children make him more skiddish. i have actually tried to figure it out & i think it is the fact that kids are always moving & a bit faster than adults. my nephew is autistic absolutely loves animal & tries to be gentle in fact he is even more gentle but his movements & caution is picked up by oliver & he acutually growls @ him. he is the only person i have ever seen him growl at, obviously we keep them seperate & let my nephew interact with mallory who is more laid back. yorkies are terrific my daughter tells me all the time i love my dogs more than her. obviously not true, but they are up there & like them more than many people. i choose to go home to be with them too ofter rather than friends.

I am going to weigh in on this topic. As a breeder I take each potential buyer into consideration. If they have other dogs I ask that they bring the dog with them when they come to look at the pups if they have already decided they want one. I also ask that anyone that will be around the pup in the home come also. So far I have been very lucky with the homes my pups have gone to. But if I had one person bring their child and I didn't feel it would be a good fit for any pup of mine I simply would tell them. As a Breeder I don't have to sell my dogs to anyone if I don't want to regardless of my reasons. Those pups are first and foremost my responsibility for the rest of their lives. If i have to hang onto them until I find the right homes then that is what I do. I think that regardless of how well behaved a child is there are also children that aren't as well behaved and accidents will happen. So even if the child or children are well behaved you also need to look at the adults , How would they react in an emergency situation. I recall some pups getting hurt on here at the hands of an adult accidentally and otherwise. However I will not sell a puppy to anyone that has a child under 6 years of age, That is my decision and I am sure everyone has their own deciding age that they will sell a pup to with children in the home.

That's stated wonderfully. :)

Really?.. What would you do if lighting struck your leash and severed it on a clear day and your dog could run into the road? Yes life happens but as asked No I would not stop and deal with a dog if my child is hurt however I would ask my husband to deal with him. Just like when my younger one gets sick at two AM and needs to go to the ER I don't leave my five year old alone I leave her with my husband. To me having a dog is just like having an infant of course I am not going to leave him alone or leave my other child alone if one child is injured. What on earth do you think people with three children do:confused:

Maybe elderly people should not have Yorkies I know a lot of older people for some reason mainly women that have fallen and broken their hips. What if they fell on the dog? or the dog got sick because no one noticed the woman was absent for several days and the dog was not fed?

My main disagreement is that I don't think a breeder should automatically be labeled bad if they send a small Yorkie home with a family with children. Of course it is up to the breeders discretion don't question that at all. A pet is a privilege not a right.

It is because I believe reputable breeders realize the fragileness of a tiny yorkie and they are going to put it in the best situation possible. I believe all breeders should put the pup in the best possible situation but even more special consideration should be given to a tiny. Alot do that but there are some that sell tinys for alot of money and the only thing they care about is someone meet their price. But to be quite frank and honest if they are a reputable breeder they are not breeding for tinies anyway so if they do get it is out of the ordinary and they are careful in placing it

It just seems like the same damned if you do, damned if you don't kinda situation as so many threads on here.

I want a yorkie and I'm supposed to be buying the breeder first, but the breeder won't sell to someone with kids, and I have kids...then I'm gonna buy a yorkie from anyone who will take my money be it a byb or pet store. Oh, but I'm not supposed to support those, right? ..cos I'm supposed to go to a breeder...

I said I think its at the breeders discretion if they want to sell to a family wuth children. I dont know its like I said its not an entitlement to be able to buy a yorkie.

My Tibbe is a pretty sturdy feeling boy but his little bones in his legs are so fragile when you think of them pitted against say what a little child could unwittingly do in playing with him given a couple of seconds of unwatched activity. I would just be too scared to ever try mixing young children and a typical sized Yorkie.