Need advise on care
 

I found a yorkie wandering down Hwy 31 in Warrior, AL about a week ago. I have posted signs all over the town and at the local grocery store. I also took her by the local vet and left my number there. I haven't gotten any responses. The vet checked her out and said she was healthy but didn't have a microchip. I am still searching because I'm sure someone out there is missing this dog. She is well groomed and loves being in laps. If I do not find the owner I plan on keeping her. The thing is I know nothing about caring for yorkies. Are there any special needs I need to know about? Is there anything I need to do or not do for her? I would really appreciate any advise on caring for her until I find her owner or if she becomes a member of our family. Thank you.

Welcome to YT:D How sad she was wandering but so glad you found her! You came to the right place for information on Yorkies;) Did the Vet give you an idea of her age?

Hello and welcome to yorkie talk, you would think there would be flyers out there wanting her found, I couldn't imagine losing either one of my furkids.

Welcome to YorkieTalk. It sounds like you have done all you can do maybe the owners will see it. Sounds like she is a real sweetie. Did the vet guess her age? Could he tell if she was spayed? What are you feeding her? What about shots? One thing that is important with small dogs is not to hook the leash to a collar, its great to have a collar on for an id tag but only hook a leash to a harness.

I didn't think to ask her age. I am planning on taking her back next week if she is still with me. She is 5 lbs, well house trained, and spayed. I'm guessing she isn't a puppy but don't know for a fact. She has adjusted well to our home, our daughters and the other animals (except for one of our cats, she wont bother the older cat but will chase our younger one across the house). I go to Warrior about everyday to see if my signs are still up and to look for any signs the owner might have put up. I could imagine losing one of are dogs and this one is so sweet I'm suprised she is still here. I've been feeding her Pedigree Little Champs. I haven't gotten her any shots, I was going to discuss that with a vet next week. I got her a collar but we live on 4 acres and if I take her out she stays with me so I haven't had the need to use a leash. I run around with her at least 2 times a day with one of our other dogs.

She sounds awesome! I am glad she has fit right in. I agree with Lovetodream88 about the harness. I also suggest getting stairs for her to go up and down on the bed and couch etc... Would love to see a picture of her:D

I know this sounds crazy but some people get rid of their animals that way. My aunt had Pebbles a peke and she made a statement that every time she let her out that people kept bringing her back or calling her..That is when I asked her why and she said that she was tired of being tied down, that is when I told her that I would take her, she was so happy. She had been spayed and was a little late on her shots but I took care of that. I did lose some respect for my aunt, I though she was better with animals but glad that I got to make sure Pebbles has a good home. Anyway, Pebbles came home and my daughter wanted her and thinking that she would bring her back in a few days I told her ok, well she still has her and has had her for 3 years and Pebbles is content with her family. This turned out to be a win win.

Ya just never know how things will turn out, maybe it is a blessing that you found her...

That's terrible! I am so glad Pebbles has a happy loving home with your daughter:)

Wow!!! She is so lucky you found her. God forbid if I should ever loose my baby I hope someone like you would find her. It seems like with her being so well cared for her owners would be searching for her. You will learn alot about taking care of her here at YT and get lots of support. It sounds like you are taking such good care of her, have you ever had a small dog before? There is a list here about foods that are toxic to little dogs like grapes and raisins so you will want to make sure she doesnt get a hold of anything like that. If her coat is long you will want to keep it brushed to make sure she doesn't get mates in it. When I got Millie I baught yorkies for dummies, I am sure there are alot of other good books too that will tell you what you need to know, and just enjoy her in my opinion as dogs go you can't beat yorkies, they are so smart, loving, and just the best babies. Keep us up to date on what happens with her.

Yes she was with me for 3 weeks, I had her to the vet and tested for heartworms and got her shots updated and got her on Intereceptor, then my sweet daughter gave her a wonderful home..

I'm so glad this little one is safe and has you caring for her while you search for her family.

Have you posted in the Lost/Found sections of Craigslist and Petfinder.com? I know many people look there when they find/loose a pet.

She sounds like such a sweet little girl, I bet someone is really missing her. I pray everything works out the best way possible for her. :)

If that is the case I would l love to have her.

No I haven't ever had a small dog just medium to large dogs. I had a husky stolen from me a couple years ago and decided I was going to get any more dogs then the ones we have. But this little girl has wormed her way into my heart so if we can't find the owner I would love to keep her.

I will check those websites also. I know my mom posted something somewhere and hasn't heard anything.

Yes, post on Craigslist lost and found and pets section. Did you contact the local police or animal shelter? That is where most people check first.

I'm glad you were in the right place at the right time. She must have been so frightened. I'm glad you are looking for her family. It sounds like you are trying everything possible. I can't imagine losing my baby and never seeing her again. I'm so glad she will have a loving home and new mommy to love her if you can't find who she belonged to.

Along with the suggestion above about leashes and collars, I would like to suggest that shots be separated and not given all at one time (Rabies at least 2 weeks after her first set of shots). I wonder if she has already been vaccinated and how it will affect her getting more shots if she has been.

I know this might be a little premature since you haven't decided to keep her yet, but here is a link to the vaccination protocol.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...-overview.html

This thread might give you some other ideas to help find her home.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/mis...ir-owners.html

This site gives lots of ideas for placing free ads for a found pet. Recovery Tips: Lost Pet Related Links | Missing Pet Partnership Glad you took her in and she's safe for now.

Many times your local newspaper will offer free lost and found ads also the local radio stations offer this free service as well. The owner may not frequent the places where you have your signs. I would also contact the local police and animals shelters. Those are places that most people who have lost a pet will contact.

I was once behind a car when a little Pom came rolling out of their window. I was able to stop and pick up the dog. It took a while for the car to stop and turn around. If I had not been there the dog would have run off and not been found by the owner right away. It sounds like this dog belongs to someone who has invested in it's care. I'm sure they could have found a good home for it had they wanted to. I hope you will continue to look for it's owner.

By the way, I don't know what others think, but I think I would try very hard to find the original owner for 3 months. After that, I would probably consider her mine. Eveybody probably has a different time line, but I think at some point it's okay to think of her as yours. Otherwise, it will be so hard on you.

Just an update: I have tried all the suggestions listed to find her owner. I also called the neighboring counties' police departments and animal shelters. I also called the local animal hospitals. I haven't had any luck yet but I haven't given up.

That's very thoughtful of you, how is she adjusting? By the way, have you taken her on a walk and let her lead the way?

She seems to be adjusting well. She is curled up in my lap now. I tried the leash thing but she just peed and walked back to my car. I walked with her a little and all she did was sniff around but there wasn't any direction to it.

The one horrible time my (now passed on) Jazzy escaped through a board in our fence that was loose. I had just given her a bath and had not put her tag back on. We were all laying out by the pool and looked around and she was just gone. I was in such a panic, I can not even tell you! I called the police and they said yes someone called to say they have a little stray dog with no tag. She was not very far from where we live...it was the next neighborhood over. I cried so hard when they handed her back to me...the poor woman looked startled. LOL

Lesson: Call several neighboring POlice Stations and see if anyone reported a dog missing.

and this why you should read the whole thread before you post ....LOL

Lol, it sounds like she doesn't want to find her old home! :p

She seems very content where she is:) Good for you trying to find her owner but she might have already found her home;)

Another update: I took her to the vet again today. She has put on .7 pounds and we have successfully gotten rid of her fleas. The vet thinks she is between 5 and 6 years old. I have put up new signs and have re-called the police stations and shelters just incase someone called.

She has been doing really well in our home. I have gotten her to stop chasing our younger cat by distracting her and if she did chase her before I could distract her I put her in room by herself. It only took two times being left in a room for 5 min before she decided to stop. I have been calling her sweet thing and poor thing or cute thing so my husband and daughters have just been calling her thing or ting.

Lol, I love the name Ting! So glad you found her and I'm so glad you are taking such good care of her. Bless you!

So glad she is doing well and adjusting. I think Ting Ting would be so cute:D

Thank you for all of the things you are doing for this little Yorkie and the owners. It could be something terrible happened and the owner is very ill in the hospital with no one to help her find her baby right now or something else very traumatic. I would keep checking everywhere with officials as much as possible and make sure they retain your information to contact should the owner respond.

One thing I might mention about Yorkies - they tend to have bad dental problems so they need to have their teeth brushed daily and regular dental check-ups and cleanings as people do. And most of them cannot handle fatty human food, pork, etc. Some are prone to pancreatitis and other problems so you might want to search and look for the medical conditions they are more subject to developing. I wouldn't use a collar and leash as they can develop collapsing trachea. Regular vet checks and tests can catch any of these things early on. Yorkies can be very personal dogs and will attach to you very readily and adore the lap time.

They tend to be true terriers at heart and usually react to potential prey such as a cat or squirrel with bolting right after it without even thinking so you always have to leash them when out of a fenced yard and expect them to react first and think later when their chase instincts kick in. Never leave a Yorkie outside unattended - they are prey themselves to hawks, large cats, dogs that jump in your yard, dog thieves and don't tolerate hot or cold weather at all. They can escape through the tiniest enlarged place in/under a fence or gate. That's all I can think of right now.

Again, thank you for working as hard as you can to reunite this baby with her owner and giving her a home until and if he or she is never located.