Rescuing an adult Yorkie
 

My husband and I were talking tonight about eventually getting another furbaby (a year or 2 down the road). Of course I got super excited and started looking at rescues in our area (have car will travel to neighboring states). I have found that several that I looked at won't allow them to go to a home with a young child. As some of you know I have a 4 year old skin son (see avatar). Our son is so amazing with Georgie and really he caters to him like we do. He gives Georgie belly rubs and love when Georgie allows him to (and unders supervision). I think for most people having a Yorkie and a younger child isn't a great idea. I guess I just think we are different, but I do understand a rescues point of view completely.

Having said that do you all think I should just try to look into rescuing a different breed until our son is older? I appreciate everyone's honest opinion and want to do the right thing. Thanks:)

I understand that your son is great with your yorkie. I have 6kids,and when I brought home 3 tiny poodles about 10yrs ago,everyone did amazing with them. It is unfortunate that not all young children are good with small dogs and alot of small dogs are not good with young children.
Im thinking that several of the rescues have this rule because they want to protect not only the dogs that have come from some bad situations but protect any young child that comes into contact with them.
As for a different breed ,hmmm. I dont know. The only rescue that is in my house is an 11yr old pom that was my mothers and either I took her or she would of ended up at the pound (can not even imagine). She has always been great with little kids.
If you are willing to take your time in finding a rescue and your heart is set on a yorkie. I would wait until your son is a bit older or see if a yorkie rescue close to you is willing to observe your son with animal.
Hopefully someone connected with a rescue will have a better answer for you.

Most rescue groups will not place a dog in a home with small children regardless of the breed or the nature of the child. The primary reason behind this is because rescue dogs come from some of the most abusive situations and not everything can be known about their history. These past experiences can trigger some unpredictable behaviors in rescue dogs, including aggressive behavior. An adult can handle a bit better than a child.

Very good point thank you for that.

Great point thank you!

Go for a Yorkie!!!! Maybe the rescuer will make an exception for you if you bring your son and Georgie with you to meet your new furbaby. Is a 6 year old still considered a "small child"?

Awweee. That must be so exciting for you! I truly believe in fate and your new family member will be perfect no matter what. ;)

Hmmmm good question I don't know....I do know that at 4 he is almost 4 foot and weighs 58lbs so he isn't really small now LOL. I really think the one we need to worry about is Georgie. I don't know if he would be ok with us giving our attention to anyone else. Our Boxer Coco is a senior as you know and she just likes to sleep. She doesn't care who lives here as long as she has a spot in the bed next to Daddy;)

My 4 year old is also amazing w/ small animals. We just adopted 2 adult yorkies and she is so gentle. Even my 21 month old daughter knows not to pick them up (of course my kiddos are always supervised w/ our new family members). Anyway, I adopted from a private individual for the same reason - we have National Mill Dog Rescue here in Colorado Springs and that really wasn't an option for us.

Thanks for the input. We are going to take our time and see what happens. I can understand a rescues point of view completely though.

I will not sell a Yorkie to a family with a child under 6 years of age, I try VERY hard to run that up to 8 years old! If I can watch the 6 year old child, and assess their motor skills closely, I may make an exception and allow that family to have one of my larger Yorkies (7# or more). A child under 6 years of age, thru no fault of their own, just has not developed the coordination skills or motor maturity to safely maneuver around a small dog. If they fall on or trip over a 5-7 lb yorkie, they can do considerable damage, even killing the dog. A larger, sturdier Yorkie 7# or larger, (and I do have those outliers!)makes a wonderful pet for a family with children 8 and older. And of course, runts 3# or less, should never leave the breeder, unless it is to a well know buyer, with NO kids, and NO other pets....someone with tons of working knowledge of Yorkies, tons of experience not only with runts but with Yorkies in general.

Thank you I appreciate your input. We would definitely be looking for a larger Yorkie next time. When we got Georgie he was the baby and well still is really he just has one more person to give him belly rubs:D

You forgot to add in the financial resources. Those of us with 2 pounders have endured a considerable amount of vet bills just to keep them healthy. Even an upset tummy can yield a $500+ vet bill.

That's something we are very familiar and comfortable with. Georgie had AAI surgery in September and we spent 6k (not including diagnosis and follow-ups). I can say he has been to the vet more in his 6 1/2 years than any furbaby I have ever had combined. No regrets though he's our sweet boy;) I wish everyone understood the cost and factored that into their decision.

Absolutely, especially depending on how they are raised. Manners vs. no manners. Spoiled rotten vs. well behaved. Phrase might be redundant; however, you get my point. Lll

+1 +1

And the the 2lbers cost more $$$ to purchase as well.

All good practices !!

Personally, I don't think I'd want to bring a rescue dog into a household with a young child. As another member said, you have no idea what that dog has been exposed to and what child movements/behaviors could trigger a reaction. I'd prefer a dog I'd raised from a puppy around my children.

While I understand why rescues may not want to place a dog in a home with a small child, I don't understand why some breeders won't, other than in the case of excessively small & fragile dogs. So if I don't have young kids I can get a puppy...but what if I have a baby next year? what if my boyfriend with young kids moves in with me the month after I get my puppy? what if my adult children & their young kids move in with me, or I go live with them? I'm sure you get the drift and could come up with many similar scenarios yourself.

I was raised with yorkies from as early as I can remember. I got my own first yorkie when my kids were 3 & 5. Personally, I would never deal with a breeder that descriminated against people solely based on the fact they have young children.

You don't necessarily need to get a Yorkie with an unknown past from a "rescue" organization to give a Yorkie a home who finds itself without one. Neither of my two Yorkies was a "rescue" dog but both needed new homes. One Yorkie was 'advertised' on a homemade flyer on a break room table where I work and the other was in an internet "advertisement" but both were completely private 're-homes'...leaving the 'acquirer' [me, in my case...lol] to decide what's best under the circumstances. I am grown up enough to figure it out and I expect you are as well. :D

If you are not on a specific time line to get your second dog, or perhaps don't even care if it is a purebred Yorkie, Yorkie mix, etc., there are other possibilities including mentioning to your vet that you would be interested in an additional Yorkie needing a loving home to move into due to circumstances beyond its control.

I took two (2) cats when our friend found out she had pancreatic cancer, but as a backup, she had told her (our) vet that her cats would need homes soon, and he was prepared to help with finding them places to live...or even put them down humanely if necessary. After we took the cats to our house, we notified our vet, who changed ownership in his records to our name...she had notified our vet we had agreed to take them, but he was still holding open the possibility that anything could still go wrong, too.

Things do have a way of working out, and you are already investigating the possibilities. I'd not start to sweat the small stuff just yet. :p

Thank you for the great advice:thumbup: :D

I think you have already gotten some thoughtful advice. The rescues I work with often have emotional problems and or behavior problems. But, some of the dogs are simply displaced because their person gets ill, loses their home, or dies. Even though some of the dogs come from homes with young children our rescue will not place them in homes with children under the age of 7. Rescue organizations make policies based on recommendations by Board Members, Vets, Breeders, Trainers and Behavior Specialists. They try to place dogs in homes that are safe, stable, financially secure, with fenced yard etc. Yes, circumstances change, or the dogs wouldn't need to be rehomed in the first place. The goal is to find the best forever home they can, one with the fewest risks.
IMO I think a bigger (7 plus pounds) healthy, young adult Yorkie might be just right. You may have to wait awhile to find the right dog.
You might find a good match privately. Keep looking and best wishes, T