Love this post. I too have gotten most of my dogs from the pound and you can find many wonderful dogs there. An adult dog is great because you can see what his personality is like. I always choose the one that choose me. I actually believe my yorkie is harder to train than any dog I ever had and I majored in behavior modification!

To the OP, good luck with you search!

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

Thank you for ensuring this baby made it home to their person.

I agree about really considering the financial commitment of a pet prior to filling the want for one

Especially since this is for your daughter its a wobderful oppertunity to teacher her how to earn money for want and how to save.

Not just for the adoption but for geberal health care, emergency funds monthly costs in paracite prevention grooming feeding and purchasing dog beds bowls cloths toys etc.

My kids save $500 in an emergency fund, bought ecerything from harness to leash to toys crate bed clotgs and carry bag vefore we got our Scoobers from rescue.
I think we spent about 400 on his supplies they earned like 170to and I matched it plus 30 and they had to have prepaid the innitial vet visit and read some basic dog books,oh we had already looked into puppy classes too.

It was about 6a months later we got Scoobers...fun surprise for us he was listed as a she...everything we had bought was pink on pink...thankfully he outgrew it all within a couple months...he was also supposed to under 10I pounds he's almost 20....surprises happen.

Scoobers was also a hot mess a pup mill dumpee at the pound...he is virtually completely rehabilitated.

All dogs are acessed at pounds and rescues prior to adoption, special needs should and most likely will be specified

Scoobers is a schnorkie...a yorkie mini schnauzer mix.

Personally I think schnauzers make better family dogs in homes with kids.

Wow, things have been busy. I should clarify some things I suppose. I am CHOOSING not to spend $1000 on a dog when there are so many that need homes. I can't spend $500 on a puppy when there are so many that need homes. I've had dogs all my life, I am well aware of the cost of having dogs and taking proper care of them. I've wanted a little dog that I can tote around with me wherever I go (AKA a purse pup!) for a very long time. We rescued a toy chi, she was the sweetest little thing, and oh so snuggly. I don't particularly care if the dog is a purebred dog or a mix, I don't particularly care if the dog is 3 months old or 3 years old. I'd rather not have a dog that is 13 years old and going to have limited time due to its age. The reason I chose a yorkie is that I know I will be the one taking care of the doggie most of the time, with limited help from my daughter, so I want to have a dog that I like/want. Not to say I won't see something else an completely fall in love, but I'm not going to adopt a dog just to have one, I want to make sure the dog is the perfect dog for our family. I never said I didn't expect there to be expenses involved and I also never asked for a free dog. I am thankful to all of you who have offered advice and offered up ways of finding a good family dog. Thank you so much! And to everyone else, please don't judge what you don't know.

FWIW..not much, probably...lol...

I grew up in a family that took in strays, ferals, and rescued any lost furry thing...wild or domestic. We nursed the young, won most and lost a few. The two Yorkies I have now are the first purebred dogs I have ever owned, and both are re-homed and I doubt either of them came from a show breeder that DNA tested for anything. Both were 2 in March 2012, born 6 days apart, neither has a thing wrong with them...Mia is golden, so "not to standard" but ''Geez Louise" is she gorgeous, sweet, lovable, and all Yorkie just without the blue. Brody is a little champ, he strikes a 'show pose' naturally, and is adorable doing it because you just don't expect to see that and...boom...suddenly there it is...and he stands there in it for a bit, and goes back to adventuring.

Oddly, or I guess it is, in all those years of rescuing, I never had serious genetic issues with any of my dogs. I never heard of LP, AAI or collapsing trachea, or any number of things I've heard of since I got these Yorkies and began researching the Yorkshire Terrier breed in depth....for the fun of it and to learn something new that might help me with them...although I fell in love with the breed many years ago and with their personality as exhibited by a little Yorkie-Poo. My Yorkie-Poo of the '60's was a lost, tiny puppy out in the cold, freezing, and was healthy at quite an old age until the car hit him after someone let him out while I was not home.

I would not hesitate to take a puppy or dog, or cat, from the pound. A lot of very good dogs end up there through no fault of their own...and some, like my Shep/Lab Honey did once, because she was a "Houdini" and could get off of and out of anything but a spiked choker collar. We brought her home again, of course...hence the spiker...lol but I just wanted to point out that 'cheap/free' dogs are no more likely to get serious or DNA related health issues than an 'expensive in purchase price' dog...IMHO...probably not less likely to either.

OP, I think you might want to do a few searches on breeds to determine which might be 'right' for your family since you have a choice at the moment. You already seem to have an idea what will fit into your family...just not the specific breed names. Then, if you choose from a breeder, rescue, the Humane Society or the pound, you will have a better idea what you are looking for and what you are looking at.

The AKC website has breed information, and there are many other doggie related websites, too. Your children will enjoy the search as well, I think...and may not be as saddened once they start looking at pictures and reading about the breeds. If you have specific traits and sizes in mind, you may be disappointed if you end up with a breed without those specifications.

I rescued a female mixed breed that had been wanted to be a guard dog but she was too friendly, so the owner decided not to feed her or give her water. When several of us told the owner he would be turned in for cruelty if he continued the practice, he turned her out into the street...half dead. All those other people willing to turn him in were NOT willing to help her, though, and were going to send her to the pound...where, in her condition, she likely would have been put down. She couldn't keep food down when I got her, but when I re-homed her, she was healthy and strong again. She loved little boys...not little girls. The high-pitch squeals set her on edge. She chose her own family and they fell in love with her instantly, too...but they knew from talking to me a lot about her before they laid eyes or hearts on her. She was no $1,000.00 purebred dog but she was worth a thousand times her weight in gold to them and them to her.

When you get to choose...choose with your brain first...a dog or puppy is not an impulse purchase...your heart will find its own way, and, for goodness sake, do try to find the dog that chooses you. Rarely will you be disappointed this way, regardless of breed. My opinion only...but from personal experience.

Good luck...and let us know how it turns out. Pix are great! :D

Some really great posts on here. Listen do you think your daughter would hae any interest volunteering at a local shelter. Not sure how old she is. That way she would get some wonderful experience and have lots of dogs in her life. Not sure what the rules at at shelters about this. Just a thought

Scoobers' adoption fee from the pound was 225...most rescue are about 500+

An AKC yorkie from a reputable breeder will be around 2k.

I just wanted to put perspective on pricing.

If you gind an AKC yorkie for $500the from a breeder...run at that price its probably too good to be true.


Well in my area Nor Cal...WA can't be that different.

First of all, WELCOME!!! I love that you and your daughter fell in love with a dog and want one. I agree that dogs are expensive but there are ways to help with some of the costs such as finding a rescue that is neutered or spayed. They are such a great addition to your life and you will be surprised how you will find the budget to care for their every need. I do think you should do your research to make sure you are getting a healthy dog; however, you should definitely set aside some funds for "in case" situations. I really hope you find the dog that is right for your family! Good luck!

Oh I'm sure when she is older she will jump at the chance to volunteer, but she is definitely not old enough. But she is AMAZING with animals and has been since she was about 2 years old... She's 6 now. And for her to so compassionately take care of that puppy and explain to her sissy why we had to give it back, she's such a little Mommy. Can you tell I love my daughter(s)... LOL :p

Thanks so much navillusa for your msg! Very helpful, and your opinion is worth something to me! I really appreciate it! We definitely are waiting for the right dog, we intend to have this dog long term, so I definitely want to take my time and make sure that he/she is the perfect dog for our family. I have a funny feeling that when we see/meet the doggie, we will just know. If there's any doubt whatsoever, it's probably not the dog for us. We went to our local humane society and wandered around, mostly they had just big dogs, I feel so bad for all of them.. I wish I could offer a home to them all and take good care of them. Poor babies... :(

I hope you find just the right puppy! Yorkies are great, but so are maltese, shihtzu, and many others. We have 2 yorkies and a maltese and our maltese is by far the biggest lover of them all. You can also look into "designer" breeds, such as a morkie (yorkie/maltese mix - my son has one of these).

Thanks so much, I hope so too. I think it's going to be a process to find the right dog, that's ok though. We want to make sure we get the right one. ;)

Just take your time a dog is a 15 yr commitment youll know when you have found the right one

For sure, I'm not about to purchase a dog just so I can say I have one, I want to make sure it's the RIGHT one! =)