Should I get a Yorkie?
 

I have finally saved up enough money to get and splurge on a yorkie. But, is right now a perfect time for me to get a yorkie, I am a college student with a part-time job? What should I do?

Honestly I would look at a few things with your lifestyle with a yorkie. Are you someone who is gone from home a lot ie besides school and work do you go out w friends alot? If you are home only a couple of hours a day I would wait. Yorkie need their owners- ie if you have a puppy potty training is a hard thing to accomplish if you aren't home and most yorkies want to be with their moms n dads everywhere and a lot of the time. Can you have a dog at the place you are living at? I think the second biggest thing is while you have the money now to get the puppy, will you have the money for any added expenses including emergencies?? IMO, yorkie vet bills are generally more than an average dog. IE. I was a semi experienced yorkie owner when I got ruby Sioux...I was not experienced in having a $2000 vet bill because of hypoglycemia nor the $700 spay/teeth removal surgery cost. I think its great you are asking the question and seriously looking at if its a good idea now. Im not telling you don't do it but I am saying to really look at your lifestyle and financial situation to see if they are a good match for a yorkie at this time!!! Good luck!!!

Hmmmm......I would say if you do not have a lot of time to devote to a new "baby", then it is best to wait. Yorkies, in my opinion are needy, especially a puppy! They require a lot of attention, bonding time and of course love! It is up to you, but I think you should wait until you are out of college and have a more settled lifestyle!

College students lifestyles often change and living arrangements change frequently, etc. I think it's great you are asking yourself this question. I guess I would say no. There will always be time for a dog when you are more permanently settled, both with work and home. Also, listen to the advice of the posters above. Dogs are expensive. Not just the initial cost, but their vet visits, shots, teeth cleaning, illnesses. I spent $6000 on my boy last year for luxating patella/torn ACL surgery on both back legs. This is a very common thing in yorkies, so although it might not happen to you, could you handle the expense of it right now while a student if it did? I know its hard to wait. I talked one of my sons out of a pet while he was in college. He's now glad he didn't do it then. He's moved to different housing/roommates 3 times since then and getting ready to move to another state now for a job after graduation. He wouldn't have had the time to devote to the pet then or now, but he is observant of dogs and likes to think about what kind he will get someday when the time is right for him.

I agree with points made above. Top considerations:

1) Money for vet bills. Even healthy dogs can rack up big bills for vaccinations, exams, heartworm and flea and tick preventatives. What happens if your Yorkie happens to have a liver shunt or other congenital problem? These problems cost anywhere from $1500 to thousands more.

2) Potty training: the first year is the most intense and potty training often frustrates people with puppies.

3) Yorkies do like company. How much time each day will your pup be alone?

I think it is great that you are being thoughtful about this.

Oh I would love to tell you to go ahead with it but I can't. Based on the information you gave us, Yorkie ownership, at this point in your life, wouldn't be well-suited. I'm sorry. =( The other posters already gave you some good reasons so I won't repeat them. But look to the future, stay here and read and chat and research and some day, down the road when your life if more settled and money for emergencies won't be an issue, go ahead and get a Yorkie or two! =)

I agree with Kristin on he above points. Please be honest with yourself on the financial aspect of having a dog. It can take a toll on you if you're not prepared.

However, I also want to point out there are no guarantees in life. I joined this forum while still in college, and was puppy-less. I waited until after I graduated and had a job to finally add my baby boy Kaji to my family. Guess what happened?!?! I've been let go/fired at least 4 times and kicked out of my home in the last 3 years. The "adult" world offers no guarantees either. I also feel like I have less time to spend with Kaji. I now have a permanent position at an agency (that might not exist come July). I'm away from home for 9 hours a day, am taking a class work is paying for, and am no fun when I get home because its homework time. While in school I was a giant bookworm. I was always writing papers at home, researching the universities archives from the comfort Of my home. I had my roommates little dog for company on those long days. He was my destessor. When fed up, and my mind was blocked, I would harness the little Pom up, and go for a walk. With my mind clear and a pup's silly ness as a welcomed distraction, I would go home and finish my papers. It can work. It does work. You just have to be realistic about your goals and expectations with the puppy. It will be inconvenient at times, like needing a potty break when you're on a roll with your studying. :p

Depending on you, you're personality, and what you're willing to sacrifice it can work. A possible sacrifice is maybe going out with your friends 1 time a week vs 3-4 to have more time training your new furry friend) also, have a backup plan. Who can help, and is more than willing to pitch in if times get tough. For me, those people were my big brother and my parents. My parents took us in when my landlord stopped making his mortgage payments and my roommates and I were given the boot. And even though all that negativity is going on, and I really can't say I have 100% stability, I'm extremely happy. Kaji is always there to greet me excitedly at the door. He's always there to give me a "Good morning! I want to be fed" kiss everyday. I :love: him and he makes my life complete. No matter what happens he's always there to comfort me, listen when I need to vent, cuddle with when I'm feeling blue, and is absolutely silly when I need a pick me up. I :love: Kaji and I wish I had gotten him sooner.

Sorry for my long, rambling post!

The people above is giving great advice. I am a college student and I work a part-time job. During my breaks I work full time. When I fist got Honey I was right now I stay in an apartment with 2 other people but we reall dont have to share anything but the kitchen and living room. After this semster I will be moving to a 2 bedroom. Honey seem to adjust pretty good with moving. On the other hand I might go to 1 or 2 parties a year so I get to be at home with Honey most of the time. Do I have the best finances NO Im in college but I love having a dog. I think it more so depends on your lifestyle at school. As far as money goes I havent really had to spend a lot of money on vet bills. All Honey shots I got done by a vet that comes to our walgreens. They are really sweet people and there shots are not much at all (not sure if they do this in your area). So far I think the highest vet bill that I had for Honey was $75.00 and that is when I just took her. I recieved her first check up for free so I didnt have to pay for that. Also food is not a big deal. I buy the 4.5 pound bag and it last for about 2 1/2 months. I honestly think I spent more money on buying her crate and other things that I wanted her to have. This is my first yorkie and she is my baby. I say you should go for it but only if you think you can pay for the things your yorkie will need and be ready to take it to the vet if needed. Now I am giving you my side but please also to into consideration what the people above are saying because they are trying to inform you on how much money and things you can come out of if something was to happen. I know its other college students on here so maybe they will see this and give you their point of view as well. Goodluck and please let us know what you decide to do.

Hi. Having a Yorkie now for just over a year, it is certainly a labor of love. They require your attention quite a bit. And while Bailey certainly sleeps a lot during the day, when he wants you, he really wants you.

In addition to the time spent, as mentioned, it takes some time to potty train. As with anything, it's the repetition that is key in training.

good luck with your decision.

Just a word about the finances of buying a dog. Yorkies can get expensive since they are small, often fragile dogs. Mine started hacking as if he had a hair in his throat or something last February and standing with his tail down and looking at me with his ears out to the side, sad looking. After two hours of that, I took him to the vet who x-rayed, examined him and said he had an enlarged heart and get him to the E.R. clinic ASAP to get his cardiac situation more evaluated and some life support overnight. The x-ray was $75.00 or $80.00 and then to the ER vet. They redid x-rays, examined him, took blood & said he had early pneumonia and would need to stay the night on fluids and observation, further cardiac tests such as a cardiac Doppler and have a cardiologist read it, possibly see him. After visiting with Tibbe and leaving him sick there, it was another $1200.00 on the way out the door to go home and wait. I got a phone call a few hours later to say that his cardiac Doppler was read as completely normal, the cardiologist cleared him and it seemed his only problem was early focal pneumonia and I could pick him up that next afternoon. Another $800.00 or so, Tibbe was well and I got a lot of praise for getting him in so early and thus saving him a bad case of pneumonia. He was on a lot of medication for the pneumonia, some of which caused a big GI upset and more vet care and costs related to the GI issues. Three food changes and more medicine for his tummy later and about $60 for that, we had a food he could eat with the GI problem and he was doing a lot better bowel-wise.

Do all new Yorkie dogs coming to live with you have this kind of couple of months of problems and expenses - by no means! You could get the healthiest dog in the world and only have the usual vet, vax, chipping, dental and regular costs and never have to pay for a sick dog to be treated. But the point is, if you are having to save up to get a dog, what happened to my Tibbe last year just shows you that having the money to buy a dog is often just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. If you are not financially prepared to handle vet bills of that nature right now, this might not be the best time to get a dog or cat. Hate to sound like such a downer, but it's better to know what you could have to face financially than not know how expensive it can get in a hurry.

I think you are getting some great advice from everybody, including those who say adulthood is no guarantee and the info from a college student. Only you can make your decision based on the info you get and your further research. A couple other bits of info I have...if you decide a yorkie is for you...PLEASE make sure you research very hard and pick a reputable breeder and not some back yard breeder. While that's not a 100% guarantee your yorkie wont have issues in the future ...it does help and worth the extra effort. The other thing you might want to look into is fostering for a local rescue. If you get approved you would bs able to foster a dog and potentially have food n other costs paid for until it is adopted!

I got Cozy when I was still in college but my parents were on board to babysit while I was in classes or at work only! If I wanted to go out I had to make my own arrangements. Mine still go to my parents when I go to work!

A yorkie or any pet should not be a "splurge" but a carefully thought out decision.

Unfortunately, it is a very personal decision everyone must make when 'seeking' a pet. Questions like, "Will I have the time/money?" and "Will I want to spend what time/money I have with/on my fur baby?" are key components for me. That said, I must also say that I have never 'sought' a dog (pet) but have never been without one either except while out of the country. :rolleyes:;):D

Which means...when we found tiny little freezing, starving, too young to leave mommy puppy Yorkie-Poo alone behind the church, there was no time for consideration...only time to help Stormy. I was a young kid, but he "chose" me and was my baby until his death after my first child was born. Mom was home with him and my baby sister while we were in school, but church and school took a huge amount of our time, and we were basically gone most of the day almost every day. Stormy went with me every place I could take him, and back then, dogs could go in all stores, and he was very portable as well as very devoted...and I trained him very, very well. :p Working in D.C., he was home alone at least 11 hours a day during the week...he slept and never messed the place. I am not a 'party girl' so that was never an issue for me. :p

As far as expenses, if you get a puppy, you will likely have spay/neuter, shots, etc. to deal with...life happens...lol, but there are assists like workshops and 'neuter commuter' services depending on what is offered in your area that can help defray those things. Here, at least one pet store has 'workshops' where certain shots are $5 each. Except for the two Yorkies...which are re-homed, not acquired from a breeder...none of my previous pets were purebred...they were ferals, strays, rescues, fosters, etc. and while I have had some expenses...mostly with kitties at the ER clinic...but generally, all my kids have been mostly healthy and I work to keep them that way from the nutritional angle....garbage in, garbage out...lol..IMHO, my expenses have been fairly reasonable.

There is a huge difference between having a puppy and having a bit older (young adult) dog and if you are too busy for a puppy right now, maybe you could look for a slightly older Yorkie who is well behaved. Then, you can save a little more money and get that Yorkie puppy when your schedule seems more 'solidified'...the best of both worlds. :D

Good luck with whatever you decide...:)

Puppies are very expensive not just the price of them but all the puppy wellness visits plus everything they will need. Then there are emergency's that can end up costing a lot of money as well so having a decent amount of money is important. Also puppies take a lot of time to train and its like having a new baby you don't get much sleep.

You are getting great advice from everyone. This is your decision and as long as you have thought it out carefully you will make the right choice.
I love animals but have always made choices about which ones to care for by thinking about the sort of life the little thing would have living with me.
I didn't go to college as I was already a single mother at 18, growing up the most we were allowed to have were goldfish and once a tortoise whom I loved.
When my daughter was quite young she had various goldfish and then a hamster to help her learn about the responsibility of looking after a pet. I waited until she was 9 to get our cat, gizmo who was part of our lives for 13 years. When he died we were heartbroken for a long time.
By then I was married and Wanted another cat but my husband preferred dogs, all 3 of us worked or were at university full time so I didn't want to bring a little furry baby into our lives and abandon them every day, I wanted my pet to be happy (cats don't really care if you are there or not as long as when you are there you serve their every whim and provide a warm lap when they want
it). We compromised and got a Cockatiel and then a budgie. My budgie got hurt when having a Night terror and we brought him to the emergency vet, it cost equal to $180 for the vet to give him a whiff of pain killer and tell us there was no hope, we brought him home and he died in my hand a few hours later, I was again heartbroken, then further agonised as my Cockatiel, looked and called for his friend, we got another Budgie but it took quite a while for our Cockatiel to settle and I worried about him every day. During all this time we often discussed getting a dog but I held firm that I didn't think it would be fair for a little dog to be left alone when we worked.
Then, in September last year my husband surprised me with Alfie, I absolutely adore him and would never be without him. I think that my logic and reason have deprived me of such a sweet and special relationship for all the years that I never gave in to getting a dog.

I am by no means wealthy, we work normal jobs and Alfie has had a lot of issues, we have had vet visits every 2 weeks and it all adds up, he is insured but it doesn't cover any of his treatments as we started the condition before a specific wait period, the money is not important, I know that I would go without to make sure he is getting the care he needs. Even now I know that I will not have him for ever and don't know how my life would be without him.
So if you have managed to get to the end of this post, think that you have the financial and emotional strength to give a little dog everything he needs no matter what that costs you and can give up a lot of the social aspect of college life because your Yorkie needs you then you will be rewarded 1000 times over by their unconditional love and (sometimes yucky) puppy breath kisses.

Hugs n' stuff

I remembered a YT truism:

Buying the puppy is the "cheap" part.

Hi Jazzmin!

I happy that you've finally saved up for your dog and I know that shows dedication because it's so expensive like everyone has been saying, not only to purchase the dog but to also take care of it. I really wanted to reply to your thread because 2 weeks ago I picked up my puppy. It's... A LOT of work. I have not slept a full night in 2 weeks (we wake up every 3-4 hours to take her out of her crate to potty). I really think that my husband and I have adapted though, I am now feeling rested but it's only one of the big changes to our schedule. We are no longer students (well my husband is going to start dental school in July) but we do work. I work full time and my husband part time. We try to spend AS MUCH time with her as possible. It's a little difficult because it has taken a toll on our relationship (more than our social life cause we are homebodies anyway hehe). We need to spend some time together alone, we know it, but it's hard because she is so small and we worry about her all the time. To be honest, she almost died the night we got her because of hypoglycemia and hypothermia! She got out of her little bed during the night to pee and I don't think she was able to get back up on it (we had her in a play pen). We luckily were waking up every 2 hours and saw her on the floor having a seizure!!! Well of course we rushed her to the ER and thank the Lord they were able to save her. We spent $300 and didn't blink an eye, we just wanted her to be ok. They also checked her for a lot of things including giardia, parvo and other parasites because she had not eaten well that day and threw up a little. Turns out she had a mild case of coccidia (one egg) which they luckily decided to treat even though she didn't have any diarrhea. I was worried because she didn't have much of an appetiate the day we got her which clearly contributed to her hypoglycemia. ANYWAY. My point is and what I want to contribute to this thread is that puppies are like human babies and they require more than just money. They require love, affection, monitoring, energy, stimulating playtime, etc... My sister stayed with us for almost a week to watch her while we were away. You won't be able to take your baby out (at least put her on the ground) until she gets her final booster vaccinations. It's a lot of work and I think to be honest you can do it. Anyone can regardless of their situation, it all depends on their dedication and commitment. This isn't just a puppy, it's a companion for at least 13-15 years. I love my baby so much and I am willing to do anything to keep her around, happy and health, for at least 15 years. If you are ready to raise a child right now, then hahah you may be ready to have a yorkie.

:thumbup:

A part time job and school is fine IMHO. Your a college kid and I always worry about college kids and pets in general. But if your dedicated to training and giving your pup much attention when your home you can do it.

I've had over 25 dogs through the years, 2 kids for my 19th birthday, 2 cats, 11 tanks, 3 treefrogs, 2 snakes, a squirrel, upteen guinea pigs, hamsters and one husband....anyways, we never had less than 3 dogs or pets at a time, my house was spotless, my kids were well cared for, and my dogs lived long lives...its all about training and QUALITY OF LIFE...sometimes that means getting a friend for your pup...If you have a busy life, I say get 2.

The reason I worry about college kids is because everything changes, new bf, marriage, kids house and so do priorities...but I think a well trained Yorkie is hard to give up!

Good Luck...and yes you will need access to cash in an emergency.

I got my yorkie November 2011. I have always loved dogs and we had a dashound for 8 years. After he died about 5 years ago I said no more house dogs. But I fell in love with the looks of a yorkie. I just thought one Saturday night that I want a yorkie so not knowing anything about them I found a breeder online about 1 hour away. I called her and was able to go look at him the next day. He was 14 weeks old. I fell I love with him and bought him for $500. I did not ask to see his mom or dad. I just wanted him. So I bought him. The breeder told me a lot of thing. After I got him home I started reading about the breed and learned that they needed walks, lots of play and that they were hard to potty train and that they liked to be with you all the time. The potty training was hard. He cried at night. I was thinking what have I got myself into. I have a 19 and 21 year old girl and boy that was thinking what has she done. I even thought about taking him back. He is like a real baby. I am a stay at home mom and he was so demanding of my time. He follows me everywhere. I even put him in the bed with us after about a week because I couldn't stand for him to cry. He has been sleeping with us every since. I love it. I always tell people that he acts like a skin 2 year old because he wants my attention all the time. He gets into everything. Lol. But I would not take a million dollars for him. He is very demanding. Grooming, vet bills, and exercise etc. If you can't give him those things now then I would wait.

Many people want a dog as a companion or because they are cute but please consider the dog and it's needs. Dogs are very social animals. They need companionship. They do not do well alone. They are very loyal pets and will wait for you as long as it takes but they do not like being alone. Consider how much time you have to spend with your pet and think of how many hours it will have to be alone. Is it fair to expect your dog to be alone most of the time while you are busy? Will you come home and exercise your dog and just hang out with it or will you be changing to go to work or to a social event?

Yes, dogs, in particular Yorkies, can get expensive. Also consider the emotional well being of that dog. It will love you unconditionally but can you return the loyalty and love with time and affection? Can you say no to some of the things you would do if you did not have the dog? Is this the best time to have a pet or would it be better to wait until your lifestyle is less hectic? Only you can answer those questions honestly.

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