I agree, awesome stories..
Thanks for starting this thread , it so wonderful to hear the stories and see all the cute puppy pics..:)

It all started when my sister and I were little, we loved dogs and would look through books/magazines to pick out dogs we would have someday. Well she came across a Yorkie picture, I remember she came running up to me and told me she found the perfect dog for me. It was love at first sight. Soon I became obsessed, I researched the breed like it was nobody's business! Every time we went to Petco for the other dogs in the house I would grab the Yorkie magazines and read them until it was time to go. I would beg my parents for one, but the answer was always "no, we have enough pets already".
Well, one summer day when I was 17 I got my puppy. My parents were driving home from the grocery store and saw a breeder selling Yorkie puppies, so they stopped and looked, not planning to tell me about it. They asked the usually questions such as how old are they, well the breeder told them and said that they were born May 15th, my birthday. My parents came home and sat me down (right away I knew something was up), they told me about the puppies they saw and we started discussing the possibility of getting one. I regurgitated all the knowledge of the breed I had learned over the years and convinced my parents I could handle a Yorkie. An hour later we went to pick out my puppy, there were only 2 boys left what were ready to go. The first boy wanted nothing to do with me, while my little Henri wouldn't leave me alone. The breeders said they had never seen anything like it, I took it as a sign it was meant to be. We drove home with Henri asleep in my arms, and the rest is history!:D

I had cats most of my early childhood and was crazy about kitties. I remember I had a project in 5th grade called the "Million Dollar Project" and we had to open a pretend business and learn about all the costs of employers, running a business, etc. It could be any kind of business, but I picked a vet clinic. I got to shadow at a local vet...Ark Animal Hospital. I decided then that I loved caring for animals more than anything in the world and wanted to be a vet when I grew up. There was a little yorkie named Cherry who belonged to one of the vets and would always be there when I was. She was in full coat. I was afraid of most dogs, but not Cherry. She would always lick me and sit in my lap. I remember thinking "yorkies are kind of like cats" lol.

Then in high school I lived with my big sister, and I really wanted a pet of my own, so I got a part time job and started saving. I googled the cost of a spay/neuter, how much money I should expect to spend in the first year, and I saved every penny of my checks. Then I graduated and lived in a dorm in college for 2 years where I couldn't have a pet. Finally I moved in with my BF, into an apartment with 4 other roommates...all guys. I told them I wanted a cat, but one of the roomies, my BF's childhood BFF, was allergic to them. I was heartbroken!!! Then I thought about the possibility of getting a dog instead...I somehow found the papillon. I was obsessed with watching Youtube videos of papillons doing agility. I love their ears. Then I remembered Cherry and started youtubing vids of yorkies doing agility. I fell in love with the breed. I googled everything there was about yorkies and found Yorkietalk, then from there researched breeders and well...the rest is history! :) I love yorkies so much and I can't imagine not having one in my life, ever.

Thanks for starting this thread! I haven't thought about any of that for a while!

I just love reading all of these stories!

Marta - I love the story of Mr. Bucket. I didn't know about that.

Carmen - I've always been so impressed with your maturity and level headedness at your age and I see that you have always had that. Very impressed and proud of you, Girl!

I grew up with cats. I didn't really like dogs. Then, when I married my first husband, he didn't like cats and he wanted a dog. One day, I very spur-of-the-moment stopped at the local Humane Society and adopted a little black mutt. She was my first dog and I fell head over heals in love with her. She was super smart. I mean, reallllly smart.

Sadly, she had a hole in her heart and only lived to the age of 2 1/2 years. I swore I'd never get another dog. However, a couple of months later, I realized all she had done to keep "critters" away when I walked out to a 'possum on my back porch.

I decided I had to have another dog. I wanted a small dog. Prissy had been a small to medium size. I remembered when I was a kid that a friend's family had Pomeranians. I thought they were so cute! So, I looked for a Pom and found one. I will always refer to that Pom, Jasmine, as my heart dog. She was my everything. She was with me through many HUGE life changes...like my first divorce, my first apartment while working 3 jobs and going to college for my degree, my move to Maryland and my new marriage and subsequent divorce of my 2nd husband.

Jasmine ended up dying of a heart attack at 7 and 1/2 years old. Her death was completely my fault because I didn't know things back then like I do now...how to properly care and vet a dog..special needs for small breeds...she was my life and I basically am responsible for her short one. I was in a deep depression from her death and my divorce for about 2 years.

During those 2 years, though, I fell in love with and obsessed over dog shows. I'd watch the dog shows on tv and I'd watch Dogs 101 on Animal Planet. I adored the gorgeous hair on the Yorkshire Terrier. I swore that if and when I was ready to get another dog, it would be a Yorkie.

My husband...yes marriage #3..but wait - still husband #2. LOL! Yeah, we figured out our dumb issues and remarried in 2009. He wanted a dog but he wanted a Rottweiller or a Pit. I was absolutely NOT going to have a big dog, even though I loved Pits..still do. They are huge teddy bears and their demeanor is all in how they are raised. But I digress. He didn't want a small "fru-fru" dog. So, we compromised on a Sheltie. A bi-black Sheltie. Well, long story short - I am convinced that Shelby really is a bi-black Sheltie but he is a freak of nature mutant and weighs 72 lbs! lol

Ok, fast forward 2 years...we finally move into the house we have now. I had the yard I had always dreamed about for my dog (got the house for the yard..period). Now, it was MY TIME. I wanted a Yorkie. I wanted the hair. I wanted a daughter that I could groom and dress up (we can't have kids). So, for our anniversary last year, I announced to DH that I wanted a Yorkie for my anniversary present.

I went in thinking I had researched the breed but I was so wrong. Anyway, I did it all wrong. I found Mandie on Craigslist. Her family were rehoming her because their work schedules had changed and they didn't have the time she needed any longer. She was 4 months old and they said, "also, we didn't want a teacup. We wanted a regular Yorkie and she is only 3 lbs." Well, stupid me...I didn't know there was no such thing as a teacup; I just knew she was cute as a button and I wanted her. We drove to get her the next night.

She was 3.10 lbs when I weighed her at the vet's the next day. 4 1/2 months. I knew SOME and knew she would grow more and that Yorkies were supposed to be under 7 lbs. So I started googling. I wanted to find the normal healthy weight of a Yorkie..not a teacup. That's when I found YT. The rest is history.

Mandie pays for all the mistakes I made with her fallen sisters in the past. And, by paying...I plan on her living a long and healthy life. :D

^^^^^^^^ awww Terri that's such a sweet story. Mandie is a sweetheart and I know you are the BEST mama you can be for her. She's lucky she got out of that first family and into the kind of family that she deserved.

My first dog.
 

At 49 I loved dogs but had never thought I'd have enough time to devote to one. I was no longer working full-time & started thinking about Yorkies: tiny, darling, & I thought I'd be able groom one myself. I started talking to breeders at dog shows & would talk to a few owners I'd meet here & there. One day our neighbors were babysitting the cutest little thing you ever saw (Yorkie of course!) & they let my husband & I take it to our house. We sat on the floor playing with it & taking pictures. Well, by now I was ready to burst!!
On a Saturday afternoon I impulsively started calling Yorkie breeders but nothing clicked. On Sunday evening I had just one left to call in Oklahoma, & the rest is history! The breeder had a 1.8lb 5 month old who was ready to go to her forever home. (This pup had been held back for show but she wasn't getting big enough & also was turning very blond!) I called a couple breeders I'd met at shows & they had great things to say about the breeder. On Monday we drove to OK from Denver to adopt my little Dolly. Now 9 years old & 3.5 lbs. beautiful blond Dolly still acts like an energetic puppy.
BTW, wasn't my hubbie a great sport? I called him at work about noon on Monday, he took off early, & we drove I think 9 hours to pick up Dolly. (After 23 years of marriage he dumped me 2 months later, but that's another story!)
The first pic is the first time I saw my new pup. Second photo, Dolly at 9 years old.

Dolly is beautiful! I am so in love with her coat!!

True Story
I was helping out at an adoption event at PetSmart, and told the director of our local rescue group I fostered for, that I would take home a little male Yorkie they just got in from a PA. puppy mill. Awhile later, a lady came to the event looking for a companion dog. Sadly, she had lost both parents and her husband within 3 weeks of each other. Her only son lived out of state, and she was alone. She chose my Yorkie pup. She snuggled him and cried. He licked her chin. I wasn't sure who needed who more. I knew in my heart she would check out fine and that they were a match. The director said she was sorry. I told her if she ever saw a little female at a mill or a shelter, to pull her for me. She promised she would. That was at 6pm on March 26th, 2011. I went home, showered, and took the family to dinner at the local pizza joint. It was bitter cold that night, and it began to snow. At 10pm, we were headed home, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little Yorkie running down the 4 lane road we were on. I hollered "stop the car", jumped out, stopped traffic, and went running down the middle of the road in the snow. It took some help, and when I finally scooped her up, a dry crust of bread fell out of her mouth. I took home this matted, flea infested, stinky little dog, and cleaned her up. Her toenails were so long they were embedded into her footpads. Both ears were full of infection. Her rotten teeth were impacted into her sinus cavities, she was full of cancerous tumors, she had kidney disease, dementia, and she was deaf. Of course, no one claimed her. I came here to Yorkie Talk for the first time, asking what I should do. That day, I got the best advice I've ever been given in my life. I adopted Lucy, patched her up, and she became the love of my life. My husband, who was always indifferent to dogs, fell head over heels in love with her too. We were the most blessed couple in the world for God to have loaned us that beautiful little girl for 22 wonderful months. Sadly, we lost our sweet Lucy on Jan. 9th of this year. We miss her more each and every day, but our home and our hearts will never be without a Yorkie again. Now Mia and Allie have stolen our hearts, and every day is a new and wonderful adventure. When people ask where we got our Yorkies from, I always tell them "God sent us our Yorkies". To me, it's so much more than a coincidence. That's my story, I firmly believe it, and I'm sticking to it!

I got so lucky with her, Terri. She never mats & I only need to brush her once a day. People are always asking me questions about her. Funny thing, though, when I was talking to the breeder on the phone I asked what the most special thing about her was & the breeder said "Her personality-I've never had a puppy with such a cute personality". (That actually scared me a bit because I thought maybe it meant she wasn't so cute!)
Oh-oh, speaking of the devil, it's past 3PM & she's letting me know we have yet to take our afternoon walk!!

Ok, that is just no fair. I am sitting at work bawling my eyes out now. I love your love story!

I feel the same way.
Kim's story brought tears to my eyes.
Every story is so beautiful.
One thing we have in common is that yorkies know how to steal our hearts :)

I wasn't planning on getting my yorkie yet, I was still doing research and was planning on seeing different breeders for comparison. But when we went to the breeders house to see him, he stole my heart...he was so friendly, ran right up to me and wanted me to hold him, I couldn't resist. I was really wanting a girl, but he picked me out. Now I can't imagine not having him......yorkies are so special...I'm a yorkie lover for life!!!!

My love for Yorkies started when my Hubby went to Korea, it was an unaccompanied tour, and I didn't like being by myself. I was in the Mall one evening with my Mom and they had a Pet Store I went and saw the cutest Yorkie. It was an impulse buy and that is when I got 1st Yorkie (Spencer). Back in 1988 I had no idea what a puppymill was.
I only had Spencer for 8 yrs, he passed due to sudden failure in 1996.
Since then I have only bought two other Yorkies, my others have all been adopted from Rescue Groups and one I adopted as a re-home.

Oh my gosh I just love these pictures. Dolly was so tiny as a baby and she is just beatiful.

My bf (now fiancé) and myself were up in Port Perry one Sunday afternoon.
He had gone into the grocery store to use the facilities. I saw a woman with the cutest little dog in a full coat and a bow in her hair.
I struck up a conversation with her, of course enquiring about her dog....of course GiGi was a Yorshire Terrier....and the woman I know now was a BYB.
She informed me she had a litter of puppies and that Gigi was pregnant.
Mark came out of the store and said Jacques now isn't a good time for a dog...you have three cats. Unbeknownst to him I went home with the woman's number, and her parting words, if you are interested give me a call.
I called her the next day. The next week we were on our way to Kawartha Lakes...to 'see' the litter she had available.
She had two girls left...the one I had my eye on...managed to get the bow out of her head and took off running in the opposite direction.
Raelle came over and sat on my foot, looking at me with such adoration. I picked her up and she snuggled into my neck and promptly fell asleep. I being the big baby that I am burst into tears! Mark's words...'oh boy...SOLD'
I was so strapped for money at the time....pulled out my last 200.00 and gave to to the breeder to hold for me...I was told she likes to keep them with their momma for at least 3mths. (She at least did that right)
Three weeks later Raelle was on her way home with us, again snuggled into my neck....I was so in love with this little girl....and that loves grows more each time a tiny paw bats my hand to get my attention, or licks my chin to tell me she loves me!
In June I got a call from the same woman, letting me know that Gigi had delivered three puppies, one she had lost, but she still had a boy and a girl...was I interested? Hell yeah!!! Orion is Raelle's half brother...they have the same sire.
Finally figured I had better learn something about this breed....found this site, figured out everything I did wrong....:rolleyes:
Last year through this site I decided I wanted a Biewer...never heard of it before YT...did things properly this time around.
June 15 of last year my birthday present was born...even though my birthday was in March. In September Jersey came home form Beamsville, Ontario.....Love these little munchkins....attitude, bravery, spunk, oh and the backtalk....:rolleyes:
Sorry for the novel, but that's my story....:D