Backyard Breeder?-I'm so stressed out.
 

Hello!

I have been wanting a yorkie for a very long time now, and my mom surprised me by putting down a deposit for a yorkie puppy, but I'm pretty sure that the lady is a backyard breeder. She AKC registers all of her puppies, which is how my mom found her, but she has a strange lack of policies.

For example, instead of the typical 1 year health guarantee, she only gaurantees health for 48 hours. Basically, from what I understand she would want me to take the puppy to a vet asap, and check its health, but from what I understand several health issues can appear later on in puppy-hood.

Another thing is she wants to release the puppy to me at 8 weeks. Really, she wanted to release the puppy to me at 7 weeks because she was already 2.1 pounds and eating, but I couldn't pick her up then. I'm really afraid about this because I know that puppies that young can get hypoglycemia and should be socialized with their litter mates and mommy. What if I miss something? Also she has only given the puppies the first round of these vaccines:Distemper (MLV), Hepatitis (adenovirus type1) Adenovirus Type 2 (MLV) Para influenza (MlV) and Parvovirus. I don't know what the puppy should actually have at this point, but she did mention something about not giving them bordetella because she doesn't like how it is administered.

Yet another thing that bothers me is that she doesn't require a neuter/spay contract. Obviously, I'm going to spay my puppy, but the fact that she doesn't require it is odd, right?

Ok, so obviously a lot of things are alarming about this breeder, but she honestly does seem very nice and knowledgeable, and she seems to be taking care of her personal 3 yorkies very well.

My mom paid $200 for a deposit(I doubt that it is refundable) , and she wants $600 more for the female puppy. Should I go ahead and go through with the transaction, or should I cut my losses and try to search for a more reputable breeder?

I attached some pictures of the puppy in question:

I would cut my losses and move on. This sounds very much like a backyard breeder. You only have 48 hours to get it to a vet to find out if it's sick is not enough and they can have issues later on. I got mine from a broker and I wish I could put them out of business but I can't. They keep threatening to sue me, such is life. Mine were about 8-10 weeks when I got them and there is so much more they needed to learn from their mom but unfortunately I don't think they had been with their moms for a while. I would move on and find someone else.

Honestly, this doesn't sound good to me at all - and I think your gut is telling you the same thing. I would cut my losses and look for a better breeder who will be there for you if needed. You'll get a healthier dog in the process too.

Btw, WELCOME to YT. :)

You have done a lot of research which is wonderful. I would see if I could get your money back. If not cut your losses. You will save so much more money in vet bills in the future this way !

It looks like you did your homework. I would back out and look elseware. Years ago I bought a yorkie from a dum breeder and we fought I.B.D. since she was a year old. It was awful and we loved her so....much. We finally had to say goodbye and from then on I learned so much from Yorkie Talk. We now have a beautiful little girl we bought from a reputable breeder here on Yorkie Talk. She is four years old now. It is awful to lose your refund but you will spend lots of money on vet bills from a puppy that could have genetic problems. Our baby that had I.B.D.was from genetics and this dum breeder still has it in her line. Well good luck on a puppy you are very smart do research the breed. Susan

I would think very long and hard about a puppy from someone that only gives a 48 hour guarantee. IMO it would be a wiser choice to spend a little more and go to someone that has a great reputation of selling very healthy and sound puppies even if you were to pay more money up front it. What I mean is paying more for health is wiser than paying for a lifetime of sick care.

If you used a check or credit card for the deposit sometimes your bank will get it back for you. Take it from someone who rushed into it and got a Byb pup, it is better to wait and feel great about where you got your pup from and know your protected incase it gets sick or has genetic issues.

I see most of you are telling me to back out, but unfortunately, I think my mom will be offended if I do. I have look up more about this breeder, and she gave me references that all have very nice things to say about her, but of course this could be biased.

I guess my question now is, what diseases can you not detect at an early age? I found that most 1 year breeder's health guarantee only takes into account serious genetic problems that have to do with major organs. I don't think IBS or luxating patella are covered by any breeder from what I can tell. Would my vet be able to tell if the puppy likely has a major problem from the exam visit? Also, are there any genetic tests I could do for the yorkie. The breeder mentioned she would be willing to extend the health guarantee until I got results from any genetic testing, but I don't know what the tests are for/how much they cost.

Good for you, doing all your homework on what you need to be looking for in your breeder and your puppy. Like others have said, I would suggest you take the loss of the deposit and look elsewhere, because the vet bills and the heartbreak you are setting yourself up for, could easily far out weigh the joy of getting this particular baby. If the breeder is so concerned that her pups are so "iffy" health wise, that she is only willing to stand by them for 2 days, this is NOT a pup you want! And if you do decide to get this baby, and the breeder makes admendments to the contract, make absolutely certain the changes are written by her, in the contract, crossing out the original sentence on the contract, and then you both initial right where the change has been made. At the bottom of the contract, you have HER write, "Changes that have been made to the original contract are initialed by both myself and the buyer, validating I/ we are in agreement with the initialed changes". Sign and date that additional sentence!

My breeder gave a 48 hr contract to so I had to rush them to the vet and the vet let me know what he thought about that breeder. Also she is sending them to their homes way too early

Smart girl, you have really got a good head on your shoulders. You sound as if you probably know more than the breeder does about all the issues involved. So many of us have fallen for a cute puppy from a lovely couple who are just starting out breeding, or a darling little thing in a pet store and ended up with heartbreak. Lots of good advice given here. I wish more people who write to yorkietalk were as cautious and teachable as you. Good luck

That's a tough predicament. I'd hate to hurt my mom's feelings like that and she had to think she was getting this pup through a great breeder, since the pup is AKC registered. Are you sure it's AKC though? I have read about breeders promising AKC registered pups and instead giving CKC papers (CKC is worthless; a poster here registered her coffee table with the CKC, I am dead serious). If you end up cancelling, I'm sure we can highly recommend some great breeders for you (Judy, aka, Yorkiemom1 above is one of them!).

As for the shots, you'll usually want to do four rounds of them. The bordatella shot is a must if you plan on boarding your pup somewhere, for example, when going on vacation. My vet recommended I get it for Cook since I like to take her on walks to the city park, where she occasionally gets into other dogs' poop. Don't forget rabies too, as Yorkies were bred specifically to be very effective hunters.

Yes I am sure the puppy is AKC registered. She gave me copies of the paper work already, and I saw parents and puppy litter both on the AKC website.

Have you been able to find anything about the breeder online? I know most other breeds of dog it's pretty standard to get them at 8 weeks, but that's pretty young for a yorkie. Hypoglycemia is a huge concern, especially when a pup could be a little stubborn with eating in his first few days in a new home.

If the puppy is healthy then not that big of a deal to me if you just want a pet. You may be saving this pups life. No telling where this little guy will end up. Poor puppies

I would be worried to because you are looking at around a 15 year comintment and if getting a pup from a bad breeder then it could end up cost you a lot along the way plus you would be supporting her and keeping her breeding by buying from her. Mom dogs also teach there puppies a lot up until 12 weeks like biting a and stuff. Puppy shots before 8 weeks are useless. I also doubt the puppy is fully weaned and if it is it may have been forced so you could have eating problems. When breeders skip inmportant steps you can bet they skipped a lot and cut a lot of corners. Like I bet she did not even do any health and genetic testing to make sure her breeding dogs weren't caring some of the terrible genetic stuff they can pass to there puppies. One of the big reasons reputable breeders have spay and neuter contracts are because they work very hard for there lines and don't want just anyone using them. Really though you have to do what you think is right. If you do get the puppy I suggest you get a pet insurance that covers genetic illnesses.

The problem is buying a pup from a bad breeder is it keeps that bad breeder in business breeding poor examples of the breed, possibly breeding dogs with health issues, and just making more of what we don't need. Also just because a puppy looks healthy dosent mean it is it could have issues pop up a few days latter or 2 years later because some genetic issues will not show up until a couple years old. Puppies will always find homes. If for some reason they end up at a shelter puppies usually get picked up fast.

I say walk away too. Why take a chance? Good luck in what ever you decide. Keep us posted.

agree with what everyone else has set, plus not sure what size you were hoping that she will be full grown but if she was 2.1 pounds at 7 weeks I am guessing she will wind up a teapot, perhaps 10 lbs maybe larger.

Just so everyone knows, I think I'm going to back out of this deal! The breeder says she can refund the money. Now that I'm looking for breeders myself, I'll definitely be more careful. Speaking of other breeders, I have a few more questions. One of the breeders has great standards as far as health goes. She doesn't release the dogs until they are 12 or 14 weeks; she takes them to the vet to get vaccinations and has a lifetime genetic guarantee.

However, she says the yorkies will be around 3.5 pounds grown because both parents are around that size! Is that too small? I just can't seem to imagine a dog that size in my head. Also she sent me pictures of the pups, the dam, and the sire, and the sire is a like gold and brown. I attached the pictures to this post. Is this a normal color?

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Yes, that is too small for the dam (mom). Reputable breeders do not breed females that size. This is a good thread to give you an understanding of your choices and why a reputable breeder is best.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/bre...e-breeder.html

I can't imagine breeding a 3.5 lb female. What if a gene from many generations back gets expressed and she has a puppy destined to be 13-15 pounds? What a disaster that would be.

You might try looking for breeder referrals from the YTCA. Or I'd highly recommend my breeder, Deb Sillers, who gives a 5 year health guarantee against life threatening illnesses such as liver shunt or heart defects, and 1 year for joints. She is a wonderful woman who has helped me so much raising my Cookie Monster, and believe me, I have had a million questions for her. I have had Cookie for a year now, and every vet exam her heart, hips, knees, everything pass with flying colors. Cook is such a lightning bug, she is an amazing hunter, and she has been such a sweet pup since I got her at 14.5 weeks. It's obvious Deb spent some real quality time with her, because from the second I got her she has been confident and loving around people. I just can't express how much joy the pup I got from her has brought me!

Amazing Yorkies - AKC Yorkie Show Breeder - Show Prospects or Quality Pets

I agree with cutting your loss....however...I bought my first 2 from what some would call a BRB....she also bred Rotties...Both have been very healthy....My first yorkie is going to be 10 yrs old in December...she was just dx'd with collapsing trachea and an enlarged heart...the second one I got from her is very healthy at this point. I got them both when they were 8 weeks old....this was before I knew that was WAY to young to take from Mom...and I had 48 hours to get them vet checked..Now my 3rd yorkie is a little guy....got him from a very reputable breeder, he came with a 1 yr health guarantee and didn't get him until he was 5 months old. We got him the week before Christmas 2 yrs ago....in March he started acting as though he was having some sort of a seizure....I kept in contact with the breeder who was wonderful...although I knew I could have returned him and gotten a full refund, that wasn't an option...we had already fallen in love with him. He ended up with a horrible UTI which was treated...we have had lots of health issues with our little guy but wouldn't give him back for the world...so I guess what I'm saying is...whether you have a 48 hour guarantee or a 1 yr guarantee would you actually be able to give the pup back. I am by no means agreeing this is right....just saying..

I agree with blowry it can be the luck of the draw. Had a friend that got a chihuahua from reputable breeder but puppy stayed with health issues. Got him a little friend for half the price from byb and he is the picture of health! U just never know.

I am chiming in a little late but I hope you went to another breeder...a 48 hour guarantee is ridiculous...if they balk at refunding the money just tell them you will take them to small claims and, oh by the way, we'll also be calling the IRS...these backyard breeders cut corners any way they can and that includes reporting their income

Once you find the right breeder, you will fall in love with your new furry friend!