Need opinion on breeder... good or bad
 

Has any one heard of this breeder.... Jamie Sissel - Ashunee's Yorkshire Terriers.... ??? Starting to look at different breeders and this one caught my eye, not sure why... of course, I am still window shopping...

Never heard of her, but I did see a few red flags from the website alone.


1) The fact that her webpage is teacupyorkies.com


2) Some of her Dams are rather small... one was 3.5 lbs and some had no weight listed (why?)


Maybe others on here have heard of them?

yep the "teacupyorkies.com", scared me too.... perhaps we shall just take her off the list... but I hate to take someone off the list for something so simple, but perhaps "teacupyorkies.com", is not so simple.....

So, who can recommend breeders that are either in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas or Texas... Could possible fly somewhere to get pup, but prefer to stay close to Oklahoma due to cost of flying... but I guess if I flew to Texas to get a pup, than I could fly else where and make it a two day trip to get pup...

So, who do you all recommend, where did you get your furbaby from?

You may want to check out the YTCA website. You can search for breeders by state. They don't list their websites (if they have one), but sometimes if you Google the person's name and Yorkie you can find their website or call them and ask.

Well I was sad to see her website name because no reputable breeder associates themselves with the word teacup. Also she is breeding a 3.5 pound female that is an extremely big no no because a reputable breeder does not breed a female under 5 pounds. I noticed she talks about her 10 year old grand daughter breeding :eek:. Then she said something about vaccinating yearly and that is over vaccinating.

Taylor, I do agree that some vacs are not needed yearly, but where I live, you must vac for rabies once a year... I feel comfortable that her granddaughter is breeding, for my son shows and raises rabbits, so breeding the rabbits is necessary. We also show chickens, ducks and lambs, so breeding is a no biggie to us, if done right. I read it that she occ. has puppies available from those breeding, but not that they are allowing her granddaughter to breed all the time.

I must say that I do not find the YTCA website very helpful, but will try once again... perhaps my search continues for a yorkie.

It did bother me that she was not listed on the YTCA website.... another red flag...

She's had that website name for 20 plus years it's not a "red flag". She has bred and raised this breed also for 20 plus years, worked in the same vet clinic for 20 plus years and teaching her granddaughter (my daughter by the way)how to raise and take care of puppies is a red flag???? My daughter is also being taught to be a Jr handler I guess that's bad to? Seriously ask the person for information directly before bashing. Call her vet, look at her dogs not post hatred in public

It's also a red flag when a relative comes on to defend her. Just because she's been breeding for twenty years does not mean she's doing it right. There is no such thing as a teacup Yorkie and no one should be breeding dogs under 4 pounds.

First off the pics of the dogs with the lower weights seem to be of puppies that are probably newer acquisitions for future breedings. The name is just a name, The dogs seem to be of average weight, I don't see any freakishly small dogs, Perhaps you should ask for references and visit. The website does not go into a ton of detail. Sometimes you must ask questions instead of making a snap judgment. But the dogs are beautiful, they look healthy, and well cared for. Its ultimately a personal choice of what is important to you, you will have to shell out the dough and take care of whatever dog you choose from wherever you get him/her from.

I think it is great that your young daughter is learning to be a junior handler.

I do not know the whole history of the word 'teacup' in relationship to dogs in general or Yorkies in particular, but as you know it is controversial now with Yorkies. The general public is unaware, but for breeders, it does pose an ethical problem. I understand the value with competing in search engines, and I can imagine how much the domain name is worth today.

My boys come from a champion Devils of York sire. I see a resemblance in some characteristics. :)

One thing that stands out to me and I wish that you would reconsider is shipping puppies in the cargo hold. You can ship using a human courier for the same price, I believe.

Also, I would complete the pedigrees of your breeders. Looks like a few parents are missing.

A reputable breeder does not associate themselves with the word teacup or breed a female under 5 pounds. Those are the biggest things that are red flags. You can breed for a long time but that does not make you a reputable breeder.

When there are red flags present to see there is no need wasting the time. Teacup is not just a name it was a word created by bad breeders and puppy mills to jack up the prices and bring people in. There is no such thing and just about every reputable breeder I have talked to absolutely does not want to be associated with that word.

Teacup has been exploited by bad breeders and puppy mills for marketing, but do we know that the word originated with them? My first love is history (my major in school), so I am genuinely interested in the origins.

I do not condone the use of 'teacup,' but I always wonder how 'toy' became accepted and official. The word toy in relationship to dogs has negative connotations for me.

I know it's been said on here as long as I can remember that that is where it came from as well as articles I have read.

Maybe she does not care to be considered a reputable breeder to your standards. Maybe she has her own ideas philosophy and she has a right to them. Honestly, most people are just looking for healthy dogs with great temperaments. All of these rules and regulations given out by the YTCA that supposedly qualify breeders on their list are unenforced. It even says in a disclaimer:


"the YTCA does not guarantee the health or services provided by any member and does not assume any liability regarding agreements provided by the consumer and the YTCA members listed within. Buyers should use utmost care before making a decision to purchase a dog. This listing does not bind the YTCA nor does it guarantee or accept any liability or responsibility for the quality, health, or temperament of any dog. NO warranty is to be assumed or implied by this publication by inclusion or omission as it pertains fitness of merchandise or integrity, by any YTCA member on this list."


So ultimately, people have to do their due diligence and see for themselves what is going on with the breeders.

I agree with this, no matter who the breeder is.

Well in Europe where the first conformation shows began - and as dogs began to be classified into different groups for the competition - someone coined the name the *toy group* just like we have the working group, herding group, terrier group etc.


I think of toy as a small dog although in one sense all dogs at one point or another had a job to do.


Teacup is definitely a marketing term imo. And no breeder that I know refers to the wee or tiny ones as teacups. And the ones I know place these pups often when they are older and to carefully screened homes.

You are seriously jaded with reputable breeders. Were you a bad breeder at one time or something? What's the issue? The best place to get a dog and have the best chance of it being healthy is a reputable breeder. Bad breeders are making genetic health issues rise, making dogs that don't even look close to the breed they are supposed to be and are filling the shelters. I will agrue this with you continuesly. I promised my dog I would fight to stop bad breeding and I sure won't stop now. It's unfair for dogs to suffer just because some people want some money in there pocket. These are living beings that have needs and feelings!

I believe the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I believe people have to educate themselves and as I stated earlier, do their due diligence when selecting a dog and choosing a breeder. What is good enough for one person may not be enough for the next. There are certain things a breeder needs to do and have in place to be considered ethical in my opinion and letting a pup go at 11 weeks instead of 12 or calling their site "teacup" whatever when the dogs are in all actually pretty much average and seem to come from good healthy lines littered with champions from all over the world is nit picking and not enough to deem a breeder unethical. I am not now nor have I ever been a bad breeder and I'm not advocating for bad breeders I just don't subscribe to big broad sets or meaningless rules and regulations that have nothing to do with a breeder being good or bad just a list made up by self-important elites in order to curb business their way.


Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly what you can do to fight "bad breeding" short of joining some militant dog-napping ring that seeks out breeders you think are bad and fixing dogs by force at night because dogs are property and once people take ownership they can pretty much do whatever they want and that is not going to change anytime soon.

By speaking out and helping to educate buyers is how I plan to fight bad breeding and I won't stop until I'm cold and dead.

That's your prerogative but unless you are going to be cracking open your wallet, writing the check, or swiping a card, its up to them. My only issue with you is that I have seen you post about it in places that its not warranted and it seems like some type of judgment call that you are making. Someone post about their 11 week old pup asking advice on teething bones is not the place to swoop in and tell them that their breeder is not in your opinion, "reputable". It just rubs people the wrong way.


According to your standards 95 percent of breeders probably would not live up to all the things you list as what makes them "reputable" and the majority of the people around here probably got their dogs from one of them. A few may have had bad experiences but I'm sure the majority are happy and content with their babies and they would do it all over again. In the end that's what is most important, dogs getting good homes.

I did not do what you were saying I did. The post about 12 week puppies does have to do with reputable breeding. A lot of us on here got our dogs from bad breeders that's why we speak out against them. Not so many now as there used to be because a lot of members left.

I was biting my tongue on this since yesterday, but I'm sorry - I can't not say anything. Taylor, it's just not true that you don't do this -- bc you do it All The Time. To deny that you do this is dishonest not only to yourself, but to all of us who've seen you do this day in / day out.

Someone will be asking about teeth for their 11wk old yorkie or whatnot, and you come blazing in there - ignore their original question and their feelings and just blatantly inform them how wrong it is that they even have their yorkie. And you do not say it in a kind or even respectful manner most of the time.

It's great to be passionate about these issues, however, there is a way to appropriately communicate about them. Since you're well aware of how easily feelings can be hurt here, I'd think you'd make an effort to be more sensitive not just to your own feelings about things, but about others' feelings as well.

One post on the forum and that one is to say how wonderful a breeder is who also happens to be family. Sorry, but you can save your breath. They may be the best yorkie breeder in your part of the country. But some things that are being seen on the website are things that we as a collective know, from personal experience, should give pause. We are not bashing, nor are we saying that the breeder is not reputable. We ARE saying that there are a few things being done that the majority of us on here would not do and that calls into question the overall quality and veracity of breeder.

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

Agree but the thing is there is no one world wide opinion on what makes a breeder reputable or not. It varies significantly by country and even by state and for sure by breed.


But there are some things that should be if not actually are pretty well agreed to for example a reputable breeder would not:


1. Misrepresent or out right lie about the parentage and purebred status of the dog they are trying to sell.


2. Misrepresent or outright lie about the health status of the puppy they are intending to sell including but not limited to the shots and the vet visits this puppy has had.


3. Breed knowingly sick dogs together


4. Keep their dogs in inhumane conditions


5. Deny their dogs access to sufficient food water and health care.


6 Sell a dog way too young by knowingly fudging birth records or stating this dog is 8wks old when it is 6wks old etc.


This is a minimum kind of list. I also posit the position a breeder can be *reputable* based on above list - but not a very good breeder.

Do Not Trust This Breeder
 

I highly recommend NOT buying from this breeder! I saw an ad for a sweet little Yorkie on "Quality Yorkies For Sale" via Facebook from Jamie's granddaughter Ella Nichole Hawkins for $1800. plus $300 for shipping.

Being it was a long distance purchase I did my research and found a local ad (Nixa Missouri) for the same puppy for $1600. from Ashunee's Yorkshire Terriers / Teacupyorkies.com
I confronted Ella and she stated she and Jamie both agreed it was a typo.

Before I confronted Ella I emailed Jamie from a link to the ad and she offered the puppy $100. ($1500.) less which included the shipping which would save me $600. So after asking many questions via email I was making arrangements to purchase a little puppy from Jamie Sissel when she apparently sold the puppy out from underneath me!

She had many excuses that did not make sense, however when I confronted her that her statement were not true she had another excuse. When I sent copies of our conversations she had no reply!

I feel she just wanted to get out of the deal she offered me so she could make more money off the puppy. If there was another buyer she could've had the decency to contact me first!

Nicely put and well said, Russpilot. How are those gorgeous girls of yours? Quite perfect and perfectly sassy, I suspect!

Just jumping in about teacup. I had always considered it a red flag and rejected any breeder who used the term. I am currently talking with a breeder who uses that term, she says that she uses it because most people use it, buyers are better able to understand that they are looking a tiny dog that requires some special handling, and finally she says she is a reputable breeder and can call her pups anything she wants. Any thoughts?