Who knew looking for a puppy would be so challenging?
 

Hi everybody! I've been lurking here for a few weeks and decided to jump in.

I'm in KY (close to Lexington) and looking for a Yorkie puppy. I've been shocked by this whole process. The last person I contacted came from the AKC page on their list of breeders. He is local, so I gave it a shot. To make a long story short... the puppies haven't been to the vet AND NEITHER HAVE THE PARENTS! They guy said most vets aren't qualified to be vets and he orders meds just like they do and keeps it refrigerated and gives to his dogs himself. After that, I was done.

He wants people to pay $600-700 for his puppies.

Can anyone recommend a reputable breeder in KY or a surrounding state?

Ouch!

Wow that's pretty scary, he's on the AKC website and not properly caring for his babies.. I'm sorry I don't know any breeders in your area, but you have come to the right place. I joined not to long ago and found many helpful things in finding a puppy. I have seen that some yorkie talk members are breeders. Hopefully one near you will come along and help you find your perfect baby. :)

and it doesnt get any easier once you get a puppy, I just got a puppy...i'm a first time mom...my mom had a chihuahua we had him for 16 years. Just be prepared with what comes after getting a puppy, if you are lucky you get a healthy one...hopefully you find a breeder who is honest and responsible which is a hard thing sometimes... some breeders want to charge an arm and a leg for a puppy...just do your homework especially if you want an AKC dog...I almost got tricked into getting a CKC (continential Kennel club) at the time I did not know what that was...the cost of a puppy was a lot higher than the AKC puppy I found afterwards, when I did my homework I understood I almost got scammed....Its just so dishonest to charge for a puppy under the CKC at such a high rate and tricking people in believing its a legit certification....good luck!

So many people have a sad story to share about getting a yorkie . It is beyond me how people can take advantage of others and cause such heart ache and pain to new fur parents as well as cause such pain to the yorkie pups that are poorly bred . Happens waaaay too often . And not just to lower priced Yorkies .

Welcome to Yorkie Talk. I'm glad you walked away from this breeder. Very scary that he is listed with AKC if he doesn't have access to a vet he trusts.

The process of looking for a good breeder and a healthy pup is challenging. Patience will pay off. Trust your instincts and your knowledge.

I won't tell you how long I searched, but it was well worth the wait.

Best wishes in your search.

AKC does not really mean they are good breeders it mostly means they are supposed to be 100% Yorkshire terrier dog, puppy mill are often AKC. Look up the yorkie club of America website and then search their site for breeders in your area, most of them that belong to that club will be show breeders so should be decent breeders, the list will probably not be long but start calling them and keep asking them who they know that might have a puppy

Hi and welcome! Smart lady for being selective! Keep searching you will find a good breeder! Yorkies are the best and well worth the wait :)

Hi and welcome. I lived in Ky most of my life amd would suggest a coupe of things. first get in touch with the Lexington Kennel Club, then the Louisville Kennel Club and see who they have as Yorkie show/breeders. If nothing branch out to Cinn. and Nashville or Knoxville. If you are looking for a pup in the 600-700 dollar range don't know if that would be their price, if not you may get some referrals from them for other breeders. I started going to the dog shows in the area and hung around the Yorkie ring and would get the show catalogue with their names addresses, etc and contacted them. made some great connections tips and friends when started getting into this wonderful breed many years ago. Hope this helps you. Good Luck Majority of our yorkies came from show breeders. When you buy from them, they have been fixed prior to us getting them which is fine with us.

What show breeder are you using in SC? I got Presley out of Columbia from one ;)

exactly the same type of thing I was thinking you should do, but most show breeders sell puppies for $1,000 or more. If you are prepared to spend that much or more make sure you do lots of research first and only buy from breeders that are currently showing or showed not that long ago, otherwise you run the risk of falling prey to someone with a fancy website trying to inflate the value of their lines by saying things like beautiful baby doll faces, tiny bodies, charting to be under 4 lbs and so forth, great champion lines (which they can't prove). Most show breeders don't offer to sell puppies until they are a min of 12 weeks old, not just because it is better for the pup but because their main objective is to birth show puppies, until a yorkie is 12 weeks or older they do not know if it will be show potential like will it clear it's head, will the back be blue black, will it have the right personality for the ring and so forth. My first pet quality yorkie that came from a show breeder looked almost like a skunk when I bought her, she had a prominent silver streak down the center of her back, which meant that her body hair was growing out to be silver so she would be to light, just like an adult that dies there here, until a puppy is old enough to start showing the roots of their adult hair you will not know what their hair will look like. That does not start happening until around 10-12 weeks. That's why show breeders will say I am not sure if I am going to sell or not. I never showed but I also hung around the show ring, meeting breeders and finding out what to look for. I never knew about a roach back, or a sooty head until I talked with them. The only difference is that none of the breeders I bought my pups from had them fixed first, they were all between 12 and 14 weeks when they came home with me, I did have to sign a spay/neuter agreement though or I would not get their AKC papers. After getting the first pup registered, I did not bother to register the others because I was not planning on breeding, or showing so I thought it was a waste of time or money. None of the breeders ever contacted me looking for the proof though. Dogs from non show breeders have a wide price range some even charge over $3,000:eek: Those dogs can be healthy, but you need to do your homework and only buy a puppy over 12 weeks old, don't fall for breeders that give you excuse why the puppy can go home earlier. My last dog is a mix that I paid $450 for but she was 16 weeks old and I took her to the vet immediately after leaving the breeders home for a full blood work panel and chest x ray along with the normal stuff, I also post dated my check so if things showed up I was fully prepared to return her. My risk turned out well (knock on wood she is almost 5) but I thought things through and knew I would not take an 8 week old home like so many mixes or poor breeders sell dogs at. Anyway sorry for being so long winded, but I know it is so easy to get sucked in by fancy wording and web sites. good luck

Thank you all so much! Last night I found the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America and contacted Kathleen Hackworth here in KY. (I had already contacted the other two.) She does have puppies available, but is holding on to two girls to see if she will be able to show them. She has 3 male champions and a male puppy she is keeping to show. I'm still waiting for her to tell me the price of the puppies, but she lives in driving distance for me to go and see them.

The champion bloodline is really nice, doesn't mean a whole lot to me because I want a pet. BUT... I want a healthy pet for the next 15 years or so.

Backstory: I lived in Alabama and after my mother died I agreed to move away from my home so that my husband could move up in his career. His first move was to the UP in Michigan. I could see the bridge to Canada from my house. We moved 2 kids and 5 dogs with us. Two of my dogs came from the shelter. My first dog was Steinway. She was medium size, beautiful, and happy dog. Long story short... As a puppy she ended up at the vet. He said she was the sickest non parvo puppy he had ever seen. We were lucky she made it through. She was sweet, easy to house train (only one accident ever and that's because she was sick!), and quickly became part of our family.

When we moved to Michigan she picked up blasto. The local vet didn't know what it was, so off the the university where there is a specialist for everything... We were in Michigan for three years and them moved 5 dogs to Texas for another promotion. There Steinway had to have surgery on her leg (we knew her knees were and issue for a while) and was diagnosed with Cushings. We had my beautiful Steinway for 14 years. I used to joke to the vets that Steinway had earned her name because she was so expensive.

Steinway's health issues are what I'm trying to avoid. She was a mut and I thought she would be healthier than a purebred.

In case you are wondering how I ended up with 5 dogs: I next adopted Sadie from the shelter. She looked like a small German Shepherd. About a year later someone dropped a dog that came to our house. He was covered in sticks and stickers, but we brought him in and cleaned him up. This little guy became "The Love of My Life". That's what his nickname was. We named him "Scruffy". He was a Yorkie of some kind. He may have even been full blooded, but he was blonde. He was smart and loving. I swore we wouldn't keep him, but the night he feel asleep in my arms like a baby I was a goner. Scruffy wasn't house trained, so he slept with me. Great excuse, eh? I could go on and on about him, but I think you can see how he stole my heart.

My brother brought Cookie (a chihuahua) and Snow (a little maltese) back from Thailand. He traveled a lot, and they ended up with us.

We lost Sadie in Texas to cancer. We lost Steinway in the last year to complications from her cushings, and Scruffy a month ago. I still have two dogs left who are 12, but life is not the same with the craziness of Scruffy.

Cindy - will PM you -

I am often curious why so many YT members want to keep their breeders secret. Several days ago I sent someone a PM in MI asking who he used since he was happy with the puppy. I asked because I am helping a friend look for one in the area and even though he has been on here a bunch of times since I sent the message he has not replied back to me.
Is it that good breeders are in such short supply that people want to keep them for themselves.

I bought twice from a MI Breeder named Karen Dent who moved to SC and her kennel name was Camelot, but I think she has stopped breeding

I just messaged a friend of mine from your area...perhaps she can help you find a good breeder.

Best wishes in your search...good for you that you are being so careful!!!

I've been curious about that too. Is it a YT rule, I can't remember? In the event it is a reputable breeder then sharing is caring right?

sounds like you are on the right track, although I know it is frustrating to not know if she will sell her pups or not, but stay in touch and ask questions and so forth, chances are she will not want to finish off three puppies at the same time. However even if it does not work out with her she can probably help you in your search and be helpful in telling you what to look for

Here is a list of breeders in your area as recommended by the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America:

Dog Breeders Map List- The Yorkshire Terrier Club of America

Actually we have spoke a couple of times before as we both live in SC. I was curios when I seen she used a show breeder, as did I. We spoke more about the upcoming show coming to Charleston in January and possibly meeting there. There is no secret who my breeder is. I have shared that info with others on here and will be more than happy to share it with anyone that is wanting to know a good breeder in this area. She wasn't hiding her breeder I do not think but rather going way off the topic of this thread. There is never a time I will hide information that could benefit or bless someone else.

I realized along the way to looking for a puppy is to get a feel of the person and see how they respond to your questions, are they hesitant, moody, or are they willing to answer all your questions.

Another thing I learnt along the way, is the Breeder okay with you taking it to a vet, is there any pressure into buying the puppy, stuff like that you have to look out for.

I found a great breeder recently, he is not registered but was completely transparent about the whole process, he will even let me take it to the vet Before even purchasing the puppy, already met the parents, let me in his house to sit and interact with the puppies and parents, very kind older man.


That is a sign of a good breeder IMO.

Hi there! Welcome to YorkieTalk and so glad to see another Kentucky member.

We have a small group that likes to get together for Yorkie Meetups (usually hosted by another member and held at the Horse Park). We also like to attend the dog show in Louisville each March. Hope you will join us.

From what I can tell, there are several reputable breeders in Kentucky. I will be glad to talk to you by private message about some of them.

My only pup that is not a rescue is named Piccolo. She came from Cher Hildebrand in Dayton, Ohio; Goldenray Yorkies. I would definitely recommend her, but I believe she has retired.

I have messaged another friend of mine from Kentucky about breeders and hopefully she will post soon too.

In the meantime, enjoy the journey of finding your perfect Yorkie pup.

I thought I would give you all an update. I found a breeder I was comfortable with and went to meet her and the puppies yesterday. She has beautiful puppies and the mom was beautiful as well. I spent time at her house with her dogs and am very comfortable buying from her. The problem is... I didn't. I walked out without a puppy for now. I don't know if I'm still grieving for "Scruffy" so much that I'm just not ready yet or what. I can't believe I came home without a puppy. My husband was shocked.

It has been 5 weeks since I lost Scruffy and my world has been turned upside down.

I am not surprised at all. We do grieve for our pups and sometimes it just is not time to move on.

You will know when you are ready. Don't rush it because you might still be looking for Scruffy in another pup and that can be very difficult. I had a friend do that and it took her so long to bond with the new pup. She almost gave up....but it did work out in the end. During that time, I felt terrible for both of them.

Thanks so much, ladyjane! I felt a little crazy. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted and needed, but when I got there I just wasn't sure. I've lost dogs before, but none have affected me like this. I was with this little guy almost around the clock. I work from home, and he slept with me. He was the little blanket I couldn't go to sleep without.

Awww... I am so sorry. So hard to lose our beloved pups. :(

You are so not crazy.....allow yourself time to grieve his loss.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I agree with Ladyjane, give yourself time to grieve your beloved Scruffy. You are a very wise and sweet person listening to your heart.

:thumbup::love:

You are not alone in this. I lost Gracie in Oct 2014 (she was 1 mo from being at and died in DH arms) and our hearts were broken. DH was adamant no more dogs !!!!!!!!!!!
He couldn't go thru this again. In Nov 2014 I went to a dog show just to see and be around some Yorkies. It was nice, but it wasn't my Gracie and glad I went because it answered questions for me as I wasn't ready either. Then in April 2015, I finally sent a note to Gracie's show breeder and told her how much we appreciated Gracie and what she meant to our lives. - Was unable to write the email before then because my tears would have shorted out the keyboard.

In July of this year she called me and said she had something that we might be interested in - long story short - DH finally agreed and in Oct 2015 I flew and picked up two - Luke and Lily - litter mates - they were slightly over 4 months old - spayed neutered, all shots and ready to travel.

When I had face timed with the breeder and saw these faces and knew then it was time. When DH saw them, the next day, he said I am okay with this, let's get them.
The time will come and your heart will let you know. Don't rush, take this time to grieve and remember your baby and all the memories that you will have forever.

Sweet story. :love: