I forgot to mention that you should definitely keep her, but take that Pet Store for whatever it's worth. I would be terrified as to what would happen to her if you didn't keep her. Also, its apparent to me that they do this purposely... they KNOW you're not going to give back the pup. Who would give her back??

Hope no one takes this wrong, but I would return the puppy to the pet store and get my money back. A long time ago i bought a black lab puppy and he was in good health for a week. then he got sick called the breeder about his condition and then she told me that her other dogs had the same thing, I told her I would like to return the dog and have a refund and she did return my money, but also gave me another lab that was healthy for free. but the breeder was in my area, not from a pet store. he lived a long time. it was hard to give him back to the breeder, but in my mind I just said that I was baby sitting him for a week. but that is just me i'm a pretty strong person and I didn't let it get to me that I returned him.

(this may seem mean to some people and i am sorry if it offends, just be assured that i am a BIG DOG LOVER.... but there are limits...)......from one college student to another...... i would say return her and continue looking. I looked for about a month and got my yorkie toby for $500. I know what it is like to want something so badly and have to scimp and save for EVERYTHING. Im sorry, but anyone that expects people to pay that much for a dog is insane. . . Kennel cough and all the above mentioned problems are not a big deal, HOWEVER, the money sitution is. The truth is: you could get a yorkie for A LOT less.... even less than the $1000 one you are thinking about. Buying a dog is not something that you do on a whim, you really need to think about what owning a dog means, but first and foremost you need to think about the kind of dog you want to own... For $2500 you should have had an AKC registered yorkie WITH breeding rights (which im assuming youre baby is not) . . . what use are all these titles to someone who just wants a pet????? If you are not looking for a show dog, then i suggest you look for a pet quality yorkie in the price range of around $800 (at most). . . there are plenty in youre area that can be found in classifieds. . . Please take her back before you get TOO attached, money talks when you dont have any, and $2500 is way to expensive especiially for a couple college students trying to make it in life

Orinskye I agree with your post. well said.

I don't think anyone will be offended. He seems to be looking for different opinions/advice to help him make up his mind.

I think it is a decision totally up to you, its very personal. $1500 is alot of money difference and whatever you decide it will have not have been a decision taken lightly. It is your decision to make and I for one would agree with either one you chose. (not that it mattered if I agreed or not!.....lol)
Good luck to you, and thank you for letting yorkie talk participate in your dilemma. All have your best interest in mind!!

While I feel horrible for your situation and the puppy, here is my view on this:

Do you have any idea about the parents this puppy came from? It's very important to know this, as there could be many health problems you don't even know about that will end up costing you more in vet bills than you can imagine. Considering you are on a fixed income, would you be able to pay for surgery or anything else like that that may come up?

When you buy from a breeder, you have the peace of mind of knowing where the puppy came from, who the parents are, and a little of what you can expect in the way of health and temperment. There is always room for surprises, but you are much less likely to have any going through a breeder than buying from a puppy store.

$2500 is a great, great deal of money, to anyone I believe. I agree that for that amount of money, I would be expecting a show quality dog from champion parents from one of the best Yorkie breeders in the country. While my heart is not as attached as yours is in this situation, if there was any way you could possibly return her, I would do so.

I would take a while and do some research on breeders, puppy health and behavior, and training before purchasing another pup. This would help both you and your puppy in the long run and make your transition easier.

Beyond that, whenever a pet store sells a dog, they are that much more convinced that what they are doing is okay. Yes, I feel awful for the puppy who has no say in this at all. But the only way to stop pet shops and puppy mills is to simply not buy from them. Period.

Please don't take what I'm saying as harsh. I don't like to sound that way. I think anyone here can tell you I love my dogs to death. What I do not love is to see innocent people such as yourself taken advantage of by people who are out there to make a buck over the innocent life of a puppy.

You could very well be too attached to do the above. If so, of course, I do understand that. In that case, please make sure you find a vet you are comfortable with and begin putting some money into a savings account, just in case any vet bills you aren't prepared for come up. I recommed "Dogs for Dummies" as a general reference on dog care and behavior, it's a quick read and will help you a lot as to training, etc.

Get some money from the pet store if you do decide to keep her, and next time go through a breeder, and chalk this one up to one of life's lessons.

Please know, I do care a lot about animals and dogs inparticular. I really don't want to hurt anyones' feelings or sound uncaring. In any case, please let us know what you decide.

Ok, here's my 2 cents. First of all do what you want to do, what you feel is best for you and don't worry about how we would feel about your choice. What ever is best for you emotionally, financialy is what you need to do. Aimee is 100% correct. Will this puppy have additional health problems and can you afford it? Again, I don't want to be critical but this is why it's not the best way/place to buy a puppy. Pet stores always charge more than your good, reputable, experienced breeders. I know you love this pup because we all get emotionally attached very quickly to these adorable little dogs. You have been spending some time doing researh, reading post from other dogs owners and it is making you question if there may be a better way, a better source of whom you buy form. You just need to listen to your "gut" on this. I believe stongly in gut feelings. If you were my son I would encourage you to return the pup because it was a more finanacial and emotional burden than you are prepared for at this time. If you take her back please do more research, take it slow and look for a different source from which to buy. Always do research, research, research... Hope all works out well no matter what you decide. But what ever...please keep us posted and remember you have a great source of advice and information from this great group of dog lovers.

i forgot to add that the pet company did give us a 5 year warranty if anything does happen to the dog. I did read thoroughly their Terms and Condition about it and I was enough satisfied with it. They will take care of any future vet bills. This is what I plan to do today. I will visit pet store to see if they can lower the price to where i feel satisfied with, if not I will sure to return her even though i really don't want to. :cry: $1500 is a HUGE difference and a lot to save. Mostlikely we will settle with the yorkie for sale for $1,000 from a family not too far from us. I will post up later on today. Thank you all for your honest opinions, I valued all of them and appreciate the different aspect of the situation you have showed me. This message board sure is great! :D Thank you for welcoming us with open arms!

Don't take her back to the pet store, I understand that you are a bit confused, but would you give back a family member because he/she is sick? I would also say that you should go to a vet that is not affiliated with the pet store what-so-ever. Take her to a different vet. Sounds to me like she does have kennel cough, and that's treatable. As for the food, my puppy is finicky as well...I boil some chicken (no salt or seasonings whatsoever) and chop it in the food processor and I mix it with his dry puppy food...he LOVES it. Maybe you could try that. It's important to get her to eat because yorkies have a tendency to get hypoglocemia-so make sure she eats!

As far as teaching her "tricks" you have to remember she is still just a baby...that'll take a while.

She is probably teething also, my puppy is 10 weeks and he's biting up a storm as well. Simply tell her "no" in a stern voice (don't yell) and put a toy in her mouth. She'll learn that that's what she needs to chew on rather than your fingers, furniture, etc. Just remember to be patient and loving with her and praise her when she does something good..Best of luck with your new little baby.

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown

(SORRY so long....sheesh!)
 

Here is my story...I've never really shared I don't think.

I found a local breeder and went to pick up a 7 wk. old puppy that weighed just about 1 lb. The poor little thing was the sweetest little puppy I had ever seen and I was TOTALLY in love from moment one. Even though she was NOT what a healthy Yorkie puppy should look like. She was a little homely. But, that just made me love her all the more. I was not planning on taking her to the vet for a few weeks. But, I thought maybe she had fleas and being a big bug hater, I had to take her the next day. So, I took her and found out that she had a really bad heart murmur. :cry:

I was SO sad. I cried so hard right then and there in the vets office. They all felt so bad for me. But, I couldn't even talk because I didn't want to cry more. In my heart I knew I had to take her back. We could only get one Yorkie and I just couldn't risk getting this one and having her pass soon. My goodness, we were so attached to her already, I couldn't imagine having her for a year or so and then having her pass. She was pretty sickly. We had a 3 day guarantee from the breeder (tell me she didn't know something was wrong!!) So I took her back that same day. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

Here is the important part though....she had something seriously wrong with her heart. She was sickly. If she only had something that could be treated with some meds, then there is no way I could have taken her back.

Whatever you decide will be right. If you keep this puppy you will wonder how you could have ever thought of giving her back....she will be the LOVE of your life. If you get a new puppy then that one will be the love of your life and you will be happy.

I still think about the first puppy and wonder about her. I felt so sad when I had to hand her back to the breeder. She kept looking at me like, what are you doing this for? It was SOOOOOOOOOO sad. :(

I will never forget her and I pray that she is o.k. If you LOVE this puppy, then I suggest you keep her. You won't be sorry. But, if you feel that you need to do otherwise, then you will be o.k. too. You will love the new puppy just as much.

(By the way, I went to visit my Sophie the same day I had to take back the other puppy. It helped with the grieving since I knew I had another puppy coming home in a few weeks. I went to a reputable breeder this time that I found on the AKC web page.)

BEST of luck to you. Please keep us posted....

$2500
 

For $2500, you should have gotten not only a healthy Yorkie, but a good quality one. This a hard decision, but you need to think with your head now and not your heart. Never buy from a pet shop.

I totally agree with Orinskye on this. I am, too, a college student and there is no way I could ever be able to afford $2,500, financed or not. The pet stores buy all their puppies for,.. I'm guessing A LOT cheaper than what they sell them for because most pet stores buy from puppy mills. $2,500 is a lot of money and if they cannot give you a discount of atleast $500.00 or even more, than I would return him. And just like Orinskye said, there are some dogs out there that are so much less money. I got my Fred 3 weeks ago for $400.00. You just have to be patient with a puppy and you really cannot jump into owning a pet. Speaking from prior experience, it's not as easy as it seems. Plus, it's $2,500 now and not including pet expenses. It can get pretty costly. We've had Fred for 3 weeks and have spent well over $500.00 on him and that's not including the Pet visits.
Just be patient and ask yourself if you really want a puppy RIGHT NOW? You can't really "impulse" buy a puppy because you saw him in a window and thought she was cute so you want to take him home now, disregarding all the problems that can arise or without doing research on everyting beforehand. That's just my opinion! :rolleyes:

puppies
 

Please do not take anything i say here as mean . I am just giving you my honest opinion . At this point in your life i don't feel that you need any dog. I am sorry to say that . But look at the facts . You are still in school . What if this pup or any pup for that matter gets sick again? You said your self money is tight, Do you know what surgery for one of these little guys cost?? Well i can tell you I just lost a yorkie . She was a month from being 2 years old . And total med. bills where 3500.00 dollars ! And in the end she died and i had nonthing to show for it . Do you have that much to throw away at this time? I don't think to many people do have that kind of money to throw away . But i did have something of value to sale . That is how i came up with the money . I am sorry ,I am just saying at this point in your life you might want to really think about it . If i were you i wouldnt want the responsibility of a pup . I would return the pup and save my money .

Cheyanne i totally understand why you would say this, BUT i dont agree with it. I am a college student, out on my own for the first time paying rent bills ect..., and money is tight. . . but seriously, even my parents have a tight budget right now.... just because you have a tight budget doesnt mean you shouldnt own a dog. Owning a dog isnt something that "only" well off people get to do. having a dog is therapy, i was depressed after my last dog died and in that depression i gained 20 lbs :eek: and since i have gotten toby i laugh again, im happy again. . . Im sorry about youre dog having such a costly vet bill, but some of us would put the dog down rather than pay that much money (im sorry if this seems harsh, but that is the way it is). . . granted i didnt pay a whole bunch of money for my pup, but it was enough to put be in the "financial watch it zone" for a month. I agree that there are some people that are ready and there are some people that are not, i dont think it is right for you to judge when you dont really know these people or there situation other than the fact that they are college students.