Thank you Lorraine :)

Geesh...Lorraine I wish I had known about you when researching for dogs. Maybe my next one will be from you although I am leary of all breeders at this point. Do you have a webpage?
yorkieskater

I'm sorry you are going through this and I totally understand your frustration.
I too bought an older 5 month old sick dog from a back woods breeder,
before I ever knew what byb’s and puppy mills were,
I had him 2 months when he started having severe seizures.
This breeder tries to easy her guilty conscious by saying I did something wrong
and the seizure were caused by Hypoglycemia.
Did she care enough to call the Vet office to check the findings
OR to even check on the poor dog…???
NO, she didn't.

Because if she had bothered to make that one phone call to find out, she would have know otherwise.

I call these types of breeders lazy a$$ breeders who instead of getting off their a$$es and checking on what they produce…. they just play dumb and blame it on something else or someone else.

Had I found YT sooner and been able to recognize the red flags..and there were many.
I wouldn’t have bought from this breeder in the first place.

Since I have found YT I can sure pick up better on some of these red flag breeders..
Not to say, that even with being educated about the breed and what to look for.
You can’t have a bad experience but your chance are better that you won‘t.
I have also learned that those who claim to be 20 plus years breeding means little,
if they don’t stand behind what they are doing.

The only good thing that have come from my bad experience.... is I also breed and she has shown me the type of breeder I don't want to be.

If you breed long enough we all know that somewhere along the line we are going to run across problems.
At these times we need to get our heads out of the sand, make things right, better our breeding programs and move on
Because …
It's not the unpredictably in breeding that damages a breeders reputation, but how it’s deal with sure can.

Wow, Lorraine, that is the way it should be!! :) That's exactly what I'm talking about. I would rather buy an older pup from a breeder like you any day. You work hard and truly care about your yorkies, and stand behind what you produce. :) Thanks!!

My Newan is going on 10 yrs. old now. He came from a back yard breeder before I knew any better about puppymills and such. He has had a collapsed trachea since about a year old or so. It's gotten worse since he's gotten older. He also has trouble with his hips since he was young and is a very neurotic boy. We are now dealing with a rare cancer in his foot pad, which our vet of 30 yrs. has never seen and neither has a well respected oncologist he consulted with. I can't say for sure but I really believe that the cancer is partly if not all due to his bad breeding. As far as weight goes he's 13 lbs. He's a bigger Yorkie. His disposition is wonderful and we love him but the health issues and the way the pups and parents of the pups are treated by these back yard breeders and puppymills is the big reason that people have to advocate to put an end to places like this.

Noel is now three years old and she came from a back yard breeder. We took her in as a rescue. She is 17 lbs. and had beens old as a full Yorkie, although we believe she is either Westie Yorkie or Poodle Yorkie. She has been very healthy thus far, but came to us abused and she is still very timid of people. She was prob. bred in PA on an Amish farm, and sold by a broker as this is where the person gets some of her pups from.

MOST of the pups with health issues come from places like this but that's not to say that even "Reputable" breeders don't produce pups that turn out to have huge medical bills. In so far as size that's difficult to judge and this is why I hate when I see breeders specifying how big a pup will be and charging extra for a pup that they "Think" will be smaller.

Jersey is 5 months old. Hubby and my boys got her for me for Mother's Day, after our Newman was diagnosed with cancer. I had taken it very hard. Jersey was born a few blocks from us. Her mom was only 3.5 lbs. (In my opinion to small to breed. Hubby didn't realize this) and the dad was just under 4lbs. She was supposed to be tiny - this is what hubby was told and someone not knowing that genetics, grandparents, etc. play a part would certainly believe that she'd be small, after all the parents are small. However, she is as I said 5 months old and she's not big but bigger then her parents. She weighs 4 lbs. 7oz. Still small to us and hubby was only charged $750 with AKC papers for her so we really have no complaints, but had he paid the price that some ask for what they think are going to be tiny pups I think I'd be a little upset. Bottom line is you really cannot promise a buyer the size the pup will be as an adult. Sometimes the smallest turns out to be the largest and visa versa.

Elaine

Lorraine, I am so happy to hear you are keeping puppies longer. I hope you set a new trend. I am willing to pay more for an older pup that has been spayed and socialized at the breeders. I got Pixie at 13 months and had absolutely no problem with her bonding immediately. I will only but an older puppy from a reputable breeder like you in the future. Thank you!

We paid the same for Hallee and Gracie from the same breeder. They were too small to bread so we got them at a little cheaper price. We did not get them because of their small size. Hallee has had problems with torn ACL. Our specialist says it seems to be hereditary for her since it is both legs. She is our million dollar furbaby. Just had surgery on left leg and probably in a month will have surgery on the right. That is the only problem we have had...knock on wood. Knock! Knock! Knock!

I feel blessed my girls are as healthy as they are and so sorry for those out there dealing with health issues. You can just look at the Sick and Injured section to get an idea about how many sick dogs are being sold these days.

With Yorkies so popular it's only going to get worse.... everyone and their uncle is out there breeding to make money. It's just sad and I hate to even think about all the people that lose a puppy to bad breeding. I really do wish more breeders were like Lorraine too ...but sadly - the dollar signs are too big for that to happen

didnt get what I paid for
 

hello

Lorraine and Vette,

You both offer sound information. I am blown away how many folks are willing to buy puppies when they are 2 days old--and want to take them home at 6-8 weeks old. When I've told potential buyers that I keep the pups until they are more than 12 weeks old--depending on size and socialization.

didnt get what I paid for
 

Hello, for some reason I cant post to this. I have tried 4 times.

didnt get what I paid for
 

Ok, here goes again. Many years ago I purchased a "show" pup from a reputable breeder/exhibitor. The pup looked great: cobby body, silk hair, pretty face, small ears and nice gait. I noticed that the pup had a slight underbite and not suitable for showing. The breeder/exhibitor and the handler assured me that if I pushed on the bottom teeth several times per day, the bite would even out enough to show.(duh) so after many weeks of doing this the bottim teeth became loose, so I stopped. The reputable breeder/exhibitor recommened banding the teeth and knew someone who coud do it. (AKC no no) I suggested a refund or a partial refund if I got the pup fixed. That was a BIG NO!! The breeder said I should be happy to have a pup of this quality and all the other exhibitors would want the champion bloodlines. I should use this pup for breeding. So, I bred the pup (as an adult). I got a few good pups, but many with underbites(what a surprise). After the pup became an adult, it was very apparant that it was not "show" quality as the pup became too light in color and 9 lbs. I didnt have any expensive health issues, but the pup was not what I paid for: a show puppy.

disease puts things in perspective
 

It's funny what becomes important to you. My last dog was a BIG yorkie and because of my back problem, I wanted a 5-6lb one that I could take everywhere including work and travel. Well...I found out...he is not one for sitting and observing. Sometimes he still goes to work with me...but he wants to be down and playing and not watching (could be restlessness from his condition though). As far as shopping...I think he could care less. Probably would rather be home playing or sleeping than sitting in a bag plus it is such a pain always worried someone will kick you out of somewhere. Traveling...I hate it. I'm always worried about him. I hate leaving him in hotel rooms because I'm paranoid that someone would steal him. And what dog wants to spend the day in a hotel room and in a bag when he is not in a hotel room. Well...not mine. He is SO active. So at this point..10lbs...well if I want to tak ehim shopping maybe I'll get one of those strollers...ha ha
His underbite...I think it makes him look cuter.
And of course, nothing matters when it comes to the fact taht he has a serious disease. :-( None of my original plans for the "kind" of dog I want matter and all that matters is that he is perfect in my eyes. Sweet, fun, loving---just the best dog. Isn't it interesting how disease can put things in perspective?
yorkieskater

I am sorry so many members have had so many problems with their babies after putting their trust into the breeders. I totally lucked out. I got Roxy at 6 weeks from a BYB. She was supposed to have papers but I could get no response from the lady and we moved so she is just our sweet little girl. Remi came from a breeder at 8 weeks because she was getting ready to move. I wanted him just for a pet but, after committing to him (and falling in love with him) I found out he is a potential show dog and stud dog. (See my thread on trying to read a pedigree). Both have been 100% healthy. So far, nothing genetic has shown up. They both are bigger a little bigger than what they should have been, but I am glad of that.

I enjoyed reading this post and I'm glad to know that there is someone else that their vet follows this protocol. We have at least 2 breeders in my area that are producing pups with liver shunt on a regular basis and they will not stop the repeat breedings. The vets are starting to carefully guide people away from them and we have some club members trying other avenues to put a stop to them. Some of these pups had negative BA test when younger. My vet explained to me what was going on as you explained above. Since I have Yorkies, ppl will talk to me about their experiences with these 2 breeders and it breaks my heart. I have been blessed to have healthy dogs and I thank God every day for them. The best thing that a breeder can do is stand behind their breeding, but there are so many that don't care what they are producing, or about the effects that it has on ppl, as long as they can sell a pup.