Nancy, your post is very informative. The only probem is, not all breeders fit neatly into those 3 categories.

There are bad exhibitor/breeders, that will breed for looks first and not show concern for health and temperment, and will even enhance the coat to make it the correct color, tie ear hair into the topknot to make the ears stand erect and trim the feet to hide toes turning in or out.

Then there are non exhibitor/breeders that breed to improve their own lines, and establish the variety of colors, but cannot or do not show for a variety of reasons, but still produce, beautiful, healthy dogs with good temperaments.

Then there are those that mass produce and will breed anything and everything just for profit.

The last group is pretty black and white and their motive is obvious.

The other 2 groups have a lot of grey area, that overlaps between the two groups. And neither group is all good or all bad.

This wasn't about good breeders vs a bad breeder it was about breeders and the prices they charge. I really think every breeder can be placed in ONE of the groups. I think it's important to inform people that the old saying, "You get what you pay for," doesn't hold, when purchasing a dog.

I have seen prices all over the board..But it really is about doing the footwork..getting to know the breeder..It should never be a one time deal. I would hope that when I purchase my next family member it would be from someone that I can return to again in the future. It should be based on trust and both parties should be happy! You can't put a price on trust and happiness right? Know your breeder and know your client. and know what you can afford. The expense doesn't stop at the sale of the dog..it is only the beginning..:)

Them way I read it was it was about show breeders vs non show breeders.

fNot all show breeders havem the best interest of the breed in mind. And not all non sholw breeders are only in it for the money.

I totally agree on this sentence.

yes, Knowing your breeder is the most important.

All I can do is suggest that you read it again, in the first paragraph I said,

You know Nancy, I stand behind my breeding program absolutely and what bothers me is those that are in this for the money and then say reputable breeders are in it for the same reason or make a profit whether it be little or a lot and that the YTCA is holier than thou and run it in the ground. I am proud to be a part of this club as it's taught me so much and I've got some wonderful people that I can turn too that are a part of this wonderful club. Some feel that we sell our pups for astronomical prices. Yes, I have a set price for when I do have a pet yorkie available BUT I have lowered that price due to not passing up a wonderful home and the best placement for my pup!
I'm not looking for any kind of recognition from anyone, I just want a healthy yorkie and show dog for me and to love them and cherish them and when I do have a pet yorkie pup to place I want the same in a new family as I would in myself.
Donna

:thumbup:

I have a choice now between waiting for a litter or picking a 1 yr. old. My only doubt would be is will the older pup like it's new home after being in the breeders home for a year. Also, I think people like puppies because they see it as "new"..weird but true. I think I would like both..I would love to have an older pup first and than later introduce a puppy to the family. The breeder is asking the same price for all her dogs. :) As long as they are healthy and sweet..I guess it should not matter.

Totally agree with you Nancy, every breeder does fit into one of your Groups that you decribed.

.wysiwyg { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 5px 10px 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT: 10pt verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; BACKGROUND: #f5f5ff; COLOR: #000000; PADDING-TOP: 0px } .wysiwyg A:link { COLOR: #22229c } .wysiwyg_alink { COLOR: #22229c } .wysiwyg A:visited { COLOR: #22229c } .wysiwyg_avisited { COLOR: #22229c } .wysiwyg A:hover { COLOR: #ff4400 } .wysiwyg A:active { COLOR: #ff4400 } .wysiwyg_ahover { COLOR: #ff4400 } P { MARGIN: 0px } .inlineimg { VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle } I actually purchased Roxie from a breeder, be it not a very good one. But its one of those decisions that I dont regret. She was used as a brood dog who couldnt have her puppies naturally because there were too many, so they aborted them (I think) and she got spayed. I payed $400 for her, she was already spayed and utd on shots. Granted at the time I thought given by a vet, but she had actually given them herself, but I was too far in by this point, I saw Roxie and was in love.The only thing I got was a copy of her rabies vaccine from the vet, in which they had blacked out their name and address. Fishy? yes. But as I said, I was too far in at this point, upon getting her home I realized that she had some issues with her teeth. They arent horrible, but we have to go and get her a dental soon. I guess everyone will have differing opinions, but in the end I have Roxie and I dont regret that for a moment. Sorry for the long drawn out post..lol..

I have no idea why all that other crap posted at the top of my post..lol..sorry..

It's ok! Thanks for sharing our experience.

I think Nancy's post is a thought provoking one. Especially to future puppy buyers. Educating them on which breeders would be best to support. My opinion this line of education, if widely spread can to a lot towards stamping out Puppy Millers, BYBers, Wholesalers....

I'm not 100% positive...but I think the thinking back then was it was more valuable to get a trained dog...i.e. an older dog with some training rather than a puppy which you need to train...And sometimes I think that this is a mistake many of us make. We want to take part in that cute/fluffy state, but forget how much work goes into a puppy in that first year or so, to come out with a well trained companion. (When I think of the money I spent in training classes/time and energy training my first dog....:D)