Possibly adopting a yorkie from a shelter - Advice needed

[Fancy_Pants]

Hi, my name is Shelly and I joined a few days ago. I have never owned a yorkie before but have always wanted one since I was a little girl. I have been searching petfinder.com lately and recently seen a little girl in a shelter that was rescued. Her petfinder description reads, "She is a 7 yr. old, and weighs about 10 lbs. She has spent her life as a breeder, and deserves now to have a loving home. She is good with other dogs. Please consider this sweet girl when you are ready to adopt."
I called about her Saturday and they said she is really sweet and good with kids. They also told me that she will need to have some teeth pulled due to her lack of care before. I have fell in love with her picture and have yet to meet her.

Can anyone fill me in on what I should know about adopting a yorkie with her past - things I could/should expect? I do have 4 young children - ages 9, 5, 3 and 2. (although they are all about to turn a year older over the next three months My 5 yr old is a cancer warrior as we speak but all of his chemo is now outpatient and we are coming to the end of his 2 yr treatment plan after the first of the year and I am a stay at home mom so I am home alot. I would hope that she would love to ride in the car and be carried in a carrier so that she can go everywhere possible. I'm just hoping to get some advice or opinions. They just didn't tell me alot over the phone and I know meeting her will help too but if I could get as much info before hand I'm hoping I won't feel so nervous about her past... Thanks for reading!


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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ ~Shelly *· -:¦:-
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[mom 4 winston]

Hello & Welcome!!! I would think that she will be sooooooo grateful to be in a loving home... But at the same time she will know nothing about being in a home as she was used for breeding purposes only. I'm sure with lots of love and attention she will come around, but just remember that you will have to teach her "everything"... Go for it, give her that loving forever home she deserves...

[Luckymom]

Shelly,
I am sure that you will be fine with her. But remember she is 7 years old (my yorkie is 8 yrs old)...so she won't be quite as active and playful as a younger dog would. Being used as a breeder all this time, you will have to be patient and teach her to play, and you may have to teach her not to go potty in the house. It would be so awesome for you to give her a loving home so she can live her last years in a nice, family environment. Just make sure your kids are extra calm and gentle with her at first because she is not used to being around that environment since she has just been used to breed. I think she will be a good addition to your home. Let us know what you decide and keep us posted!! Good luck!
Gail

[ambocken]

We adopted our little (12lbs ) Gracie about 2 months ago and she was also used for breeding. She is 3 years old and we were told she was given up because she was "nipping at the children in the family"

Before we picked her up we had never met her but we knew we had to have her. My husband FELL IN LOVE with her just by looking at her. When we drove the 3 hours to pick her up she immediately walked into my lap and stole my heart.

Make sure to verify if she came from a puppy mill type environment or more of a backyard breeder. Ask a lot of questions about her past so you have less surprises.

Some things to consider... as we have found these things important....

- She will probably need training. We found that even though Gracie is 3 years old she acts much like a puppy and we had to sign her up for "puppy classes" to socialize her more with people and other dogs.

-Separation anxiety. Since Gracie has become SO attached to us she has really bad separation anxiety. When we do go places we have to crate her so that she is safe. When we are home she follows follows follows! (especially mommy ) She is still getting used to the idea that she has a loving home now where we will never leave her.

- Potty training. She had many many many accidents in the house until recently (We were on an 8 day streak with no accidents... until this afternoon when she went in her crate....and we start over )


With all that being said.... I wouldn't have chosen any other dog to have in our life!! She is so thankful and loving because we saved her from the shelter and from having more babies. We have been slowly dealing with issues that come up with her and I knew from the first time I met her that she was the right dog for us.

Good luck with everything! YT is a great place to get information on everything you will need to know for your new little girl. Feel Free to PM me if you have more questions.

[MeAndMyOlivia]

Hi Shelly, bless you for looking at a rescue! I have rescued 3 furbabies, all through petfinder. Toby, my first, was my wonderful schnauzer-mix boy; he died in Sept. I just got my 3rd rescue yesterday, a little 5 yr old boy yorkie - yet to be named. I rescued Olivia, my sweet girl yorkie, 2 months ago...she is 8 yrs old and is a retired breeder. She too has lost several teeth due to lack of care. But it doesn't keep her from scarfing down her treats! LOL

I am by no means an expert - I am sure you will get lots of good advice from others on here. All 3 have been totally different experiences and different challenges, but I think the common requirement on my part was PATIENCE. Some of these little babies have been through untold horrors, neglected, abused, frightened and learning to trust again is huge for them. My first rescue Toby was extremely afraid of everyone and everything except me and never did learn to trust anyone else. He was terrible at the groomer, but my goodness he was my baby and I still miss him. He was very treat-oriented, so I used lots of treats when training him. It took a while for housetraining and obedience training, but with consistency (and treats!) he did finally catch on.

Olivia has been relatively easy compared to Toby. She was fostered for a bit and the foster mom said someone had taken her, but returned her 2 days later because "she wouldn't come out from behind the furniture". I will say that it was love at first sight with Olivia! I took her home and not one time has she cowered behind furniture. Potty training can be an issue (but isn't it with most new dogs?); Olivia prefers to do her business on the sidewalk or concrete driveway; I'm guessing it's because she simply is not used to grass, having been in a breeding facility her whole life. The only problem I've had that we've not conquered is that she doesn't want to sleep in her bedroom, she wants to be in our room. But I can live with that. She is a one-person dog, and that one person is me. LOL

Now my new little guy...well that remains to be seen! So far, he is doing pretty good. He was a stray and was in terrible shape, so who knows what he went through. I'm working on housetraining and manners training, and getting his coat and skin back into shape. He has lost his hair on the back half of his body, due to neglect. He has really adapted well already, his favorite spot is sitting right here beside me.

Sorry for the long post, but I have come to realize that I do have a special place in my heart for these little rescue furbabies. If I can make a difference in just one life, then it is worth the effort, hassle and time and the love and adoration received in return also makes it worthwhile! When Olivia looks at me with her pretty brown eyes, I see how happy she is now living "the pet life", rather than being stuck in a tiny cold little kennel. I know all breeders aren't like that, but hers was. And when my Toby would sit there so patiently like a little gentleman, waiting for me to invite him up onto my chair - well, it is just priceless considering he was so terrified that he wouldn't leave the kitchen rug for 2 weeks when I first brought him home.

A rescue will need lots of reassurance, encouragement, patience, physical care and training. If you can give that, go for it! And I promise she will make your life so much richer and fuller. It sounds like she will be a good fit for your home! Keep us posted.

[Fancy_Pants]

Oh, thank you all - you all are helping ease my jitters. I will def write down some questions to ask. It upsets me though that I may never know some of the minor details too - like her birthday!!!


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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ ~Shelly *· -:¦:-
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[MollysMum54]

You could celebrate her birthday on the day you adopt her, as that will be the day when she really started to live a happy and contented life.

[cheryl19]

I too have a rescue, "Ivy" she is about 5??? (also don't know her age as she too was used just to have puppies) but I don't know if the rescue will let you adopt as you have young children. Any little dog and children can be a problem and I know I looked at a lot of different rescues and all of them say no children under 10. Maybe a larger dog would be better at this time, their are so many dogs in shelters that need homes. Then later when your children are older a yorkie will come. I too always wanted a yorkie but I'm glad that I waited, yorkies take a lot of time and a rescue yorkie even more. Good luck

[yavenay]

I rescued my little Brandi about two months ago. She is a 7 yr old 5lb yorkie. She was also used for breeding and due to neglect she has also lost teeth and her hair had to be cut off. She is a very well behaved dog except for the occassional accident when I am not at home. She took to me immediately. So far she has no major behavioral problems. She is starting to play more. When I get home from work we play tag in the house. She runs up to me then I wrestle with her a little bit then she takes off again. I called her and she comes running full speed. We do this for about 15 minutes or so then she while I am piddling around the she follows me around. When I start dinner she just lays in her bed and falls asleep.

I know for me, I am glad I made the decision to adopt her. I don't have any children except for my Brandi and my cat Zoey so it was easy for her to adapt. There's not a lot of activity going on in my house less noise to startled her. I had to teach her to walk on a leash because she had never been walked before. She used to get scared whenever a car rode by. Now she loves walking and it doesn't scared her at all anymore. We are still working on the housetraining but I am extremely patient and have plenty of hope. But truth be told, even she never gets housetrained I would still keep her. I have had pets my whole life.....and that's just part of owning them. However I am keeping my fingers crossed that Brandi will learned not to go in the house when I am not at home. Persistence and patience is key.

My Brandi actually has cost me about 1200 dollars in medical bills because of the neglect. Her teeth was 771 dollars alone. Totally caught me off guard so that is something to think about. Definitely establish a savings for her medical needs. I had the money and it was so worth it. She is now very healthy and extremely full of life. We have a routine and she is adjusting just fine. She doesn't love riding in a car but when she does she just climbs in the seat and after a few minutes she calms down.
Good luck on your adoption. And just remember they will need a lot of love and patience.

[luvfla]

I have a pet friendly gift shop &, from what I've seen & heard, rescues know that you have saved them, they trust with all their hearts & love fiercely. You will be doing a great thing.
Chances are your rescue will have a very strong bond with your 5 year old.

[Fancy_Pants]

Originally Posted by MollysMum54

You could celebrate her birthday on the day you adopt her, as that will be the day when she really started to live a happy and contented life.

I LOVE that idea! Thank you!!!

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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ ~Shelly Maggard *· -:¦:-
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[MeAndMyOlivia]

Originally Posted by Fancy_Pants

I LOVE that idea! Thank you!!!

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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ ~Shelly Maggard *· -:¦:-
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Me too! That is what we did with our first rescue since he was a stray; Olivia's birthday is 12/1; and with my new little guy (also a stray rescue) we will go with 12/14.

[MeAndMyOlivia]

Originally Posted by Fancy_Pants

Oh, thank you all - you all are helping ease my jitters. I will def write down some questions to ask. It upsets me though that I may never know some of the minor details too - like her birthday!!!


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((¸¸.·´ ..·´ ~Shelly *· -:¦:-
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I was just getting ready to toss my list of questions that I asked my new rescue's foster mom...maybe there's something on here you haven't thought of. Some sound so petty, and if she hasn't been fostered very long they may simply not know - but keep in mind that most of my questions were not deal-breaker questions, but I wanted to be as informed and prepared as possible to make his transition successful.
* general description of personality (alpha? hyper? laid back? lap dog? nervous or frightened? easy going?)
* does she get along with most people? (any particular sex/age she doesn't get along with?)
* does she get along with other dogs? (since I already had a yorkie)
* is she crate trained?
* is he neutered? (or she spayed)
* does he mark? (just for a boy obviously!)
* is she house trained? (if so, to outside or pee pads?)
* what condition are her teeth in? (dentals are expensive so I wanted to know ahead of time)
* is she on flea preventive?
* is she up to date on shots?
* has she been tested for heartworms and on preventive?
* has she had a general health exam by a vet?
* how does she travel? (carsick?)
* will she walk on a leash?
* does she have any behavorial issues that I should know about? (excessive barking; nipping or biting; food aggression; esp anything that could harm my other dog or my visiting grandkids)
* how does she do with grooming, nail clipping etc?
* what kind of food is she used to? any known digestive or sensitivity problems?

Hope this helps! Let us know what you end up doing!

[pebstheyorkie]

I've been reading all the posts on this thread...what a nice bunch of people you all are. You are all wonderful to give these little babies a much needed, loving home.

[nycyorkiemom]

I think this dog is one of the best things you can do for your kids, especially the 5 year old. Pets bring love and healing. That's why they have therapy dogs in hospitals