Introducing the newest member of our family :D

Ms.BriarRose

Here she is!  The decision to get a dog has been a decision a year in the making, and we researched and visited and researched some more on what we wanted, in terms of behavior/size/what we (I) could handle.  She's a Morkie (maltese/yorkie mix), and we went with her for multiple reasons, the biggest being the size of our apartment and my ability to care for her.  We named her Mindi (Mindi the Morkie...please tell me someone gets it...), and she has been the biggest dose of medicine for me; my cane use is waaay down, I have decreased my pain med usage, and I am up and about much more, while not sleeping as much as I was (which was quite a bit).  FI, who has never had a dog, loves her to bits.  We are so happy with her as our newest family member!

PharmJen

Oh. Em.  Gee.  So cute!  And it's wonderful to hear how therapeutic she's been for you.  FI and I will be expanding our family with a Yorkie puppy or two in the summer and I can't wait.  I'm sure my blood pressure will decrease significantly once they arrive!

Where did you get Mindi?  I'm assuming she's not from Ork... 

LaRositaMonita

Adorable!  And glad to hear she's been so good for you.  Let me know if you need any tips or advice on supplies, food, toys, training....we're big dog people in my house, and I do competitive obedience classes with Mac, so I'm happy to help.  BP is also a great doggie resource  

I'm also curious to know where you got her.

ButtonsPepper

Larosita - You probably don't want to hear the answer where she got the puppy.... if it's a yorkie/maltese breed.....

Cute pup though.

Ms.BriarRose

I actually got her at a breeder in PA.  No puppy mills or stores, BP.  The breeder was Sturbridge Farms, and is located 40 miles north of Harrisburg.  They have actually been wonderful to deal with- she comes with a 1year health guarantee, they will take her back at any point in her life if we aren't able to care for her, references, etc.  Father is a registered Maltese, and Mother is a registered Yorkie. 

ButtonsPepper

A breeder won't cross breed to make a designer breed. I'm sure they are registered puppies that they are breeding... but they aren't breeding to "better any breed" because when it comes down to it, the pup is a mut.  Acute mut... but a mut. She can't be registered because she isn't a breed. Anyone that breeds like that is a BYB...

Ms.BriarRose

Yeah, we know she isn't registered- we were okay with that before we even contacted the breeder.

PharmJen

Papers or no papers...she's friggin' cute.  I asked because one of our Yorkies was bought from P'awe P'awe Puppies in East Petersburg, PA and they often have mixed breeds.  Wasn't sure if maybe you had gone to the same place  = ) 

ButtonsPepper

For the record, I think it's great you got a little puppy, and that she's filled you with so much joy and you are doing better because of her.

LaRositaMonita

BP....I was asking because I pretty much knew where she would have come from.

Registered parents are not the same thing as parents that should have been bred.  Mac is registered with the AKC but would never be bred because he's what's called a "fluffy" Corgi - his hair is too long for the breed standard.  That doesn't make him any less of a great pet; however, his parents were not only registered Corgis but also proven show champoins, health-checked by our breeders and cleared of any genetic issues, disease, etc. 

I say this not to in any way disparage your decision to get Mindi, who I am sure will be a loving companion.  I say it because many people are often naive about buying a dog and think that having purebred parents is all that matters.  Dogs that come from puppy mills are also often purebred and AKC-registered...doesn't mean anything in terms of the quality of the breeder or their animals. 

Just be aware of the fact that while I am sure the breeder you got Mindi from was loving and kind and nt a puppy mill, she was not the ideal breeder to get a dog from.  She's what's called a Backyard Breeder - one who does it on a small-scale for profit or fun, not to better a breed of dog.  Reputable show breeders of Yorkies or Maltese would never have sold her breeding stock to begin with or agreed to sell what's essentially a mutt to someone at a premium price.  This means that Mindi may have some underlying health problems you may not be seeing right now.  Additionally, it means you have unknowingly supported a breeder you should not have.  Again, not meant as a personal ciriticism of you, as it's a situation many people unkwoingly fall into.  The trick is to become educated now so that when the time comes to add another furry pal into your life you get one from the right source - a shelter or a show breeder.

Hope that's informative....

ButtonsPepper

Ahhh thank you Larosita... what I was trying to say but just didn't have the words come out nearly as well as you :-).

We could possibly show Gracie, as she falls in line with breed standards to the T... HOWEVER we don't plan to breed her, there for if she WERE to win champion... we wouldn't be continuing the blood line... so what is the point. Our other Sheltie we couldn't show/breed because she was too small for breed standard.

nicole8586

I am honestly just curious because I was never big dog person. FI just recently purchased me my first puppy for my birthday (PIP).

I understand why puppy mills are bad, and what Larosita just explained makes sense to me, but why is it bad to buy a puppy from a store? My puppy came from a pet store and I am now really curious!

Her name is Ginger and she is a Daschund.

ButtonsPepper

Pet stores purchase their animals from unreputable sources. A true reputabal breeder that is breeding the dog not only for personality, but health, and to better the breed, would NEVER give a dog to a pet store to be sold, ever. BYB (back yard breeders), puppy mills, and "breeders" that are just doing it because hey I have a male poodle and a female pug, lets make a puggle and make some money.. you are not only helping to support those breeders (who are doing more harm then good) but you really don't know what kind of health problems they will have down the line, esp. with purebread dogs... if the breeder doesn't have a long family history, knowing what bloodline is going into which litter... your dog could have problems down the road.

As larosita said, it doesn't make them any less of a love bug, any less cute, or any less of a companion... it's just not the ideal way to go about getting one.

edit: I forgot to mention, a lot of times pet store puppies will be separated from the mom much sooner then they are supposed to (five or six weeks, when they are supposed to be with mom for eight or nine weeks)... so behavior will be off. They learn biting habits/what hurts by how brothers and sisters bite them.. and social skills from siblings that aren't fully developed if taken away too soon.

LaRositaMonita

Pet store puppies come almost exclusively from puppy mills, unfortunately.  A reputable show breeder would never sell a puppy to a pet store because that would give the breeder absolutely no control over the type of person who would come to own their puppies.  Additionally, show breeders do not breed dogs to make money (they in fact almost always LOSE money every time they have a litter!) and therefore getting a cut of the profits from a pet store selling a puppy is totally meaningless to them. 

Show breeders have litters when they believe they can breed two dogs together whose puppies would improve or enhance the breed in some way.  Obviously not every puppy winds up being show-quality, so breeders sell their pet-quality puppies in order to help offset the cost of having litters and so that their homes are not completely overrun by hundreds of doggies  

On the other hand, pet stores that sell puppies are out there to profit from the sale of dogs.  Dogs are therefore a commodity to them, and they want to get their dogs from the least expensive source possible - puppy mills.  I personally do not even shop at pet store that sell puppies and kittens because I so strongly disagree with the way that they obtain and treat their animals. 

Again...this is not to say that you puppy is in any way a sub-par companion, Nicole.  The idea is to now just be educated.  There is a VERY good chance that down the road your sweet little dachshund might develop some health problems because of the conditions of her breeding and the lines from which she came....so just be vigilant about keeping up with taking her to the vet for shots and check-ups.  (You may also want to invest in pet health insurance, if you are worried about something coming up or have noticed any warning signs, but that's a personal choice.) Not all pet store or puppy mill puppies have health problems, but a great many do.

Additionally, knowing the facts means that you can change your behaviors and make sure that you don't support pet stores that sell dogs and kittens.  You can also help educate other people in the future. 

nicole8586

Thank you both for the information. I always knew puppy mills are bad but never really knew the background of why or about the pet stores.

I am glad that this was brought up on here so now I know to be aware and look into puppy insurance.

Thanks again and Happy New Year!!

LaRositaMonita

Not a problem!  I'm not a huge suppoerter of pet insurance, but if you know your dog is at risk it can help reimburse you for the cost of vet bills should something major happen.  VPI is the most reputable company out there if you want to get a quote and consider it.  (For the record, I do not have pet insurance for Mac.)

I wouldn't have known any of this info either had I not taken the time to really reseach and learn before deciding where to get Mac, so I'm glad to help.  Now you know for the next time you get a dog, or for when a friend asks for help or advice.  Getting educated is really the only way to stop puppy mills from selling unhealthy, misreated dogs.

nicole8586

Since she was a surprise finding this information out was out of the question! But I am glad that I know for the future, because I think she needs a sibling

thatmuseumbride

I love my mutt and wouldn't trade her for the world! My old neighbor was a BYB, and the living conditions there were absolutely deplorable. I honestly wondered how in the hell people who drove up to the house actually decided to take one of the pups home.

Even though I got my pup from a guy who was selling them in the back of a pickup truck, I am a huge proponent of adopting from shelters or rescue organizations. Many times if you are looking for a designer/pedigree breed, you can find a rescue somewhere close, especially in this area where several puppy mills are nearby.

thatmuseumbride

BTW, the dog is completely precious and I am so glad you have found Mindi! (and yes, I got the reference!)

ButtonsPepper

I'm also a HUGE supporter of adoption/rescue. But if you are going the breed route, I think we just want to make sure people are educated about the right place to get them so you aren't supporting people that don't have the best of breed in mind.

Ms.BriarRose

Thanks for the info, BP and LRM.  For future references and research, I will keep what you both said in mind.

I am also a big supporter of rescue (both our cats are rescues), but I also respect it's the person's decision to make, and their decision alone.  My family has had 3 purebreds (2 keeshonds and 1 standardbred poodle), and it was a choice we made as a family.  I have had people beat my sister and I over the fact that our family pets were purebreds and not from the SPCA or shelter, which doesn't make me any more likely to adopt from a shelter...it just makes me mad at you, and you look like an idiot for trying to push your thoughts and opinions on me.  So, I never say you are or aren't doing the right thing by going the breeder route, or the shelter route- I just congratulate you on getting a new companion, and by doing that respect the decision you have made.  Which is exactly what I would want done to me.

Not getting on your back, MuseumBride, not at all, just saying how I feel about it.  Your's is a cutie...and I am so glad several people got the reference!!!

thatmuseumbride

I'm not offended at all, and I hope I didn't offend you either! My FI's parents currently have a purebred akita, and my mom has almost always gotten purebreds (poodles mostly, with a few other dog breeds here and there) as well.  Anytime that a pet can find a good home, I think its wonderful. Those darn SPCA commercials just get to me.