Yorkie
I’m So Angry to Discover My New Yorkie Is an Inbreed
Unscrupulous Dog Breeder Lied to My Face
This photo is a picture of my beloved babies, Jazzy, and Hershey. I was very excited that my Yorkie family was finally complete. Obtaining two beautiful Yorkies was my long-term goal, and I kept facing obstacles. When I thought all was well with my Yorkie family, I discovered my beautiful 16-month-old Yorkie was the product of inbreeding.
Inbreeding
What is inbreeding?
The Kennel Club.org.uk defines it:
“Inbreeding occurs when puppies are produced from two related dogs, i.e., dogs with relatives in common.”
Why should inbreeding be avoided?
The American Kennel Club says: “Because inbreeding can increase the chance of recessive bad genes pairing up in the same dog, it’s generally a good idea to prefer a puppy from parents not closely related. “
Hershey
I discovered that my gorgeous puppy, Hershey, and his momma, Jazzy, have the same father. I recently rescued Jazzy from a lousy host home. She was mistreated and abused.
Shocked, angry, and pissed off are just a few words to describe my feelings when I found out. I am so mad I feel like screaming.
Hershey has been with me for one year. I had another Yorkie named Precious, who had dementia. She would get lost in the yard or couldn’t find her way out of a room inside the house.
Precious was rescued from the humane society, the product of a nasty puppy mill. She was dumped off in bad shape after her body was used up, so she was discarded.
Precious and I rescued each other that day I found her. Her poor body and spirit were in bad shape. My soul was sad because I had lost the love of my life.
Together, as I nursed Precious back to health, I recovered, too.
So, when her health started failing, I moved heaven and earth to find another Yorkie to be her guide dog.
Yorkie Breeder
That’s how I found Melissa, the Yorkie breeder in Washington State. I thoroughly investigated Melissa before agreeing to fly out there to retrieve Hershey.
He was AKC registered, which included his lineage records. Everything looked good. I have done an excellent job checking out the history of this breeder.
I brought Hershey home as a 14-week-old puppy to be a buddy to Precious. Since my older Yorkie was sick, I needed a new dog quickly and sought a breeder.
Melissa appeared to be a respectable breeder with a home breeding program. All her Yorkies lived inside and not in kennels.
We had video calls, and I met Hershey’s mom and dad. Melissa even had Hershey’s grandmother, Lady Godiva, living in the house. Everything looked good, and I had good references from a friend who got her Yorkie. So, I proceeded with the purchase.
Little did I know that Melissa was using the same sire for all the dogs.
Jazzy, the 3-year-old Yorkie I just rescued last month, had the same dad as Hershey, my 1-year-old baby. But Jazzy is also Hershey’s Momma. No wonder they look like twins. They are both mother-son and also siblings.
This information was withheld from me when I was looking into this breeder. When I questioned Melissa about this, she told me it’s OK to breed a father with his daughter! Ewww
In the dog world, there might be some acceptable reasons for inbreeding. But I was horrified.
I started researching what health problems could occur in my inbred puppy.
What I found was disturbing. All dog breeds have some percentage of inbreeding. Some breeds have more than other breeds.
According to Embark, the dog disease test site, the Genetic coefficient of inbreeding (COI) is the most accurate method for measuring inbreeding. This is done by DNA testing. Embark is the dog version of DNA testing, like 23andme.com for humans.
This was my first time getting a dog from a breeder, so I didn’t know about inbreeding. I thought I had researched Breeders thoroughly, but I needed to learn about inbreeding.
Conclusion
I’m so glad I got Hershey. He’s a great dog; I love him so much. After watching Precious die last March, I was panic-stricken at the thought that Hershey could have a genetic defect that could shorten his life.
Hershey is due for his annual veterinarian check-up, so I can discuss the inbreeding with the veterinarian and have her examine him for any health issues.
Hershey most likely will be fine, but I learned my lesson the hard way. I thought I was doing the right thing, but it’s rescue dogs for me from now on.
“Dogs are not our whole life but make our lives whole” — Roger Caras.
