Pet Pals TV has a segment called Know Your Breed – entertainingly put together by Barney and Dr. Lisa Wood – which can help people decided if a certain breed of dog is a good fit for their families. Recently Patty interviewed Linda Shipp, an expert on Yorkies, and her 9-year-old pup Louie.
Years ago, Shipp was a Yorkie breeder as well as an owner, so she knows first-hand what this breed has to offer as a pet.
“Yorkies are big dogs in a little body,” she said of the breed’s attitude. “They were originally bred to be ratters and mousers in clothing mills in England, and also were used in wars as message carriers. They were little and could go through tunnels.”
Newborn Yorkies weigh about four ounces, she said, and can fit in the palm of your hand. “The breed standard for an adult Yorkie is four to around eight or nine pounds.” Louie weighs seven pounds.
When looking for this tiny dog as a pet, her advice is to “find a breeder that has the dogs in their home with the mom and dad.” When she found the breeder that had Louie, they were in another state, so she got to Facetime on the phone with the breeder and see the dog interact with the family.
Louie has taken agility training and loves to do agility play, said Shipp.
To learn more about Yorkies, watch Pet Pals TV Saturday, Jan. 18, at 10:30 a.m. on WISH-TV and WHMB40, or stream it live at www.wishtv.com
Here are photos of some of the Yorkies bred by Linda Shipp:
