I must sadly and reluctantly warn prospective Yorkshire Terrier buyers about an unethical and dishonest breeder named Cheryl Lucas of Yorkie Trails in Witchita Falls, Texas. Www.yorkietrail.com There were many unfortunate issues culminating from a purchase from her, which ultimately resulted in my dog's suffering and death due to congenital defect.
Not having children, our pet is our baby. Our previous Yorkie, NOT purchased by Cheryl Lucas, died in my arms of old age at the age of 16. After grieving for over a year, we contacted Cheryl Lucas at Yorkie Trails. We purchased a male puppy from her for the price of $2800.00. She assured us he was healthy, and she had both parents, who never experienced any health issues. She guaranteed that he should be 4 pounds at the most, since the dad was 2 1/2 pounds and the mother 4 pounds. When he arrived, he looked nothing like the photo listed on the website, but she claimed it was the same pup, and the photos were recent. He was not even the same colors, but she stated that Yorkie colors "often change." We accepted her word. He also still had one dew claw, which was odd, but we accepted it. When our veterinarian said he would likely become a 8 or 9 pound dog, we still did not complain. He ended up weighing 8 1/2 pounds, not 4. We were just grateful to have a baby to love, and never made a big issue about the inconsistences.
The poor pup started having seizures (not of a hypoglycemic nature) at about 6 months of age. We had bloodwork done several times, and monitored him carefully. It was tragic, but of course we loved him and did all we could. Suddenly, when he was not even 3 years old, overnight he began spinning around uncontrollably, not focusing on us, staggering, and acting strange. We got him to the vet that day, and I was understandably EXTREMELY upset. After even more bloodwork, he was diagnosed with portosystemic shunt. This is an inherited liver disease that results in irreversible brain damage. We immediately took him to an expert at Ohio State University. They said he would be medicated for 4 weeks before attempting surgery, in which the outcome was "doubtful at best." In other words, he would suffer for at least 4 weeks, plus endure complicated surgery, with an uncertain recovery. At that point, he did not even recognize us. After getting several medical opinions, we euthanized my baby. It was a very traumatic experience for us. During this time, I emailed the breeder, Cheryl Lucas, who did not return my emails at all. I wanted to warn her about this particular breeding pair, as per my vet's recommendations, as the disease is inherited. I tried calling, but got no replies. Finally, I needed to have my husband call her from his cell phone so that our phone number would not be revealed. After not returning my emails, her phone was answered immediately.
My husband explained to Mrs. Lucas again what had happened. Cheryl said she had been "too busy" to return my emails. We told her about the possible dangers of breeding the same parents, which increases the chances of this inherited genetic defect. Not realizing I saved all of our original correspondence, Mrs. Lucas said, "Oh, I never bred those two again. The mother was too 'chunky and oversized', and the father was my friend's dog, anyway, not mine." This is DEFINITELY not what we were told when we purchased our puppy. She said she owned both the mother and father, they lived in her home with her, and she claimed their weights were as aforementioned. Never was the female described as "oversized" or "chunky." She was either dishonest when we purchased our pup, or she was not telling the truth at the present time—it could not be both. I still have all of her original emails which refute her claims. She finally emailed me, and blamed me for not having blood work done sooner. When I explained that we had bloodwork done at least TWICE a year due to his seizures, Cheryl Lucas then blamed my veterinarian for not finding the illness sooner. Believe me, if it could have been detected sooner, it would have been found. We had literally thousands of dollars of testing and treatment done on this dog, for he was our beloved family member.
Mrs. Lucas refused to replace the dog, offer any reimbursement, and displayed no sympathy. She was adamant that it was the vet's fault, and not her responsibility whatsoever. When I asked about a partial replacement, she actually claimed she had no puppies available, even though she had two for sale right on her website at the time. My sister called her to inquire about puppy availability, and she said, "Oh, yes, we have 2 pups ready to go right now, and a litter due." It is a moot point, for I would not even consider another of Cheryl Lucas's puppies—it is just too heartbreaking.
I do not hate Cheryl Lucas, I feel sorry for her. I am also very embarrassed on her behalf. If she only could know how often I cried and grieved for my poor little boy who suffered so much and died at such a young age, she perhaps would finally understand. I am crying very hard just writing about this, for I miss my Baby so much. I am so very sorry for all the suffering he endured.
I had no idea I was dealing with a dishonest backyard breeder. She has a nice website, and said all the right things when we were buying the dog from her. The dog was extremely expensive, and he looked tiny, adorable, and healthy in the pictures she supplied. I do have documented proof of every word I have posted. I was reluctant to post my experiences with Cheryl Lucas of Yorkie Trails, because it was my own fault for being trusting and naive. However, if sharing my story keeps just one person from experiencing what we had to go through, it is worth it. May God bless all of you in search of a new pup, and may it be healthy and give you many years of pleasure.
Tinamarie
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
0 comments