The Ewoks of the Dog World

By Dr. Anndrea Kapke
Olive Branch Parke Veterinary Clinic
www.olivebranchvet.com
olivebranchvet@gmail.com


Yorkshire Terriers are those little dogs that look like Star Wars Ewoks that you see peeking out of ladies’ purses. Yorkies have long, straight, glossy hair coats that are described as blue and tan (grey or black and tan for us non-dog-show types.) The Yorkshire Terrier breed standard is nine inches tall and weighing less than seven pounds. They have an average life expectancy of nine to fifteen years, making them one of the longer lived dog breeds. The breed originated, not surprisingly, in Yorkshire, England. They may have been used to catch rats in clothing mills. Although the breed’s history is murky, it appears to have started in the 1850’s, perhaps coming from mixes of Old English Black/Tan Terriers, Maltese, and Skye Fixed Terriers. At the time, Terrier enthusiasts didn’t like the new, little upstart. It was called “the dresser drawer dog” and the breed was predicted to have little future. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the breed in 1885. In 2008, the AKC listed the Yorkshire Terrier as the second most popular dog breed in America.
Smoky was a famous Yorkshire Terrier that helped popularize the breed. During World War II, an American soldier found her in an abandoned foxhole in New Guinea. He said some standard dog commands in English and she didn’t respond. Because there was a Japanese prisoner of war camp nearby, he took her there, but she didn’t react to Japanese dog commands either. He wasn’t able to find her owner. Another soldier sold her to Corporal William A. Wynn, for two Australian pounds ($6.44 at the time) which was the amount he needed to get back into a poker game. For the next two years, Smoky traveled in Wynn’s backpack. They survived 12 air sea rescue missions and 150 air raids together. Smoky jumped from a 30 foot tower wearing a specially made parachute. She aided army engineers by running a telegraph wire through a 70 foot long, eight inch diameter pipe. After the war, Smoky performed tricks all around the world and appeared in some of the earliest TV shows in Cleveland, Ohio. Wynn wrote a book about Smoky’s exploits, entitled, Yorkie Doodle Dandy; Or the Other Woman was a Real Dog.
Yorkies are smart, energetic little dogs that can sometimes be yappy. Their small size makes for good traveling companions, but they are a little too fragile for a home with young children. Some Yorkies can develop dominance behavior issues if the dog owner doesn’t consistently make it clear who is in charge. They also appear to have no concept of relative size and would attempt to defend their owner from a Tyrannosaurus Rex without hesitation. They are relatively healthy for a pure bred dog. Some congenital diseases they may have include: knee problems (luxating patella), liver disease (portosystemic shunt), vision problems (retinal dysplasia), hip problems (Legg-Calve-Perths Disease), and chronic coughing (collapsing trachea). Like other toy breed puppies, young Yorkies are susceptible to collapse due to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Yorkies may also suffer from dental disease. Their lovely hair coat requires frequent grooming and if worn long, daily brushing. The long hair on top of the head needs to be collected in a bow or barrette or kept trimmed short. These lap dogs are wonderful to spoil with fancy collars, bows and dog clothes, but keep food treats to a minimum. It is very easy for these tiny guys to get overweight, which not only makes them resemble a kiwi fruit on legs, but puts stress on their joints and predisposes them to disease.