Weddingbee boards

The one in the shelter desparately needing a home before he/she runs out of time. They have purebreds there. Don't breed or buy while others die!

My sister has 2 Westies and they are fantastic dogs.  Very trainable and they've always been wonderful with her daughters since they were babies.  And oh my gosh, are they cute!!  Love them!

@lelamtts: congratulations on adding another pet to your family! I don't know much about the two breeds you mentioned, so I won't comment, other than to say, please, please, consider adoption. :) There are so many homeless pets, many of them purebred (if that's what you want) and many of them puppies.

@KT808: This! x a million!!!!!!! 

We got our dog, Hailey, via Petfinder.com. The rescue we went through pulled her from a high kill shelter on her last day. She is a WONDERFUL dog and DH and I completely adore her. Seriously, we can't imagine life without her! When we got her she was 7 months old. We had to work hard at housetraining the first month, but she's got it now and never has an accident. We've had her almost a year.

I think this is something you should wait until you see the pups in person. You can know the characteristics of a breed, but each animal has their own personality and quirks, and I really believe there is such a thing as chemistry, even with animals. Sometimes you can just pick up a dog or cat and just know that this is your forever pet. When I decided to get a kitten years ago, I went three separate times to animal shelters, and probably picked up, and played with two dozen cats, but I didn't have that forever feeling with any of them. Then an aquaintence told me their cat had kittens that needed homes and invited me over and I picked up one kitten, and just knew, beyond any doubt, that he was mine. I picked up another kitten and knew he was also mine, and I couldn't leave him behind either. I think when you meet your perfect pet, you'll know, and the breed won't matter at all.

The greatest dog I ever knew in my life was a Yorkie named Amico.

I wouldn't go into crazy detail, but he was SO loyal, SO trainable (he did the coolest tricks) and absolutely loved all people, including tricks.

I would absolutely love to have a Yorkie and that's totally what I would pick.

Not to be repetitive but...RESCUE! lots of purebreds end up in rescue:) I would personally get both :P but Im partial towards the super cute yorkies!

I had a Yorkie and had to rehome him because he was easily overpowered/bullied by DH's cat and a new dog. He developed behavior problems and it took me around 1.5 years to fully potty train him working with him daily.

I think a Westie would be better with future children.

Here's the little guy I had (and kitten when I first got her)

@lelamtts: But for the puppy, my FI has only accepted it if the puppy is registered with AKC as a pure breed and a baby. He wants to have the opportunity to breed them in the future.

Why does your FI want to breed?  AKC registration does NOT denote quality.  Is he aware of the time, energy, and expense involved in breeding dogs responsibly?  Showing, to prove they meet the breed standard.  Health testing, to minimize risk of passing on undersirable traits.  You could even lose your beloved pet during whelping, (or after, if infection sets in).  Raising pups WITH their mother isn't easy; raising them without one is very difficult.  Not to mention the shelters and resues in this country are filled to bursting with dogs that don't have homes, including dogs of both of the breeds you desire.  There is no need to breed more, unless you are going to be showing and health testing, in which case I suggest attending shows NOW and find a breeder to mentor you, (they will also probably want to co-own the dog with you, since it sounds like you have no experience with either breed, with showing, or with breeding).  If you're breeding the right way, you won't be lining your pockets...you will be throwing money down a hole, but you do it for love of the breed, not to make a profit.

To answer your original question, based on what your want the dog for, (minus the breeding), I would say a Westie is probably your best bet.  However, please be sure to research terriers thoroughly.  They may be small, but even small terriers have BIG personalities, and they are not for everyone.  Also, both breeds, but especially the Yorkies, will need frequent grooming, (even if you're not keeping them in a show coat).  Which can add up to big bucks on top of normal care.

Small dogs are frequently not good with kids.  Some do just fine, but dogs that are small are more easily injured by a child, even though the child may not intend to harm the dog.  And a dog that's hurt can bite.  In fact, many rescues and responsible breeders won't adopt/sell to people with young children.  If you're finding people who are willing to sell you a puppy, with no questions asked, run, don't walk away.  A responsible breeder or a rescue group will have an application for you to fill out before they even consider giving you a dog.  Responsible breeders will more than likely sell their puppies with limited registration.  What this means is your dog will have papers, but they are not eligible for breeding, (none of their offspring would be able to be registered), unless you are planning to show, (in which case, you would be able to have full registration, though like I said, they may want to co-own the dog with you).  You would also have to sign a contract with the breeder saying if at any point in the dog's life you are unable to care for him/her, it will need to be returned to the breeder.  If you need information on how to find a responsible breeder, you can do a Google search, or I have some links I am happy to share with you.

For your situation, (planning to have kids in the not-too-distant-future), you may want to adopt an adult dog that is known to be good with kids, (and potty-trained, since potty training a puppy when the cat is peeing everywhere may be that much more difficult).  If you DO adopt or buy a puppy, SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE!  Obedience classes, dog parks, daily walks, trips to PetCo/Petsmart, visiting friends/family with young children.

Westie Education Center is a GREAT resource for you to start your research.  It's sponsored by the West Highland White Terrier Club of SE Michigan, so it's not local to you, but just about all of the information should be relevant to you: it has basic information on the breed, including a section on Westies and Children, information on selecting a breeder, (as well as a section on puppy mills, pet stores, and backyard breeders), information on surviving the puppy stage, information on dealing with common health concerns, crate training,  training, spaying and neutering, and information for those who are considering breeding their own Westie.

Also, I hate to say it, but if you are planning to have a baby soon, you may want to hold off on getting a dog right now at all.  After reading the information on Westies and Children on the website I posted above, I personally would not risk it.  But read the article (which also has links to other articles) and decide for yourself.  Again, if you do get one now, socialize, socialize, socialize! 

Wishing you the best of luck!

P.S. Here is a link to the Yorkshire Terrier Club of Amercia. It's not as informative as the Westie website I posted, but there is still some basic information there.  There is basic information about the breed, about toy dogs in general, grooming, finding a breeder, and an FAQ; I could find nothing specifically pertaining to Yorkies and children, although I have heard on more than one occasion that they are not the best with young children.