I would like to start by saying that I have always been attracted to the rare and unusual.  It came as no surprise to me that I would fall in love with the chocolate Yorkie.  I bought my first chocolate Yorkie, Cayenne in 2006.  I had seen only pictures of them before then.  I went to see a  litter of Yorkie pups that were locally advertised and when the breeder brought out the litter, there were two chocolate pups and two black and gold ones.  I could not believe how beautiful the coloring was and just knew that I had to have one.  I had read quite a bit on the internet about chocolate Yorkies, some of which caused me concerned.  When I took my little Cayenne to my vet, I did ask him his opinion on this color being associated with health problems.  He had no knowledge of any health related issues with this color.  I also questioned two additional vets in my area and they also knew of no issues with this color.  I further read more on the genetics of this color and learned that it is simply the doubling of the recessive red gene that Yorkies carry.  This same color is found in other dog breeds such as the Lab, Daschund, and the red Doberman.  The next concern that I had  was that the AKC (American Kennel Club)  may not register this color.  I phoned the AKC and was told that my little Cayenne could in fact be registered and she is now registered as  Liver and Tan.  This color at present, is not considered a breed standard color and would disqualify them in the show ring, only a concern if you plan to show.   The lack of knowledge that the AKC would register this color Yorkie may have caused many of these beautiful Yorkies to go unregistered or be registered using an incorrect color.  Keep in mind that the AKC standards do change and the chocolate Yorkie could be accepted as a breed standard color at a future date.  For now, I will enjoy my beautiful chocolate family companion.  I think that the chocolate Yorkie is a beautiful color and is truly rare by definition and even more rare to find AKC registered.   If you, like me, are attracted to the rare and unusual, I would suggest you educate yourself about this color Yorkie, speak to your Vet and make your own decision.  I pride myself in providing healthy, happy family companions and I do hope to offer chocolate Yorkie Pups in the near future.          .                                                                       .