Caring For Your Yorkie Rescue Dog

Can anyone please give me advice about taking care of a Yorkie?
I'm looking to adopt/rescue a Yorkshire Terrier. It would be my first time owning a pet independently. I just had a few questions regaurding their care :I'd like to know what amount of time is safe to leave a Yorkshire Terrier by itself, the average cost of rescue/adoption, and the average monthly cost of owning such a pet. Between my roommate and I the puppy would be alone approximately 2.5-3 hours a day. I'd also like to know the approximately how many grooming trips a month I would need to take the dog to if I kept his/her hair relatively short. I was speaking to my mother about caring for a dog and she was concerned because I live in a flat instead of a house, do you believe that this would cause a problem? I'd just like to be 100% that this is an educated dissicion and one that is in the best interest of the dog. Thank you so much in advance.

Hey there. Good for you to consider adoption - it's amazing, but even "in-demand" breeds like Yorkies up on Petfinder.com too. I have a friend with a rescue Yorkie, and she's really come out of her shell since she left the abusive home she was in. My friend gets her groomed about 1x/month - and her hair doesn't tangle as much as her Maltese, but that is an expense you'll have to consider. Yorkies are terriers and they do need some space to blow off steam and play - maybe there's a park or dog run near you where you could take your dog?
And as far as house training, have a look at sites that explain crate training. How long a dog can go in beteen walks has less to do with the breed and more to do with the age of the dog.
Good luck! I know a few Yorkies who excel at Agility, despite their small size - they are little balls of energy if they are encouraged to be go-getters….and are great little dogs. Have fun.
References :
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

fun clicker training intro
http://www.clickertraining.com/