Ever think about becoming a breeder, or maybe not? This is well worth the time...
I am a breeder
My food receipts for a family of 6 and my dog food bills match
My water bill has doubled
My electric has tripled
It is I, a breeder, who when my fridge quit, saved the dog meds and let the food go bad.
My feet find the way to the kennel before I have even grabbed a cup of coffee in the morning and the kennel is my last stop before bed. Many days there is no lunch for me.
While my friends are on a cruise to the Bahamas and my family meets for Christmas I am home delivering puppies
I haven't had a real vacation in 7 years, but maybe soon.
All plans are made around heat dates, whelp dates and vet dates and puppy go home dates.
I shower and 10 minutes later my kids say I smell like a dog
My clothes are all stained with fecal matter, urine, afterbirth or bleach
I have to remember to clean my shoes before church
Most of my friends breed dogs - who else can you call at 3 am for support?
Who else has the experience I sometimes need, the med I sometimes need, or just an uplifting word I sometimes need ?
Who else would understand how it feels to have invested hours and hours and hours in a weak puppy to lose it?
Or the joy in investing hours in one that lives?
I sleep on the floor beside a litter until the crucial first 2 weeks have passed.
I have bottle fed a litter of 12..feeding every 2 hours and it taking 90 minutes to do, for weeks at a time.
I have learned to be proficient at micro chipping, vaccinations, sub q fluids, bottle feeding and tube feeding.
my vet knows me by first name
the vet knows my children
my vet knows it was I who added on the wing to the vet clinic
I am a breeder
It is to me that 63 days takes on new meaning still excited by every new life
It is I who delivers all my pups, towels and heat lamps on ready happiness and sadness sometimes intermingled
Even though it increases my work load, I look forward to the 10 day stage when eyes open, and puppies begin to emerge from the helplessness of newborns.
Puppy breath, a first bath, and a heart of exploration.
I am not uneducated, unemployable, illiterate or lazy as some Animal Rights folks would imply of breeders. My family misses me at most family events, someone has to stay behind to take care of the puppies.
I am a conscientious lover of animals and I have found my niche.
I am a breeder.
I am not raking in money while sitting on my butt.
Every penny I make I earn through blood, sweat and tears.
My greatest joy is a healthy puppy and a wonderful home.
The cards of thanks and the pictures of my puppy with its new family is the fringe benefits of my efforts.
I am an animal lover, nurse, midwife, heavy laborer, customer service representative, and marketer.