I Am A Breeder

This is long and well worth the time... 


I am a breeder 

My food receipts for a family of 7 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. 

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. 

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 have slept on the floor beside a litter until the crucial 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 

the vet now knows my grand 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. 

I am a conscientious lover of animals and I have found my niche. 

I am a breeder. 

And although I feel no shame there is a part of me that feels the need to hide from powers that could come to invade my home and take my dogs ...maybe for finding a mild infraction, a leaf in the water dish? 

A kennel not yet cleaned for the day? 

A rash I am home treating? 

I tell my children to hush, do not tell others we are dog breeders, and I wonder when did breeding puppies go into the same secret place as criminal activity? 

I am a breeder and I am not cruel, dumb, uncaring or criminal. 

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. 

AND 

I am a breeder

Written by Lori Hallfrisch and she gives permission to cross-post anywhere it will help our cause!