This page is just to share some of the beautiful writings I have come to love so much. Each one is used with permission from the author, and/or with credit to them. I hope you find something in these 'words of truth' to remember and take with you! Enjoy....
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 grand 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 bar, 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 and grand 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 at Southern Style Kennel
WHAT IS A BREEDER?
<align="left">A Breeder (with a capital B) is one who thirsts for
knowledge and never really knows it all, one who
wrestles with decisions of conscience, convenience, and
commitment.
A Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests,
finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture, and deep pile
carpeting! She gives up the dreams of a long,
luxurious cruise in favor of turning that all important
Show into this years "vacation".
The Breeder goes without sleep (but never without
coffee!) in hours spent planning a breeding or watching
anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards,
over every little sneeze, wiggle or cry.
The Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is
due or the babies have to be fed at eight. She disregards
birth fluids and puts mouth to mouth to save a gasping
newborn, literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless
creature that may be the culmination of a lifetime of
dreams.
A Breeders lap is a marvelous place where generations
of proud and noble champions once snoozed. A
Breeders hands are strong and firm and often soiled, but
ever so gentle and sensitive to the thrusts of a puppy's
wet nose.
A Breeders back and knees are usually arthritic from
stooping, bending, and sitting in the birthing box, but are
strong enough to enable the breeder to Show the next
choice pup to a Championship.
A Breeders shoulders are stooped and often heaped with
abuse from competitors, but they're wide enough to
support the weight of a thousand defeats and
frustrations.
A Breeders arms are always able to wield a mop, support
an armful of puppies, or lend a helping hand to a
newcomer.
A Breeders ears are wondrous things, sometimes red
(from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from
being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to
criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick
puppy.
A Breeders eyes are blurred from pedigree research and
sometimes blind to her own dog's faults, but they are
ever so keen to the competitions faults and are always
searching for the perfect specimen.
A Breeders brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall
pedigrees faster than an IBM computer. It's so full of
knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues
thousands of good boning, fine ears, and perfect heads...
and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that
didn't turn out.
The Breeders heart is often broken, but it beats
strongly with hope everlasting...and it's always in
the right place!
Oh, yes, there are breeders, and then, there are
BREEDERS!!!
Author unknown
</ALIGN="left">
The Breeder
I love my little puppy; she makes my house a home.
She is my sweetest little friend; I never feel alone.
She makes me smile; She makes me laugh;
She fills my heart with love.
Did some person breed her, or did she just fall from above?
I've never been a breeder, never seen life through their eyes;
I hold my little puppy and just sit and criticize.
I've never known their anguish; I've never felt their pain,
the caring of their charges, through the snow or wind or rain.
I've never waited the whole night through for babies to be born,
the stress and trepidation when they're still not there by morn.
The weight of responsibility for this body in my hands,
this darling little baby, who weighs but 60 grams.
Should you do that instead of this . . .
or maybe that was wrong?
Alone you fight and hope and pray,
he'll grow up proud and strong.
You pray he'll live to bring great joy to someone else's home
You know it's all just up to you; you'll fight this fight alone.
Formula, bottles, heating pads, you've got to get this right,
two-hour feedings for this tiny guy, throughout the day and night.
Within your heart you dread that you will surely lose this fight,
to save this little baby, but God willing . . . you just MIGHT.
Day one; he's in there fighting; you say a silent prayer.
Day two & three, he's doing well, with lots of love and care.
Day four & five . . . he's still alive; your hopes soar to the heavens.
Day six he slips away again, dies in your hands, day seven.
You take this little angel, and you bury him alone.
With aching heart and burning tears, and an exhausted groan,
You ask yourself, "Why do this? . . . Why suffer through this pain?"
Yet watch the joy your puppies bring, and everything's explained.
So, when you think of breeders and you label them with "Greed,
Think of all the things that they endure to fill another's need.
For when you buy your puppy, with your precious dollars part,
You only pay with money. . .while they pay with all their heart.
... Author Unknown....
WHAT IS A REPUTABLE RESPONSIBLE BREEDER:
BELOW IS A REPRINT OF THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB WEBSITE ARTICLE ON WHAT IS A REPUTABLE RESPONSIBLE BREEDER WRITTEN BY NOTED BREED JUDGE SARI B. TIETJEN
A Responsible Breeder
Just what is a responsible breeder of purebred dogs? Just what is it that sets such a person apart from any other breeder? Why are responsible breeders so special? Why should they be sought out by anyone looking to purchase a puppy?
A responsible breeder is dedicated to the breed - always learning about a breed, recognizing the need to adhere to key breed identifying characteristics and working hard to do everything possible to maintain and preserve a given breed for the enjoyment of future generations. A responsible breeder carefully weighs each mating with an eye on what is best for the breed in terms of appearance, temperament, and health considerations. A responsible breeder NEVER BREEDS JUST TO SELL PUPPIES FOR MONEY, instead a responsible breeder looks upon each puppy as an investment in the future of the breed. All potential puppy buyers are thoroughly screened to determine suitability, responsibility and capability. A responsible breeder is always there to answer questions, give advise and offer guidance to new puppy owners and will remain a ready source of assistance throughout the animal's lifetime.
A responsible breeder does not "wholesale" puppies to "brokers" for resale to a pet shop; responsible breeders DO NOT regard their puppies as "CASH CROP" or "PIN MONEY." Responsible breeders never mate two dogs without being prepared to care for the resulting puppies for the rest of their lives. Responsible breeders have long range plans, definitive thoughts about their breed and are never afraid to speak up and voice an opinion. Responsible breeders are always there - through the joys of life and heartache of death. Responsible breeders are the BACKBONE of their breed and leave a lasting legacy for future generations of dog lovers to enjoy.
I am a dog rescue
Our dog food bills are higher than our human food bills.
The water pot is always empty, {we have a well}.
It was I that drove 90 mph down the interstate and back roads, to get home, to take Christmas to the vet when he sliced his leg open, and his blood was all over the yard.
We have a separate medicine cabinet for the dogs that are as large as ours.
We always go on separate vacations due to somebody has to stay home to care for our babies.
Our friend’s kids, tell us we smell like a dog, after we have gotten ready and are at church!
We have to remember to de-hair ourselves before we go anyplace.
All of our neighbors know exactly when we get home at night.
To go in the house at night with all of the wild animals sounds like you’re at a zoo at feeding time.
We have learned to walk through that yard watching for holes, cause by meteor strikes, as we know that no dog alive can dig this many holes this large in so quick of time.
We also have learned to watch for landmines that if you step into them, they stay with you for a very long time.
Sleep with 5 dogs in the house is an art form.
You learn to sleep with snoring so loud that you know the neighbors can hear it.
My Vet knows us by first name, and every one of our dogs’ names.
We take the dogs which the owners have never taken the time to train the most basic of commands, and have left them to their own.
We take the dogs that the owners have decided to raise out of puppyhood, and no longer want them.
We take the dogs with issues, though normally we find that it’s the previous owners who had issues.
We take the Un-loved, and give them Love…and for this we get so much in return!
I am a dog rescue!
written by:
~Wayne~
heathers-leather
Last Updated: 01/16/2011
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Furball Acres
Connie Bonczek
46 Calhoun St
Johnston, SC 29832
furballacres@nctv.com
803-275-4306
