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 their 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 Bahammas and my family meets for Christmas, I am home delivering puppies
I haven't had a 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
I am a breeder
Most of my friends breed dogs
Who else can I 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 me who added on the wing to the vet clinic.
I am a breeder
It is to me that 63 days take on new meaning still excited by every new life
It is I who delivers all my pups, towels and heat lamp 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 bark, 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 consciensious 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 and invade my home and take my dogs...maybe for 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 acvtivity?
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 are the fringe benefits of my efforts. I am an animal lover, nurse, mid wife, heavy laborer, customer service representative and marketer. AND I am a breeder.
Southernstyle kennel PLEASE CLICK LINK BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON US AND AVAILABLE PUPPIES.
WWW.SOUTHERNSTYLEKENNEL.COM