“What Is A Good Breeder?”
A Breeder (with a Capital B) is one who thirsts for knowledge and never 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 (or new breeder) into this years “vacation.”
A Breeder goes without sleep (but never without caffeine!) in hours spent planning a
breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards, over every
little sneeze, wiggle or cry.
A 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 Breeder’s hands are strong and firm and often soiled, but ever so gentle and
sensitive to the thrusts of a puppy’s wet nose.
A Breeder’s back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, bending and sitting in
the birthing box, but are strong enough to enable the breeder to the next choice pup
to a Championship.
A Breeder’s shoulder’s 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 Breeder’s arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of puppies or
lend a helping hand to a newcomer.
A Breeder’s 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 Breeder’s 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 Breeder’s brain is foggy on faces, but can recall pedigrees faster than an IBM
computer. It’s so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse; it catalogs
thousands of good bones, fine ears, and perfect heads…and buries in the soul the
failures and the ones that didn’t turn out.
A Breeder’s 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