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Rule # 1: Never be affraid to ask questions.
Rule # 2: Ask for referrences. This is one way to be sure that if a breeder says they are breeding
quality puppies with excellent temperments, that they really are.
Rule # 3: Ask to see where the dogs are kept. You want to
make sure that even though all the mommies and daddies may not be in the house, that they are well taken care of, clean,
Loved, and well socialized. And if any of the dogs are overly agressive, be concerned.
Rule # 4: Ask to see immunization records of all the adults
to make sure that their Canine Distemper shots are up to date. And that any of the dogs that are old enough, have their
Rabies shots.
Rule # 5: Ask to speak to their Veterinarian to confirm any information that is given to you by the breeder, that you
may question.
What is my idea of a good breeder? Wow, talk about a loaded question. I suppose you have to be one, to truly understand
not only the glory and the beauty in being part of the "bigger picture", but also to understand the over bearing
pain that is also a big part of it all. And I really believe that you have to have alot of faith and confidence in yourself
and God.
A sixth sense is also imparative. I say that because you HAVE to be able to feel when something is wrong. God forbid
anything should go wrong. And you really need to Love your furry kids ALOT. You pretty much need to be able to feel everything
they do. And yes, it is very possible to do that. You just need to know your kids well, and have a fantastic relationship
with them. Because believe me, when they have a problem you can always tell. And it can be a situation of LIFE or DEATH. I
have 3 little girls for instance where I know I may be up 3 or 4 nights a week. They go through false labour, and I know this.
Also, I have a couple of my girls who won't break the placenta right away. This could be life or death for the puppy. I have
to know these things to keep my girls, Happy, Healthy, and Alive. And their babies.
It takes alot of sacrifices, alot of devotion, alot of loyalty to your furry kids, and alot of patience. You don't
go on vacations, you are always there for them 24/7. This is my life. I will share some of my experiences with you, just to
help you understand what "WE" as breeder's must go through sometimes.
Where do I begin? O.K. there is so much, so I may seem like I'm rambling at some point, but please try to keep up. I think
you'll fully understand when I'm finished.
I had a woman come to me about a year ago. She wanted stud service. I said that I didn't offer stud service. But somehow
being the "Big Hearted Sucker" that I am, I literally got sucked in. She seemed so sincere. I should have seen the
warnign signs. She brought along a friend of hers. This person , we'll call her Charlene. her name was, ummm, let's say Lori.
Charlene was a person who seemed to know it all. I mean there's nothing you could say that she didn't try to know more than
you. Or even worse, argue a point that she had no knowledge to back up what she was saying. Meanwhile she had never owned
a dog (of any kind) in her life. Anyway back to my story. Lori brought her dog over the next day. (Thank God she came by herself).
One of the stipulations was that she had to call me as soon as her dog came into labour. Her little girl was with us (our
family) for approximately 10 days. We really loved her. Lori came to pick her up. And when she did she surprised me. She asked
to sit down with me and talk. We sat and talked for about 2 hours. During that time she apologized for her friends behaviour
several times. I felt much better, but I felt bad for her. She left on good terms and promised to keep me informed on her
progress. She called a couple of times but nothing like what I had expected. During the 9 weeks I kept careful track of her
little girls' progress on a chart I had made. When she was due I called Lori and asked how she was. She said she was fine.
I asked alot of questions. Some answers I was happy with, other answers I felt were to vague. I called again 3 days later.
Boy was I shocked. She said that her little girl went into labour. And that she was in labour for about 8 hours before she
figured that she needed to call the vet for help. The vet is a 24 hour vets office, and they told her to bring her in right
away. The vet decided to give her a c-section. Which she would not have needed I only Lori had called me. Well, the vet did
a butcher job on her. He tore her uterus, and that insured she would never be able to have children again. But there were
two living babies from the birth. The mommy was so sore (and being a first time mom) that she did not try to feed her babies.
And Lori did not realize how crucial it was for the babies to get the mothers' colostrum (from her breast milk)in the first
48 hours. When the puppies were approximately 40 hours old she called me in a panic. She was crying, and begging me to come
over to her house and see what I could do. I went over to Lori's house immediately. When I got there I was very sickened by
what I saw. This brother and sister we so small and weak and helpless that I couldn't keep from crying as sson as I saw them.
I placed the babies on the mother, they didn't even know how to suck the milk. Nobody made sure that they had latched on in
the first hour of birth. Not only that, but they were very dehydrated and too weak to do much of anything. I was glad I had
brought my medical kit with me. I keep alot of vey helpful items in there. I pulled out my formula made with goat's milk (
a very healthy supplement for babies in distress), and a baby bottle with a very small nipple. I warmed the milk and proceeded
to feed the babies. At first, it was difficult, the babies were not very warm, and they were shivering. I wrapped them in
one of the receiving blackets I brought with me. I started by gently squirting a little bit in their mouths. They were very
recptive to it. You could tell they were starving hungry. But I could only feed them very little, because their stomachs were
so small. I stayed there for about 5 hours. Trying desperately to latch them on to their mom. They tried, but without a lot
of success. I told her what to do and when to do it. I put a heating pad in with mom and babies to attempt to bring back warmth
to their tiny little bodies. I then left to go home.
In my heart I prayed that they would make it. But I didn't really think they would. Lori called me the next day to
tell me they weren't doing very well at all. I went over again. And she was right, they were not doing very well. I did everything
I could. I was so tired and emotionally burnt out I had to leave. I told her I would bring the babies home and take care of
them. Which I did. It was definately a heart breaking situation. I tried everything including tube feeding. I knew about 2
hours after I brought them home that they had FPS. Fading Puppy Syndrome. It happens when the puppies are just too weak to
go on. At about midnight that night the little boy died. I stayed up with the little girl until almost 5:00 a.m. Sure enough,
she passed away as well. Lori was upset when I had to tell her. But I don't believe she was in as much pain as I was. I held
their lifeless little bodies in my hands and cried like a baby. I felt so sad that I just couldn't control mysef. I made a
little coffin for them and vowed never agin to stud any of my dogs.
And this is only one example.
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