I'm a Breeder

I am a Breeder.....

 My food receipts for a family of 4 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 I go to Wal-Mart

 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 bark, and a heart of

 exploration.

 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 racking 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.
 Teri & Steve Campbell
I AM A BREEDER AND PROUD TO BE ONE

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