WHAT IS A BREEDER?
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 give 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 and 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 never 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 is so full of knowledge that sometimes it
blows a fuse. It catalogs thousands of good boning, fine ears and
perfect heads and buries in the soul the failures and the one 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
