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All Things Welshie

Musings on living, loving and showing in a house full of Welshies

Photo Gallery

Being a Hobby Breeder

7/6/2013

4 Comments

 
Picture
As you probably have heard from my FB page and announcements on the website, Tigg had her puppies on Friday, June 28 at about 3:45PM. This event is nothing out of the ordinary, really. But the event was notable for a few things. First, the whelping happened during the day, rather than at 3AM. That's always a good things since my brain cells are usually misfiring when I'm woken up in the middle of the night to little 'cheep cheep' sounds heralding the arrival of a wet and slimy puppy covered with goop. Second, Rich actually was the midwife for the first puppy, since he was working at the desk in the puppy room/office  and I was retrieving the rest of the crew from the boarding kennel when Tigg decided to deliver. Wonder if we can get a tax deduction on that one puppy since she came during business hours? And third, the litter is notable because it's really the first time we've used social media to allow friends and acquaintances all over the country and prospective puppy folks the opportunity to a front-row seat to all that goes on with a litter of puppies. We've not had a litter here since 2010, well before we were involved with Facebook and the new website was a figment of my imagination. We used to talk to folks on the phone and send emails, now we just put it on Facebook and everyone knows everything about everything and clamors for more!

If you followed my posts from that Friday to Wednesday, you know that we had the smallest male puppy ever born here at our home in this litter. Peanut was only 4 ounces at birth, and very skinny-you could count his ribs. His white hair actually appeared to be clear at birth-so his face was pink with reddish patches. He didn't like assistance to nurse-he wanted to find his own nipple and latch on himself. He was half the size of the nearest sibling, but he tried to worm his way around the bigger puppies and find a place to nurse that suited him, even if it meant standing on or squeezing next to another puppy. He tired easily, so we attempted supplemental feeds and eventually tube feedings for him. He had several visits to the veterinary clinic for SQ fluid resuscitation when he fell behind in his fluids. While the vets could not identify anything obviously wrong with him on physical examination (i.e. no evidence of cleft palate, heart murmur, diaphragmatic hernia), they could not rule out other issues, such as hydrocephalus or liver shunt, or a myriad collection of other issues that contributed to his small size and easy fatigability.

All hobby breeders will eventually have a puppy who tests their puppy-rearing skills, tugs on their heart, tests their faith, and forces them to make hard decisions. Peanut wasn't the first puppy we struggled with, but his short life was certainly the most poignant for me. In the past, we've had puppies that should have been born alive but were stillborn-perhaps they took too long to be born, or something ruptured internally prior to birth. We've also had puppies born alive with congential issues-a club foot, a diaphragmatic hernia, urinary leakage, or just a poor suckling reflex for unknown reasons. Some of these puppies were euthanized because they could not survive with their congenital condition, others died despite supplemental feedings and veterinary treatment. But there were survivors, too-puppies who went to loving homes and lived wonderful lives with their families, despite their early trials and tribulations. 

As a hobby breeder, I do the best I can to help all my puppies live, but I believe it is also my responsibility to be realistic about the fate of puppies I bring into this world. My role is not to assure that every puppy in the litter survives at all costs to me, the dam of the litter, all my other dogs, my family and my sanity. I am a steward of the breed and I need to assure the healthiest puppies possible go to loving homes and some even grow up to be contributors to the gene pool. I provide the most appropriate care possible, work with my vet's guidance, and God and I talk, and I listen to what he tells me. And then I cry,and remember how soft the fur on his head felt when I kissed him goodbye. Because that's what it means to be a hobby breeder, too.

4 Comments
Cathy Miles
7/7/2013 12:44:45 am

Heartbreak and joy - Thank you, Sandy for expressing this so well.

Reply
Margaret C.
7/7/2013 04:53:48 am

Sandy,
You write beautifully! Keep taking good care of Tigg and her puppies. I had fun showing the puppy pics to my church folks this morning. So if you heard a chorus of "Let me see....aww...aren't they precious!" that was us.
Margaret (the one always clamoring for more.)

Reply
Lesa Pierce
7/10/2013 03:09:30 am

Sympathy for your loss :(
Its always hard to make those decisions, but its a part of life. The fact that you can make the decision shows you are a true realist and understand that sometimes hard decisions have to made for the good of the breed and the pup. Keep your heads high and continue doing the good work of this breed you do. Welsh breed integrity has always been the focus and I hope it always remains that way. I am looking forward to having another one running around our home soon!

Reply
Kelly Weissman
7/16/2013 01:55:15 pm

Sandra—I am a NICU nurse and a WSS owner. Your story tugs at my heart because, although I haven't yet had the experience with dogs, I have 14 years of experience with babies who are born prematurely, have congenital defects, poor sucking reflex, etc. never an easy thing to do. But sometimes necessary to let go. Hope the rest of the litter is healthy and strong. God bless.

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    Sandy, interested in lots of things, master of none. Likes cooking, web site creation, her Nook HD+, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and The Voice.

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