Breeding and raising dogs is a constant learning experience, filled with endless work, incredible joy and happiness, and grief. It took a long time for me to accept the fact that I couldn't save every newborn puppy. I've saved a lot of them and I have sat up many a night and even carried one little girl with me in a bag for six weeks so I could feed her every 2 hours and keep her warm. She went to work with me every day and on several weekend trips. She sat through inservices and meetings and no one ever knew she was there. After all that, we realized that she was hydrocephalic and had only a brain stem. I still found a loving home for her and she lived a very happy and productive 2 years with a loving family. This little girl taught me, however, that sometimes there's a reason a puppy won't suck, or it's mom pushes it away and that it is often kinder to let the little one go. So now I make every reasonable effort to save weak puppies, but I've pretty much cut out the heroics.
This year I've had to learn to accept a different kind of loss. I've finally reached the point of having to find homes for my older dogs outside of our family. The first dogs to retire went to family members and I still see them often. But now I have saturated the family and for the first time I'm letting my precious girls go to homes outside the family. The first to go was Chloe. Now Chloe has her issues. She's terrified of kids and she is a big time barker. She's also a bit of an ankle nipper. That sets some limits on where she can live and who will love her. We had her spayed a couple of years ago after her 5th litter, but had given up on finding her dream family. You see, my dogs only go to homes that are better for them than mine. It has to be a step up for them or they stay with me. Then, out of the blue, I received an email from a lady asking if she was still available. We talked back and forth and finally, in April, I took Chloe to visit Gloria and her family. The family thought she was absolutely beautiful and extremely well behaved (could this be MY Chloe they were talking about?) and she is incredibly happy with a stay at home mom, a chihahua friend named Bonnie, and an unlimited supply of Beggin Strips. Believe me, Chloe has no desire to come back to the Dawgpatch pack!! But I do miss her every time we all go out to play ball, and when I sit on the steps of the kennel. She would always lay down behind me and act as my backrest.
Tonight I faced my second trial of letting my girls go. I received a call from a lovely lady who lives in Alabama. Not only is she a life long cocker spaniel lover (like me), but she's a retired teacher (like I hope to be soon), and the grandmother of beautiful granddaughters (like me). She lost her 16 year old cocker, Maggie, and tried to fill her void with a two year old named Pebbles. The problem is she has 2 granddaughters she is raising and only one Pebbles, so the girls were constantly fighting over who Pebbles was going to sleep with. She needed another cocker who would like to be loved by a little girl. I told her about Maggie and Kinzi, who have each had 3 litters of puppies and really would rather not go through that again. She fell in love with Maggie's picture and made an appointment to come get her tonight. The family promptly drove in the driveway at 7:00 and all tumbled out of the car to see Maggie and Kinzi playing ball. They immediately went to Maggie, and of course, Kinzi pushed her way right in front of them and crawled in their laps. They immediately fell in love with her, too, and ended up taking both of them. Since Maggie and Kinzi are only 3 months apart and were raised together, that will be perfect for them. They pulled out of the driveway with both pups happily settled in someone's lap and not even as much as a wave for me!!! Oh, the people waved, but not the dogs! I have no doubt that this home will be perfect for them and that they will never find a family who will give them more love. I can't even imagine what it will be like tomorrow, though, when I go out to the kennel to let them run. There will be no Kinzi jumping up to sit in my lap, and no Maggie to lick my face. Of course, there will be 8 others to keep me company, but there will be 2 empty spots, just as there has been for Chloe.
I know in my heart that letting them go is the very best thing I can do for all the dogs. They'll have their own families and I'll have more time to give to the others. But saying good-by is difficult. We've played together and cuddled together and whelped puppies together. Kinzi drowned in our pool when she was 3 months old and we had to resuscitate h
er. She had her last litter of puppies on the couch in the den because she wanted to be in my lap and that was the only way I could get her to relax. They have both earned their retirement and as much love as they can find.
So good-by my beautiful ladies. Be good and make me proud. Enjoy your soft people beds and little girl hugs and kisses. Don't tinkle on the carpet or leave puppy piles in out of the way corners. Keep your ears out of the water dish and don't drip water all over the hardwood floors. Bring them as much joy as you brought me!
This year I've had to learn to accept a different kind of loss. I've finally reached the point of having to find homes for my older dogs outside of our family. The first dogs to retire went to family members and I still see them often. But now I have saturated the family and for the first time I'm letting my precious girls go to homes outside the family. The first to go was Chloe. Now Chloe has her issues. She's terrified of kids and she is a big time barker. She's also a bit of an ankle nipper. That sets some limits on where she can live and who will love her. We had her spayed a couple of years ago after her 5th litter, but had given up on finding her dream family. You see, my dogs only go to homes that are better for them than mine. It has to be a step up for them or they stay with me. Then, out of the blue, I received an email from a lady asking if she was still available. We talked back and forth and finally, in April, I took Chloe to visit Gloria and her family. The family thought she was absolutely beautiful and extremely well behaved (could this be MY Chloe they were talking about?) and she is incredibly happy with a stay at home mom, a chihahua friend named Bonnie, and an unlimited supply of Beggin Strips. Believe me, Chloe has no desire to come back to the Dawgpatch pack!! But I do miss her every time we all go out to play ball, and when I sit on the steps of the kennel. She would always lay down behind me and act as my backrest.
Tonight I faced my second trial of letting my girls go. I received a call from a lovely lady who lives in Alabama. Not only is she a life long cocker spaniel lover (like me), but she's a retired teacher (like I hope to be soon), and the grandmother of beautiful granddaughters (like me). She lost her 16 year old cocker, Maggie, and tried to fill her void with a two year old named Pebbles. The problem is she has 2 granddaughters she is raising and only one Pebbles, so the girls were constantly fighting over who Pebbles was going to sleep with. She needed another cocker who would like to be loved by a little girl. I told her about Maggie and Kinzi, who have each had 3 litters of puppies and really would rather not go through that again. She fell in love with Maggie's picture and made an appointment to come get her tonight. The family promptly drove in the driveway at 7:00 and all tumbled out of the car to see Maggie and Kinzi playing ball. They immediately went to Maggie, and of course, Kinzi pushed her way right in front of them and crawled in their laps. They immediately fell in love with her, too, and ended up taking both of them. Since Maggie and Kinzi are only 3 months apart and were raised together, that will be perfect for them. They pulled out of the driveway with both pups happily settled in someone's lap and not even as much as a wave for me!!! Oh, the people waved, but not the dogs! I have no doubt that this home will be perfect for them and that they will never find a family who will give them more love. I can't even imagine what it will be like tomorrow, though, when I go out to the kennel to let them run. There will be no Kinzi jumping up to sit in my lap, and no Maggie to lick my face. Of course, there will be 8 others to keep me company, but there will be 2 empty spots, just as there has been for Chloe.
I know in my heart that letting them go is the very best thing I can do for all the dogs. They'll have their own families and I'll have more time to give to the others. But saying good-by is difficult. We've played together and cuddled together and whelped puppies together. Kinzi drowned in our pool when she was 3 months old and we had to resuscitate h
er. She had her last litter of puppies on the couch in the den because she wanted to be in my lap and that was the only way I could get her to relax. They have both earned their retirement and as much love as they can find.So good-by my beautiful ladies. Be good and make me proud. Enjoy your soft people beds and little girl hugs and kisses. Don't tinkle on the carpet or leave puppy piles in out of the way corners. Keep your ears out of the water dish and don't drip water all over the hardwood floors. Bring them as much joy as you brought me!
