A
Breeder is one who sacrifices personal interests,
finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture,
and deep pile carpeting!
The
Breeder gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious
cruise in favor of turning that all important
Show into this year's "vacation".
The
Breeder goes without sleep (but never without
coffee!) in the hours spent planning a breeding
or watching anxiously over the birth process,
and afterwards, over every little sneeze, wiggle
or cry.
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The
Breeder skips dinner parties because that
litter is due or the babies have to be
fed at eight.
The
Breeder disregards birth fluids and puts
mouth to mouth to save a gasping new-born,
literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless
creature that may be the culmination of
a lifetime of dreams.
A
Breeder's lap is a marvelous place where
generations of proud and noble champions
once snoozed.
A
Breeder's hands are strong and firm and
often soiled, but ever so gentle and sensitive
to the thrusts of a puppy's wet nose.
A
Breeder's back and knees are usually arthritic
from stopping, 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
Breeder's 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.
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A
Breeder's arms are always able to wield a mop,
support an armful of puppies, or lend a helping
hand to a newcomer.
A
Breeder's ears are wondrous things, sometimes
red (from begin 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
Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research
and sometimes blind to his own dog's faults,
but they are ever so keen to the competition's
faults and are always searching for the perfect
specimen.
A
Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can
recall pedigrees faster than an IBM computer.
It's so full of knowledge that sometimes it
blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good
bonings, fine ears, and perfect heads...and
buries in the soul the failures and the ones
that didn't turn out.
The
Breeder's 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!!
Credit:
Peggy Adamson: www.waterstrike-retrievers.com
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