Doggy Tail...or Tale

Here is an interesting doggy story....

My neighbour Ron, who just lost his 6 yr old Golden Retriver to cancer 4 weeks ago, adopted a 6 year old retired breeding female and picked her up last Saturday. Seems all was going well. Papillon, or Pappi for short, had always lived in a kennel with straw in a barn on a breeding farm to those who only bred Goldens. She’d never been housetrained, never slept in a bed, never climbed stairs, never met another dog breed other then Goldens, never been in a car etc etc. How happy was she to meet Ron….I met her onTuesday and she adores her new owner. She’d listen to him and wag, and rub up against him affectionately waiting to be told what to do and be petted. And why wouldn’t she, he is so nice and you can tell he adores animals.

“Well all was going well” he said when I met him Tuesday with Pappi, but he said she was acting strange, digging, etc. Abby (my usually cranky terrier) seemed to like her and was sniffing her "thingy" (or doggy vajayjay) and I asked if she was coming into heat, as Abby knows these things having had heats and a litter of pups herself. He said he didn't think she was. But he thought, she acting strange today digging a lot and just being off.

Well I dropped off my pooches today at doggy daycare where they know Ron, as they used to groom Riley (the one he lost recently) and I was telling the doggie daycare lady about his issues with the new dog. I was saying how he has to treat her as if she were a rescue, be patient etc. Well she said "she's doing fine now". I said "why....."

Well turns out Pappi had 2 puppies last night .....they were born April 30th...hence why she was acting weird and digging the other day (she was nesting, getting ready to give birth). And ...funny Abby knew......that was why she was sniffing her so intently.

Anyways, apparently the puppies are doing well, and Pappi is a good mommy. Ron, her new owner, is dotting on her and babies. And he's keeping all 3 dogs. Apparently the breeder didn't know she was prego...GIVE ME A BREAK...she either knew and didn't want to deal with it, or she/he are TERRIBLE breeders. They just lost a WAD of cash through their stupidity. I mean, I had a pregnant dog in my house you KNOW they are pregnant. I won’t go into details why you know, just trust me that you figure it out. And being breeders with experience you’d think before they sell her off as a retired dog, they’d check her over…HELLO not hard to tell at that point.

Well at least he is getting his money's worth eh? Now he has Pappi and two wee wriggly little puppies...many laughs await him!

Now, can I rant about backyard breeders (which this one must be in this case) and puppy mills. They make me sick to my stomach. That is why when we bought ours or were looking into buying ours we not only researched the breed, but also where to buy. If a breeder says “yes, come right away I have many puppies right now”, or they say “I sell Goldens, and Bichons, and Yorkies, and this and that and that…” walk away….they are either backyard breeders or puppy mills out to make a prophet. The poor dogs live in terrible conditions and all they do is breed in small enclosures…..NEVER buy from them or pet stores (who get their puppies from puppy mills etc and JACK UP the prices). Do your research. Not only will you get a more healthy dog who will probably live longer, but you will be supporting those who truly care about dogs. If a breeder is grilling you and interviewing you and deciding if you are worthy to have one of their dogs, THAT is a good breeder.

The breeder of my dogs is an amazing woman. We went through that process with her Wire Fox Terriers, and she even admited to me that if she doesn't like a person, she will try and stear them away from wanting a Fox Terrier. (that is nice of her, some will actually say "no you are not worthy to have one of my dogs")

When my dog Abby had her litter of 7 puppies a year and a half ago, my breeder took a week off work (she raises the puppies in her house). One of the pups was lame for a time, and would have normally died. My breeder got up every 2 hours and personally held him to my dog Abby to make sure he fed. She’d mix up pablum with evaporated milk and water at 4 weeks to transition the puppies to food. She’d get into the room on the floor and play with them on the floor. She kept saying how she’d just love to keep all of them (of course you can’t that would be madness). And she treated my dog with so much love and affection as if she were her own, I thought Abby wouldn’t come home – Abby wanted to come home, still even though she does like to go visit my breeders house and gets all excited…YAY she loves us. Anyways, that is the way it should be done…with care and love, and health and all.

I am glad I met my breeder…..she’ll be my dog supplier until she breeds dogs no more….plus that means Tim and I will always have a wee bit of Abby in our lives for years to come even after her time has come. That is pretty rare and special actually.

So the lesson today boys and girls...do your research, don't buy from backyard breeders, petstores, or puppy mills...lets put those bad people out of business!!!!