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 gives up the dreams of a long, luxurious cruise
in favor of turning that all important show into this years "vacation."
A 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.
A Breeder skips dinner parties because that litter is due
or 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 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 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 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.
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 wonderous 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 Breeder's eyes are blurred from pedigree research
and sometimes blind to her own dog's faults,
but they are ever so keen to the competitions 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.
A 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!!
--Author unknown

When I am Old . . .
I shall wear Turquoise and soft gray sweatshirts...
and a bandana over my silver hair.....
and I shall spend my Social Security Checks on
Sweet Wine and My Dogs......
and sit in my house on my well-worn chair
and listen to my dog's breathing.

I will sneak out in the middle of a warm Summer night
and take my dogs for a run, if my old bones will allow...
and when people come to call,
I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs...
and talk of them and about them...
The Ones so Beloved of the Past
and the Ones so Beloved of Today....

I still will work hard cleaning after them
and mopping and feeding them
and whispering their names in a soft, loving way.
I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a jewel
and I will be an embarrassment to all...
and my family...
who have not yet found the peace
in being free to have dogs as your Best Friends....

These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall...
and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep,
to greet you as if you are a God.
With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will stay
and their big, strong necks...
and kiss their dear sweet heads...
and whisper to their very special company....

I look in the Mirror...
and see I am getting old....
this is the kind of woman I am...
and have always been.
Loving dogs is easy,
they are part of me,
accept me for who I am,
my dogs appreciate my presence in their lives...
when I am old this will be important to me...
you will understand when you are old....
and if you have dogs to love too.