"You Call Yourself a Breeder" Part 2: Is Everything Perfect?
© 2004 Maureen Laughlan

Your girl is a purebred. She is a registered with the national kennel club. She has achieved her Conformation Champion. She is a healthy, happy, quality representative of her breed. She is from a ten generation pedigree of similar Champions. Her bloodlines have been proven for health, soundness, longevity, temperament, and intelligence. She is working on her Obedience and Agility titles. If you had more time you would love to enter her in other activities that would show off her style, her prowess, and her intelligence. She excels as the companion dog of the household, plays with the kids, and goes hiking and swimming with the family.

You have read articles, magazines, and books, on different types of dogs, covering many canine topics. You have done in-depth research on your breed in particular. You have attended dog shows, trials and sporting events to learn about all about your breed. You have joined dog clubs and volunteered at events. Your dog accompanies you everywhere and is an asset in your community. You feel that you are mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to take on the challenges of breeding and whelping.

You have studied the genetic problems of this breed. You have had this girl tested for everything that is known to cause problems for her breed. You know how lucky you are that this one passed all those health tests. You know it is important that all the test results be made public. You were happy to register her results with the open databases; especially after having posted disappointing results of other dogs that were removed from any breeding program and placed in loving pet homes. You willingly allow DNA of your dogs for research purposes and you encourage others to support research on your breed.

Your girl is over two years old and this is not her first season. She has a wonderful temperament. She is a good weight and has fantastic muscle development. She has had a recent Veterinarian check-up and has passed with flying colors. You have planned this breeding in advance. You are prepared to pay the costs of sending your girl to the stud or shipping his semen to you. You know the breeding, whelping and puppy raising costs will be exorbitant! You know you are ready for another puppy and you have homes lined up for the other puppies in this litter. You know that you are breeding to improve the breed.

You spent months is searching for the right stud dog. You researched the pedigrees and the open databases. You reviewed statistics and video information on the chosen boy. You watched his movement, both coming and going, and in the side profile. You have seen him or you have spoken to other informed and trusted sources. You discussed the potential breeding with people who know the stud dog and who have put their hands on him to determine his body beneath the showy coat. You have seen his health documentation. You know how he acts in the show ring, in the home, in the field, with other dogs and with other people.

You know you are a part of a team. Your team consists of you and your dog, the stud dog and his owner, your veterinarian and his resource people, your breed club and the national registration agencies for health and welfare of the dogs.

You support your girl, even more emotionally than financially. You feed her the best food available and see she gets sufficient exercise. You watch over the pregnancy. You view ultrasound results and late pregnancy x-rays. You assist the whelping process and delight in each birth. You register all the puppies in the litter. You care for the litter as important family members. You record their weights and daily activity level. You socialize the litter. You bring in an independent puppy tester and record the results. You fall in love with each puppy. You arrange several interviews with prospective homes and you turn down the ones that are not appropriate for any given puppy. You sign contracts with guarantees for the health of each puppy. Every puppy leaves with a spay or neuter agreement or the contract contains restricted breeding rights. Your puppies will share a lifetime in their new home or come back to you. You cry as each puppy goes out the door with a bit of your heart attached to it.