Breeder’s Poem

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
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 8.
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 Breeders lap is a marvelous place where
generations of proud  and noble champions once
snoozed.
A Breeders hands are strong and firm and often
soiled, but ever  so gentle and sensitive to thrusts
of a puppy’s wet nose.
A Breeders 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
Championship.
A Breeders shoulders are stooped and often
heaped with the abuse of competitors, but they are
wide enough to support the weight of a thousand
defeats and frustrations.
A Breeders arms are always able to wield a
mop, support an  armful of puppies, or lend a
helping hand to a newcomer.
A Breeders ears are wondrous 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 Breeders eyes are often blurred from pedigree
research and  sometimes blind to her own dogs
faults, and are always searching for the perfect
specimen.
A Breeders brain is foggy on faces, but can
recall a pedigree  faster than a Mac computer.
It’s so full of knowledge and can  sometimes blow
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 Breeders 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!