05/29/2026
A Breeder 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!
-Author Unknown
