12/05/2025
THIS! This is everything I feel every day! Very well said!
What I Thought Breeding Would Be vs. What It Actually Is
When I first decided I wanted to be a breeder, I honestly thought it would look like this:
Cuddling puppies.
Taking cute photos.
Placing them with happy families.
And maybe making a little extra money doing something I loved.
What I didn’t realize back then was just how little I knew.
All I really knew was this:
I loved dogs. And I wanted to be surrounded by them.
What I didn’t know was the weight that would come with that love.
I didn’t know what it would feel like to sit on the floor in the middle of the night, exhausted, watching a tiny chest rise and fall, praying everything would be okay.
I didn’t know what it would feel like to walk out of a vet office with tears streaming down my face because the news wasn’t what I hoped for.
I didn’t know what it would feel like to say “no” to families I cared about because the right thing hurt more than the easy thing.
I didn’t know what it would feel like to wash a dog from my program that I loved with my whole heart.
I didn’t know how many nights I’d lose sleep, how many times I’d panic in silence, how many moments I’d have where the responsibility felt so heavy it took my breath away.
And I definitely didn’t know how much being a breeder would come with judgment.
Being looked down on for the breed I chose.
Being told my dogs are “just a trend.”
Being accused of motives that don’t match my heart.
Being dismissed, discredited, and disrespected by people who have never stood where I stand or carried what I carry.
That part hurts more than I ever expected.
Because for me, breeding isn’t about a label. It isn’t about a registry. It isn’t about winning arguments online.
It’s about these lives.
It’s about mothers trusting me with their bodies and their babies.
It’s about families trusting me with their hearts.
It’s about knowing that every puppy I help bring into this world will matter to someone forever.
I thought breeding was about puppies.
But it’s not.
It’s about responsibility.
It’s about sacrifice.
It’s about carrying joy and heartbreak at the same time.
It’s about being strong when no one sees it.
It’s about being soft in a world that can be cruel.
There have been days I’ve wanted to quit.
Days I felt misunderstood.
Days I felt like no matter how hard I tried, it would never be enough for some people.
And then there are the moments that remind me why I’m here.
The family that meets their puppy for the first time and cries.
The child who finally sleeps at night because their best friend is curled up beside them.
The messages that come years later with updates and photos and thank-yous I never expected to receive.
The dogs I bred living full, loved, beautiful lives.
Those moments don’t show up in anyone’s assumptions.
They don’t show up in the noise.
They don’t show up in the judgment.
They show up in my heart.
Breeding is not what I thought it would be.
It is harder than I imagined.
Heavier than I expected.
More emotional than I ever prepared for.
But it is also more meaningful than I ever dreamed.
And even when my choice of breed is questioned, even when my heart feels tired, even when the world is loud…
I still choose this.
I still choose them.
Every single time.
