glenmar
Posted : 5/3/2008 6:13:50 AM
Well, yes, but even a few days can make a huge difference is such a short gestation period.
I used to breed. My vet actually encouraged me to breed my cockers and then introduced me to another breeder. That gal was a Godsend. My vet didn't tell me about genetic testing, proving my dog, etc,etc, etc, but my mentor did. She guided me step by step through the testing, she taught me things I never would have thought to ask. Despite this, I would still have been considered a backyard breeder, although one of the better ones, because I didn't show. The whole show circuit just leaves me cold. But, I had AKC judges as friends through the breed club and I did have validation that my dogs were worthy of being bred. My vet knew a good quality dog when he saw one, but he didn't give me much additional information. I guess he wanted to leave all of that to my mentor. And the whats in it for her answer was that she didn't want to see the breed destroyed, or downgraded. And sadly, there are a whole heck of a lot of very poorly bred cockers that ruin the breed.
I've even had an oppps litter or two. On Sheba's first heat, Thor nailed her through the crate. The result was two little pups who didn't live. On her SECOND heat, my foster son let her out of TWO crates because she wanted to play with Thor.....this was in the time I was in the basement switching laundry for his infant sister from washer to dryer.......and yeah, they played. The result was ONE pup, who is currently curled up at my feet. There have been no more litters. I did not intend to add a third german shepherd. Nor did I intend to add numbers four, five or six. They came from litters I fostered.
So I've been there, done that and bought a tshirt along the way. And yep, I'm still going to try to discourage folks from breeding willy nilly. I'm not judging, and there have been many folks who've come to this forum who have found whelping a bit easier, because of people here. The gal who was earlier referred to as a breeder....gosh guys, I beg to differ. This is a high school kid who let two dogs of different sizes breed and doesn't think it's a big deal that daddy is four pounds bigger than momma. If it were the other way around, not such a big deal, but, in this case, yep, I strongly suggested a spay/abort. Trying to whelp those pups could very easily kill momma and the pups and sadly she hasn't been back to update us.
I have long been active in rescue and fostering. I work with two HS to help raise money to take care of the "throw away" animals. My last pregnant momma who came to me to whelp was a "valuable show dog" yet when she got loose while her owners were vacationing, they spent no effort to find her......a year later they decided to start looking for her and the "valuable" pups. She whelped nine pups. One was stillborn, one died four days later, one collapsed and died at almost five months of a congenital heart issue, another had testicals that never dropped and is a royal pain in the fanny. He was one of TWO runts.....the other is the boy who died at five months.....and both of them needed bottle feeding to supplement because they couldn't get enough milk from momma. Yet another, at almost three, still is leggy as a youngster and hasn't even thought about filling out.......this "valuable show dog" should not have been bred, and I know from folks who know that daddy is another that should not have contributed genetic material to the cause. He too is a "valuable show dog".
I know what I'm doing and have whelped a lot of litters, my own and fosters, and to this day it scares the socks right off me when the time comes. It is NOT easy, it isn't "fun". It's one heck of a lot of hard work and heart ache, even when things go well. And I am HORRIFIED when someone comes on here with a pregnant bitch needing such basic information as how long "it takes" before puppies arrive. Breeding should NOT be taken lightly and as a right. Most people don't pop out babies every nine or ten months because the can, and people who are responsible about breeding find these answers BEFORE the first sperm flies. Not after. They don't let their dogs breed on a whim and then expect strangers to make it easier for them. I'm not a proponant of abortion, so by golly, it's an extreme circumstance that makes me suggest a spay/abort.
But, I will always help people, regardless of how foolish I think they are being, simply because whats done is done and it's about keeping momma and the pups safe and alive. But, yes, I will discourage any way I can, someone who wants to breed "just because", and if I'm not tactful about it, opps. We all have our hot buttons, and the irresponsible breeding of dogs is one of mine.