l love delivering puppies. It always amazes me that moments before they were born, they were safe in their mama. I love that I am the first hands that hold your puppy and my voice is the first words they hear when I speak to it quietly right after birth. When I was a child, I once watched my 4-H leader deliver a litter of shelties. My family adopted one of the puppies and I knew that someday, I wanted to do that, too. While I find many animal things *gross,* I never think of any puppy birth as anything other than amazing biology and science. Each puppy is born in its own unique sack with an attached placenta. It is my job to help mama clean off the puppies, clamp the umbilicus, and suction any fluid from their lungs until they offer a robust squeal. I then place the puppies next to mama to start nursing. Hearing them suckle makes it all worthwhile.
Breeding dogs is not for the faint of heart. It is hard and exhausting. If I had a nickel for every piece of poo I have picked up in the last 16 years, I would be retired! When a mama is near her due date, I wake up every 2 hours to check on her so she is not delivering on her own. I have missed Christmas dinner, fun parties (sorry John and Amy Stehr! I will never forgive myself for missing THAT party!), and more nights of sleep than I care to admit but is it worthwhile? 100% yes!
I hope you love our puppies just as much as I do!