Breeding With A Heart "A puppy is on it's way! I always get so excited to be the first to welcome the newest Wild Wood Acre Schnoodle baby into the World. Being a breeder I never get bored with watching life begin. I sit sometimes for days, even falling asleep by the whelping box waiting for signs that labor will begin. Yes, I know that a dog knows naturally what to do but I worry about the "what if's" and the guilt of not knowing haunts me. Besides I'm a litttle selfish with wanting to be the first by my dogs side to welcome and hold the precious life. Always careful to open up the sacs and tying off the cords that the pup has been growing in for 63 days. Letting Mom lick and clean her new baby and giving Mom praise for a job well done. June 18th....a PUPPY is on it's way! After waiting for four days and dragging myself to the side of the whelping box which holds a Mother past her due date. At this moment I run on pure Adrenaline and for as long as the litter takes I will be right by Mom's side. Five gorgeous baby girls are born and all are feisty and feeding already, all but one who pulls on my heart strings....A Runt! Some breeders cull these pups out and although they would never admit to it...I know it is still probably done. Not me..this is a "gift". I look ahead at the night feedings and the extra care and cleaning that a runt requires. The watchful eye that is a must because these small pups can become victims of nature so fast. "Boy is she tiny" I have heard this from everyone who see's her. Even my husband assures me with kind words that she may not make it to no fault of my own but her her mere tiny size. Peanut...what else do you call one so small. Naming a pup makes me bond more, that's when I walk on deadly ground because I can bond too much. Not that it's bad it just makes separation day at 8 weeks a lot harder to deal with. Peanut is doing very well and is now 4 weeks old. The bottle feedings have paid off and she is surely a handful although not yet a handful by size. Her siblings are now 1/3 bigger then her. Peanut is now "Mouse" because it suits her at 6 weeks as her sisters are now double her size. She is under my watchful eye always at my side sleeping over my arm as i sit at the keyboard. She likes to type! Pouncing on the keyboard and loving the sound it makes, she writes out her own Hello's. Seven weeks old and going to the vets. I take all my pups to our vet to get their shots and a once over to make sure they are all healthy. "Boy is she tiny" I pull Mouse out of the basket last dreading that huge needle poking such a small pup. I'm getting use to strangers first reactions to my small "gift". She attracks a lot of attention and knows how to work a crowd with ease. Some strangers think she is sick only because she is so small. NOT my girl, she can rip apart the pages of any magazine as if she is protecting me from a ferocious beast.ONLY .35 of a kg, that's only 12 ounces at 7 weeks old and her sisters are now over double her size. Passing over my application of approved families for one of our pups and not one stands out as a place I can safely let Mouse go to. Screen all my families for one of our pups is a job I don't take lightly. These are not just anyone's but pups I have spent every day with raising so carefully for their big day. Social butterflies that will jump into anyone's lap at 8 weeks old. They have the confidence to take on the world with one paw, their confidence over exceeds their size. Everyone of our pups have been placed in a loving home or are about to leave....everyone but Mouse...I still haven;t found the right home at 8 weeks for my tiny "gift". She has checked out 100% healthy at the vets and is so playful although she sleeps more for her age. She crawls across my desk which holds her bed and snuggles into the crease of my arm instead..her preferred sleeping spot. Still under my close eye she continues to gain weight and get the nourishments she needs to continue to do well."How?" How do you let go of something that was so small at birth that even I had doubts about whether she would make it to 8 weeks. Every pup is hard to say good-bye to but it helps knowing the families will picked will continue to love the pups we have raised. Sometimes your heart gets in the way and saying "good-bye" is no longer an option. At least that's the way I raise my pups...with heart and Mouse is my baby and deep down I think I knew from birth that she was my "gift". "Mouse has aways been Home." Please Click Here To Continue With Mouse. |
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| Newborn Mouse 4 ounces |
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| Mouse 6 Weeks and 10 ounces |