A family member asked me why I raise puppies (periodically) - is it seeing "the miracle of birth" that motivates me? The question was less philosophical and more out of concern because she then said, "because it makes you so tired..."
Tired doesn't scratch the surface of it the first time you go through it. In a perfect world, things just work. My dog Bethany does not subscribe to Perfect World magazine. Her first litter she started birthing late at night, and then stopped for six hours - which is not ideal, right? And I had to move her, and that one pup to the vet's office where they gave her a shot of "pop em out quicker" for dogs. So in the space of three hours she had a litter of 7. We lost the youngest two because they weighed in at 4 and 4.5 ounces respectively when they should have been 7 or 8 ounces.
Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot, I thought. The second time she had a litter, she had something called "placenta previa" which caused the vet to say: "I think you should bring her in for a cesarean section." They do that? Oh, yes. Ka-ching. to the cost of the sale price of two puppies. But at least we saved the whole litter and the momma dog.
This third litter was the FIRST litter for my princess Madeline. Madeline is from Bethany Pearl's litter. She is a feisty, alpha personality like, well, kind of like ME. LOL. Her full name is Madeline Grace Pearl. I have written about her before in an earlier blog. I will tell you what I said to her as her due date approached: can we PLEASE do this like the farm dogs do, namely AT HOME and WITHOUT COMPLICATION?
She revved up all day Saturday. I sat like a nervous grandmother in the basement as she walked around panting. By Sunday afternoon at two, my nerves were starting to fray. She "asked" to go out to the back yard, yet again. Then I realized (oh by the way, if you aren't good with "earthy" descriptions, stop here and go watch Wheel of Fortune for a while. LOL.) She wanted to go outside because she felt pressure and knew that I didn't want her to do #2 (poo) in the house. Only the pressure wasn't #2. It was a puppy, I ushered her back inside and again out came his little white and black head and I reached to take him and just turned him slightly and bam! I was holding him, wiggling and ready to go. I named him Valor because it takes bravery to be the first one. We cleaned him up and waited about an hour and a half before #2 puppy came ... and then a while later for #3.
Two black pups with white necks - almost identical - Moonlight Sonata and Bonnie Dream.
Frankly, I thought we were done at #3. It was just taking longer than I thought. But, as the great Vintner's say: "We sell NO wine before Its Time." And they are right. So my friend Donna came over to visit to see if I was still in one piece. We were standing in my kitchen and I was eating toaster waffles - famished and a little light-headed. Madeline left her pups downstairs and came bounding up into the kitchen, circled in front of me and -splat - dropped puppy #4 on my floor. I finished chewing the waffle and wryly remarked, "I don't think I will ever feel the same about toaster waffles." Madeline and I worked together, each in our own way to clean up Monte Carlo - a beautiful black male puppy.
We went back downstairs and I called my mother as I cradled Monte in one hand and toweled him with the other. Donna asked me, "Hey, did you put the white dog in the kennel with Madeline?" No. Did you? He should be in the willow basket with the others. I looked at Madeline in the kennel, kind of almost smirking at me, a white and black puppy at her side. I lifted the towel on the willow basket and said, Valor's right here. And the new white pup who has two solid black ears, Oreo, was with Madeline in the kennel.
After a few minutes, Donna asked if I was okay for her to go. I was probably looking drained - it was about 8:30 or 9:00 pm. I had been on "Dog Time" all weekend - even sleeping in the basement with Madeline - and was thinking it had all been just swell..... So Donna went home to her family. At about 9:30 or so, Madeline had been settled in the black kennel starting to nurse the new pups when she just flew out and over the kennel board, turned into the next room and splat dropped the final puppy on the floor. Only this time it was different.
She was in her amniotic sack - which functions a lot like a protective space capsule for the journey - and she was not moving. I mean, not moving at all. She was very, very cool to the touch. Her paws were limp and her little chest did not move at all either. Madeline and I looked at each other. I made the call on our game plan: Mad, you've got to help me and we've got to work fast, lick this puppy, lick her face. I began rapidly toweling this limp body to be dry. I slid my pinky in her mouth to clear any obstruction. I blew at her face. I spoke to her. I talked to God. I begged this lifeless puppy - who was full size and kind of long - "come back to us, we love you; we want you to be with us...."
Anyone else would have just laid her aside and said, "Well, laws of nature. Stuff happens." It was the longest ten or fifteen minutes of my life. Madeline and I worked together as if we had been born for this moment. She kept licking the pup's face. I kept drying and massaging and begging and praying. Finally, I stopped and the pup coughed. "come on, come on. we're here. you're going to love it." and SHE BREATHED HER FIRST.
Isn't that such a great phrase, compared to "and she breathed her last" - my heart filled ... and so did my eyes. VICTORIA. All I can think about in my stray moments is how amazing it feels to be part of the process of bringing life. Well, that, and which of my photos I want put on my holycard when I am made a canonized saint in a few decades. St. Francis can stand at the bird bath. I want to be at the whelping kennel. This is my joy.
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p.s. to those of you dog breeders who said to do this in a kiddie pool I can tell you that we SAT in the kiddie pool (no water of course) all day Saturday and that just felt not right. She needed to move around. And I needed a reason to clean all the floors in my house I guess. I'm on Dog Time - whatever they want. I just am here to make it happen.
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ps#2. above image is a stock photo; not one of my dogs.
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