Our beautiful Sussex Spaniel puppies went to their new homes last week. I usually place them a little later, but these were big, bold, smart, active puppies and they were ready to be in their forever homes. This was our first litter of Sussex. They were quite an adventure - so very different from Pembroke Welsh Corgis, but still wonderful in all the ways that puppies are wonderful.
At an early age, they were definitely SUSSEX. They had the fur, the shape, the attitude, the demeanor. It really helped us see so much about BREED TYPE and how very important individual breeds are. Our Pembroke puppies are so active and they immediately display herding behavior with each other, their toys, their mother. We've never had any puppies other than Pembrokes before. The Sussex were so much mellower as tots. They snuffled and sniffed along the ground like good spaniels. They played together with less conflict than Pems, their coats were soft and silky. I could finally see how very specific breed characteristics are displayed so early in their little lives. They were still sweet and smelled like heaven, but they were so different.
We were fortunate to have some outstanding referrals for our pups and I felt very positive about the people who were buying them. Yes, I said buying. NOT adopting. I still believe children are adopted not pets. I WANT people to buy my pups. It shows commitment, it shows purpose and intent. The people who got my pups are amazing and loving owners. The act of placing puppies is probably the hardest part of breeding a litter. It's that moment where all the work put into planning the litter, the breeding, the whelping, the heartbreak of a little one not making it, the hours and hours of watching, feeding, cleaning, all that goes into a rearing a litter comes to fruition. It's the hardest and the most rewarding moment of all.
So, why do I breed dogs? The joy of owning a well bred, purebred dog is something that should be available to those who want one and are willing to commit to owning. Yes, shelter dogs are by and large good dogs and deserving of good homes. There are rescues deserving of good homes as well, but what we saw with this first litter of Sussex is the incredible diversity and uniqueness of individual breeds of dogs. The characteristics that make them Sussex, Pembrokes, GSD's, Poodles are worth saving and passing on. It's not easy. In a breed like Sussex where the gene pool is small, where getting a good momdog who freewhelps and rears her pups well is difficult, it can be heartbreaking. We have tried four times with our other Sussex, and it's been heartwrenching to see her miscarry a litter of pups, to carry toys around as if they were her puppies. It's been hard to wait years for this one precious litter of puppies.
The art of breeding and raising a well socialized litter of pups is just that, an art. The breeders that raise pups well and then have to part with them are, in my opinion, the most unselfish group of people I know. And yes, I'm kind of tooting my own horn here. I have people always ask - "how can you do it? I could never let them go, I'd love them too much". It's kind of hurtful actually. It implies that we, as breeders, don't quite love them enough and can therefore "let them go". Nothing could be further from the truth. The bittersweet truth is that we all weep when our pups move on. We all mourn the loss of those precious little souls in our immediate lives, but at the same time we see the joy and love they bring to their new homes. I watched a grown man tear up when he held his new pup for the first time and it made my heart take wing to know I had a hand in bringing him that joy. Bruce and I spent 10 weeks making sure his new pup would be affectionate, open to new experiences, loving, and strong. We spent 5 years planning the breeding that would genetically predispose that puppy to BE loving and strong and healthy.
I knew the day those pups were born, they would be going to new homes. I knew there were people out there who had been waiting and hoping that someone like me and others would breed a litter of Sussex (or Pembrokes or Cardis, etc) so they could have one. The longest trip in my life began on 12/22 and ended on 3/6. The drive was simply the final chapter. I was fortunate enough to have my dear friend Patty on the trip with me. Her unfailing good humor and support kept me from simply pulling off the road after I transferred the pups and disappearing. It breaks my heart every time we place pups. There is a hole that never really fills, each puppy is so unique and so special. The joy that they bring to their new families help to heal the pain that letting them go brings.
That is why I breed dogs. I LOVE Sussex Spaniels. I LOVE Pembroke Welsh Corgis. I believe that our lives would be so diminished without them. I believe that the unique qualities that each breed brings to us is worth saving. I don't believe that only random bred dogs should be left and purebreds disappear. There is room for both. As long as there are people willing to love their breeds and stand up to the animal rights activists who would take that away from us, we can succeed. So let's hear it for the breeders of well bred purebred dogs. If you love a specific breed, do not be ashamed, do not apologize. Support the breeding of purebreds in a world that has room for random and purposefully bred dogs. Don't fall for the myth of overpopulation, don't fall for the myth of "hybrid" vigor, FALL for the dog you WANT to bring into your home.
Clarkens Ruby Tuesday with her new "grandbaby"
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