Unless there’s some groundswell of support for Dove’s B litter to be produced this fall, I will probably postpone it indefinitely.  There are so few reasons to do it and so many not to.

First, I don’t need or want another pup.  I can’t keep another dog, don’t have the time, money or energy to train more dogs than I can hunt.  Right now, Colt and Winnie are in the waning years for hunting, Dove is probably at her peak, and Diva is up-and-coming.

Money is a minor issue.  I’ll throw every potential dime I would receive selling pups back into the litter.  I want the best stud, regardless of location and the best of everything for Dove and her pups.  Is it wise for me to spend a couple grand more than I take in, especially when I can’t even point to a pup for myself?

I’m already tired of dealing with the people especially the whining non-hunters, the novices, and the tire-kickers.  But I’ve had more than my fair share of problems with owners. 

Look, I’m an emotional guy.  I invest myself in these pups.  They aren’t some product to me; they are flesh-and-blood dogs who happen to also support my passion for hunting and NAVHDA. 

I’ve had one pup who had to be rescued when her owner’s health failed.  It took weeks to convince the guy to give her up.  I didn’t sleep much at all the whole time.  I’ve had two other folks tell me they couldn’t keep the pups only to change their mind.  Two of these events were open items at Christmas.  I had one of the most depressing holidays ever.

I’m not well set up for whelping pups or keeping more dogs than I have now.  I look forward to the day that I have a better location and facilities, but right now, I don’t.

On the positive side, I do enjoy the process and exercise of breeding and whelping.  The pups from my first litter are almost exactly as I predicted they would be, and hitting your mark is exciting. 

I have met some great folks along the way, and my life is better for that.

Dr. Amanda advises me that I’m risking a nasty infection for Dove each heat cycle I skip.  Part of the procedure to cure that is emergency hysterectomy.  Dove cranks through her cycle a bit faster than most bitches do.  So breeding her might actually be better for her health.

I think it would be a rewarding experience to have a litter with Amanda involved.  OK, so you know, most of the time she’s just Amanda, when she’s giving her professional opinion, she’s Dr. Amanda.  There’s no separating the woman from the veterinarian, but she is so much more than just a veterinarian.  There are conversations about animals where we stand on somewhat equal footing and many, many others where vet school, residency, and years in private practice clearly trump my knowledge.

Anyway, that’s where my thinking is right now.  Obviously any of several little factors could change and I’d be right back in the swing of things.  If you have an opinion on the subject, I wouldn’t mind hearing it.