September 1, 2009

Dog Breeding: Primary Considerations

: Image via Wikipedia

In a small town of Missouri a dispute had arisen over the killing of a dog by a neighbor. After all the witnesses had been heard, a young lawyer by the name of Vest, who later became a United States Senator, got to his feet and addressed the jury on behalf of the owner of the dog.

“The best friend a man has in the world,” said Vest, “may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money a man has he may lose. It flies away from him when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw stones of malice when failure settles its clouds upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

“A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the sores and wounds that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

“If misfortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true, even in death.”

If you can read that without feeling a catch in your throat, or maybe a little moisture about your eyes, dog breeding is not for you. But to those who respond to that eloquent appeal, this volume is inscribed with the intention of lending a helping hand. It is not designed as a handbook for use in the larger kennels, but is inspired by some vivid memories of my own early days in “the game.” Days of trial and error—mostly error.

My intention is to deal with the problems arising from the breeding of dogs, but the novice breeder would do well first to take a little time to study what makes a dog happy and contented—in other words, the main things which influence his life. He asks very little of you, and yet if you will give him these few things, he will repay you a hundredfold. Nor will his repayment be entirely in the form of love and loyalty. If you are breeding dogs, you will soon find that they will give a much more tangible type of gratitude, the type that may be passed through the teller’s wicket at the bank.

There will be many who will laugh at the idea that a man can make a living, or even get by, without having a large kennel. To those I say, should the occasion ever arise when you have to do it, there may be a surprise awaiting you. That was my own experience a few years ago. I found myself unable to carry on my regular work, but I had two dogs and a bitch, besides an old building which I remodeled into a kennel where boarders might be comfortably housed. Thus, between the two litters raised that year, the stud service which my dogs supplied other breeders, and the boarders which I took in and cared for, I managed to keep away from the red side of the ledger.

This is merely cited as a bit of encouragement to beginners who are holding off as a result of financial considerations. These must be given plenty of thought, but if one plans ahead and uses a little imagination, many of the difficulties will vanish. For instance, the food problem can be greatly simplified by becoming friendly with a butcher who does his own killing. Heads and lungs, which ordinarily go into fertilizer, can be a big item in the daily diet of your dogs. Cooking them is work, and if undertaken in a small kitchen may give rise to the exchange of pungent remarks between the members of a marital partnership, but your dogs will appreciate it even if the little lady does not. When mixed with damaged loaves of bread, which may be bought very cheaply from any bakery, this meat and broth more than cut my feed bill in half, and the dogs thrived on the diet. However, do not attempt to feed this alone to your dogs. In conjunction with prepared dog foods it is excellent, but when fed alone it does not supply the necessary vitamins, minerals, and roughage which are contained in the commercial foods. The fact that this meat and bread may be obtained is no news to those who have bred dogs before, but to the utter novice it may be a useful tip.