One of the greatest joys of being a breeder is when there is new life. Watching a puppy be born is such an awesome experience, from the nurturing of momma to the puppy’s first taste of milk. I (Steve) always dream of the family that is going to bring the puppy home and love and care for it. Is this puppy going to have kids to run around with and help raise? Maybe this puppy will be with a retired couple and live the easy life in front of the fireplace. Maybe he/she will live in Florida or Canada or California…It’s so fun to dream of the future for the puppy and even more fun to watch it happen!
But, along with the joys of new life is the harsh reality of death. We realize death is a part of life, but it is NEVER easy. Recently we lost a week old puppy. She was the smallest in the litter but she was tenacious and we loved that about her. She gained weight, loved to nurse, loved to cuddle and we thought she was going to grow up and be a really nice Lab. But, over a 12 hr period, she took a turn and wasn’t thriving. Nothing we, or our vet, could do helped her and we lost her. It’s so, so hard when that happens. Momma new it too, she howled and had a hard time for a couple of hours. It’s no fun at all.
With saying that, we came to realize a truth again that we’ve been taught several times over the years. It’s the Bible verse at the top of this blog. We are believers in God and have a strong faith in Him. When a litter of puppies are born, we always pray that they will be happy, healthy labs and that they will bring happiness, love and protection to their forever families. There’s a peace that comes over us in the midst of the pain of losing a puppy because we know that God is in control. Sometimes (a lot of times) that is hard to understand but we just simply believe it anyway.
I just wanted to make a short post about this, maybe as encouragement to myself or anyone reading this who has dealt with loss of any kind. I know this doesn’t end with just puppies. Well, God bless and Happy New Year!