my beloved Delilah

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:09:00 +0000

This blog is one of the hardest things I have ever had to write about, one of the hardest things I have ever had to go thru in 30 plus years in raising, showing or competing with my dogs. As I sit here to write it with tears running down my face, trying to control my body from wracking with sobs, I know I need to write it for

1. My Boston Baby Buddies Families who follow and know my dogs and how much I love them.

2. To make a point to those people who contact me and want to know why I do not sell my puppies with full registration for breeding, with their comments of “ I am paying for the dog it is my decision whether I breed it or not”, “oh I want my kids to see puppies being born”, “ I heard it makes a better dog to have a litter”, “ I am not going to breed but I want that option”, “my friends told me if I was going to pay for a dog and not rescue one I needed to get the Full Registration Papers, but I am not going to register it or breed”, or the classic “ what you just don’t want anyone else to make any money on dogs” (Sorry Buddy but if you are a good breeder you don’t make any money on dogs, it all goes right back to the dogs and not in your pocket!! Only breeders who cut all the corners make anything and I surely do not want my precious babies ending up there)

Raising any kind of Pet the right way takes, Love, Time, Dedication, Money, Diligence, Patience, giving up of time off, vacations, Sleep and more. Most breeders will not let you know about the hard or bad parts of raising dogs. They hide it away not telling anyone but maybe some other breeders. Since I am all about being an Educator I must share the good and the bad, and hope that I can educate in all my experiences. If thru this blog I can change your mind about wanting to breed your dog for money or just for the heck of it, then it will be worth my struggling thru to tell you what has devastated my heart this weekend.

Most Vets will tell you the mortality rate in newborns can be quite high. I have been blessed that most of the time here, and in all my 30 some years of doggies the mortality rate has been very low. What you DO NOT expect is to lose your beloved Momma Dog, which until Sat night has never happened to me.

My Beautiful Delilah, known affectionally as Miss D, my Deegan/Baby Daughter, my crazy as a puppy to make you pull your hair but as an adult was the best, no chewing up anything, no digging, loved everyone and every animal here especially the cat when he would run for her to chase him, no barking but would give you her famous Woo Woo Woo when she would see you to let you know how happy she was passed away on Sat. night while having her babies.

I check my dogs that are due and who have new babies about every hour to hour and a half during the night. Right now I am pretty sleep deprived as I have had a couple of litters so it has been a while since I have slept thru the night. I put out everyone in the house to potty at 11:30 PM and got ready to sleep for a while. I checked at 11:45 Miss D and Misty were both laying in really funny positions. Misty with her face in the empty water dish, and D on her back snoring with all four feet in the air. I tip toed out and grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of Misty who was the closest, and was going to snap one of D but the flash woke her up and she moved into a different position.

I went to bed and dozed off for less than 40 mins. and got up to check them at about 12:20. I peeked in not expecting anything and heard a newborn fussing. I looked at Delilah’s bed and there was a new wet puppy in the box, but she was laying outside of it away from the puppy. I thought that was weird ,but I have some moms who will jump out and have another baby outside the box and then back in with the new baby to keep from stepping on the babies they have already had. I apologized to her for not being there for the first baby, and happily gathered up my towels, and bulber, and the things I needed, plugged in the heating pad and light, all the time talking to D and telling her how exciting it was and what a good Mom she was. As I opened her house and noticed she hadn’t moved, and there were two piles of something, I thought she had gone to the bathroom and quickly moved to change her bedding, later I would find out they were huge blood clots, and she still did not move. I knew immediately something was wrong. I took her face in my hands to look in her eyes, asking her what was happening and saw she had broken a blood vessel in the side of one eye, from pushing I guess. I know that happens in women. I looked at the puppy and he was a small guy and she was an experienced mom so I was confused. She should have had no problem with him. My next step was to look at her gums. They were white. I started to cry and pray for her at the same time. I ran and grabbed my phone and called the emergency line at the Vets, it has now been less than 10 mins since I got up and saw the new baby. I told the service I needed an emergency C section and had a Mom in trouble with white gums. She put me on hold and went to page the Vet on Call. Delilah in the mean time got up and went in her box with the baby. “OH Thank God!” I thought maybe that is a good sign as I continued praying while on hold. The service came on and said he hadn’t answered but would call me back. She said here is another number of an Emergency Vet an hour away. I said “Hell No I am on my way there tell the doctor when he calls you back”. I ran for a bra and tee, shoved my phone in my pocket grabbed my keys and went to pick her up. She passed away in my arms before I could get to the door. Her belly full of unborn babies and only 10 mins of me getting up, less than an hour from her snoring away on her back.

Needless to say my heart is broken in pieces, and I am grieving the loss of one of my best furry friends. I whelped her as a new born in my hands, and raised her up for 3 years. This was to be her last litter and she was not even supposed to be bred. She was a sneaky girl and when I was away in Bishop for less than 24 hours, she took advantage of Brian cleaning and got herself preggers.

Her mom was the dog who got the Boston Terrier the Part of Georgia in Hotel For Dogs and her Dad was the Dog who played the part. She was the funniest clownish dogs I have here. She was a wonderful Mom and LOVED her babies. She was just going into Flyball Training and was a very very good girl. She will be missed and loved here forever!!! Her and her babies Lost will be forever etched into my memory and heartache. This is the part of having Furry Family members that makes me not to have any. It is hard to lose a puppy, but it is not expected and devasting to lose your mommy that you are bonded too and loved on for years.

I have since found from talking to Vets that her Uterus ruptured and there was nothing I could have done any different to save her. It is rare but happens with no warning. Even if you lived 10 mins. from a Vet you probably could not save them. Why it happened to my beloved Delilah I will never know, only God does. Brian said at least she is with her babies, yes and she is forever loving on them in heaven over the rainbow bridge. I would not ever thought I would or my dog would have to go thru this and I pray for the strength to go on. Breeding has its risks, just like human pregnancy but taking all the precautions in the world you can still doesn’t guarantee a successful litter.

To top it off my little Bell went into labor a few hours later, and early before she was due. I don’t know if it was because she felt my stress and trauma from Delilah. I had an emergency C Section and Spayed her at the same time. This was her first litter but if there are any birthing problems at all I don’t do any more. Her babies are tiny, 2 were only a couple ounces. It is hour by hour with bottle feedings from a dropper and prayers. So far they alive, fighting, and strong. If you can please send your prayers. Life goes on, in the circle it starts.

I hope that by telling my heartbreak with losing my D, that you might have second thoughts if you just want to bred for your kids to see and so on.

Delilah we love and will forever miss you and your babies! We pray you are happy and know you will be waiting for us at the gates of Heaven with our other beloved pets from over the years when we come.

Miss D with the big blaze in front. Always the first to want to be picked up as a baby!

as a Mommy

Last week happily running and playing with the tug tugs

boston baby buddies

my beloved Delilah