You
may
wonder....
why
doesn't
Gagaglittergal
Poodles
require
a
spay/neuter
contract?
Why in the
world would
they
allow
a
puppy buyer
the
right to breed?
The
answer
is real simple...
we
believe
responsible
adults
are
capable
of
making
thier
own
responsible
decisions.
Heck..
they
can
decide
to
breed humans,
right?..and
they're
not
running
back
yard
adoption
rings
right?
I'm
making
light
here..
but
you
get the
point.
In
America..
I
believe
in
freedom...freedom
of
choice....
and freedon
to own
your
dog
completely.
Now...
that said....
before you
imagine breeding
to be a gold
mine... read
the facts
below:
How
Much
Does
It Cost
to Raise
Puppies?
Puppy
food and supplements
2.00 per day x
65 days= 130.00
1st
Exam 50.00
Tail
docked/ dew
claws 50.00
Shots
50.00
Worming
20.00
Testing
30.00
2nd
exam 30.00
Health
Certificate
60.00
Crate
50.00
Water
bottle 11.00
Dish
3.00
Puppy
Toy 3.00
Puppy
Clip $
20.00
(
all of
the above
costs
are incured
by Each
puppy...imagine
a litter
of 12 )
· $507.00PLUS
Additional
costs divided
by number of
puppies
per litter:
$350.00 Advertising
(
ballpark
1200.00
per
year, website
400.00
per
year,
repairs
(
varies
widely),
training
pads
and
other
equipment
$400.00
PLUS, health and
maintenence of
Dam and Sire( genetic
testing
etc,,)
$2000.00 per year...
$857.00
Estimated cost per
puppy
All
that
and..then
the
man
hours!
We
plan our vacations
around ovulations,pregnancies
and deliveries...
Jamie takes
one and I take
the
other
..back and
forth....(
that's when
we have 2 breedings
per year) What's
that like?
well... you
calculate
your vacation
according
to the ovulation,
the delivery
date and usually
begin your" holiday" a
day
or two prior
to delivery.
Rest up...
because for
the next
5
days or so,
there will
be NO sleep!
As
the pups are
born you have
to assist...
that means
as the Dam
walks around
dumping ( that's
how
they
do it..just
drop the babies
wherever they
may be) you
run around
catching...
quickly removing
afterbirth
and snipping
cords... ensuring
clear airways
and establishing
warmth.
Once
the birthing
process is
complete (
anywhere from
9 to 12 hours
) a pup an
hour is typical,
your
mission
is to monitor
EVERYTHING...
are they getting
enough milk?
Are they breathing
ok? Is the
Dam
bleeding too
much?For those
first 5 days
you spend your
every waking
moment by their
little
sides.
Once stability
is established
it gets a
bit easier... but
just a bit.
As our dams
generally
throw
LARGE
litters,(
and even if
they didn't) we
supplement feedings
with our high
nutrition,
bottle
feedings..
so , just about
every 2 hours
around the
clock we are
feeding babies.
As they get
older
this
tapers off...
but then the "poo
poo" party
begins! We
have playpens..
cribs... foldup
fences...
gates,
you name
it.. no
surface is
spared. Let's
just say "Simple
Green" becomes
your best
friend.
To
combat the "Simple
Green Blues" we
start potty
training as
soon as the
babies open
their eyes..
2
1/2
- 3 weeks of
age. The older
dogs help out
a great deal
( thank you
guys!!) As
we both work,
we
typically
take the puppies
and Dam to
work with us
lugging the
playpens in
the SUV ( luckily
for us, we
are
ABLE to do
that). So life
goes on..sort
of. We
begin to
bond with
each and every
baby... and
the
more time that
passes the
cuter and sweeter
the puppies
get.. and the
stronger the
bond
grows....now
comes the " oh,
no..do we
HAVE to sell THIS one?
Can we just
keep THAT one? " Jamie
is
the voice of
reason ( thank
God) or I'd
have 40 poodles
by now! lol
So one by one
we pack them
up
and
lovingly bid
them a fair-thee-well,
a river of
tears are cried...
and as we put
the playpens,
cribs,
gates and fences
into the storage,
we begin to
count the weeks
until we get
to do it all
again!
So..why
do we do it?
Ok....We may
very well be
crazy, but
one thing is
for sure, we LOVE
poodles!!!
