Diary Page of a Dog Breeder

by Lynn Dee Galey

2:00 am.  I wake and hear Dance panting. It's too warm for April, with temperatures abruptly jumping into the 70's.  The forecast says it will peak at 80 before falling back to the more comfortable (to this northern hermit) 50's and freezes at night. 

Dance takes a big drink and looks for a snack, a positive thing since she has been protesting this whole pregnancy and whelping process by snubbing nearly every food that I bought or prepared for her. At bedtime she had fallen for the "this is my sandwich but I'll share/give it to you" trick and ate a bologna sandwich (on whole grain oat bread, for those worried about nutrition). 

Continuing with her gourmet dining I now offer her a bit of well soaked kibble with a dollop of canned cat food on top. To my delight she eats it. 

I hear noise from Annie's puppy room and check the camera. She is in the box feeding her pups, and soon they are romping around her.

I let Dance out into the yard and stand on the porch listening to the dark quiet and looking up at the clear sky and stars. She quickly comes back in to return to her pups. I crack open the window above the bed and feel the fresh air drifting in as I return to bed. 

A moment of peace and satisfaction.