Saying Goodbye to Tuffy Today

[99Forever]

<a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

About noon today, our friends Paul and Dot will be coming to take Tuffy to his new home. He is the final one of the litter to get a new life family. It's a mixture of joy and aching sadness for me this morning, as it has been watching each of his brothers and sisters move on. The process of breeding this litter, our first, and being there with each of the pups, from birth to adoption has been one of the happiest things I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

One pup, Little Leo will stay with us, rounding out our family, filling (but not replacing) the hole left by Charlie our 11 year old Shih Tzu rescue passing in early December.

Fortunately, we'll be able to see each the pups from time to time, because all went to family and friends. But it still brings a tear to my eye to have him go. Bye Tuffy, we love you.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. ..

:sniffle:

Huh?

You done good!

[99Forever]

2. Thanks...

... he just left. Gonna miss that happy little guy a bunch.

In the meantime, the next door neighbors Christmas tree caught fire while they were out shopping, this morning. I yi yi.... firetrucks, and sheriffs deps and fire marshalls everywhere... Fortunately, no one hurt and it put itself out, no major structural damage. However, because of smoke damage, their home is unlivable for an unknown length of time. We'll be housing and caring for their two dogs till they get back into their home. Good thing we have a HUGE backyard.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I'll say it again,

Ya done good!

[roody]

4. Please don't breed dogs.

5 to 7 million adoptable animals are euthanized annually in this country.

[99Forever]

5. Excuse me?

I'm not quite certain who you are or think you are, but we do more than our share of rescuing and are VERY responsible pet lovers. The pups from our litter were spoken for BEFORE they even conceived. Save your lectures for people who don't provide their animals with proper vet care and let them breed indiscriminately. As a matter of fact, our 7 month old While German Shepard, Sadie, is scheduled to be spayed Thurs Jan 5, 2012. I'll pass on the browbeating from someone I've never met on the intertubes, if you don't mind.

Have a nice day.

[roody]

6. No browbeating---a polite request

[99Forever]

7. How's about...

.. you politely mind your own damn business?

[roody]

8. My 'business' is walking incarerated dogs at

our county shelter. I mind it the best I can.

[99Forever]

9. Perfect.

I live in the land of passive/aggressive or "Minnesota nice" as they call it here and don't take kindly to "politely" worded attempts from people who don't know a thing about me, to stick their unwanted noses where they don't belong. Should I need your "advise," I'll be sure to ask for it. Deal?

[Walk away]

10. Thank you for the work you do. Let me second your statement. Please do not breed.

I admire you for standing up to home "breeding" even on an anonymous blog. It's not popular to shine a light on "Dog Lovers" who only contribute to this terrible situation.

My business is Dogs and I have the "talk" with every client who has bought their dog. I am proud to say that every one of them has adopted their next dog and often with my help. I have been told it's risky to call clients on the carpet like this but I have never regretted it.

[99Forever]

11. Do you always pass harsh judgement on people you don't know...

.. without bothering to speak with them? Or do you reserve that for when you can do it anonymously?


Just asking.

[Walk away]

13. I am not passing harsh judgement on you. You have bred a litter of puppies in your home.

I have never owned a dog that was not adopted from a kennel or saved from dire circumstances. I believe if people would stop breeding dogs then more dogs would be adopted and not living in a cage without love until they are put to death. This seems logical to me.

Every dog you breed takes the place of a dog who already needs a home.

I haven't even asked you if you charged money for these puppies. That is another issue.

I think you are being very sensitive for a person who has chosen to do this knowing that millions of puppies are put to death each year. All anyone has said to you is to please not breed. I think your reaction says a lot. If you really feel justified then I suggest you just ignore the posts that disagree with you.

[99Forever]

14. Actually..

... you haven't bothered to ask me anything before assuming a whole bunch of bullshit and going off on me.

I'll choose whether or not to "ignore" someone giving me grief for no apparent reason, thank you very much. I'd suggest you get a better understanding of where a person is coming from before you climb up into your ivory tower and pronounce to them how they should conduct their PERSONAL lives.

[Walk away]

15. I don't get it. If you have a good excuse for breeding dogs for anything other...

than seeing eye or service of some sort than why haven't you said something? If you disagree and you think home breeding should be encouraged then why don't you explain why instead of treating this as a personal attack (which it isn't)?

All you do is accuse anyone who disagrees with you of assuming things. You have stated that you have bred a littler of dogs. What am I assuming?

[99Forever]

16. Number 1

At last check, a citizen of this nation isn't required to "have an excuse" to responsibly (or even irresponsibly, i guess) bring a litter of pups into this world, should they deem it something they want to do so.

Number 2

Just a single example of ONE of your incorrect assumptions. No sir, had this litter not been whelped, would there have been a spot, hole, or slot for a single other rescue dog. None. All of these pups except two were spoken for before they were even conceived, and the two that weren't were, by the time they were weaned. Their mother Lolah, came to us as a socially dysfunctional one year old rescue, in poor health. The turnaround in her, in both areas and the wonderful dog she has become drove the desire in several of our family members and friends to ask us if we were ever to have pups, they wanted one. ALL of them already have one or more dogs and weren't particularly looking, otherwise. Not everyone is able OR prepared OR even willing to take on the challenges of a rescue. We've done more than I can count over the last three decades. We also wanted to, for once, raise a puppy from the very start, one that had all of the advantages that a responsible and caring home can offer. Now we have him and all of his brothers and sisters are in homes where we know they will be spoiled for their entire lives. And if there's something wrong with that, sue me.

[get the red out]

19. To breed or not is a good question

We adopted out dog from the shelter when she was 8 weeks old, so even though she's a mixed breed shelter pup, she has also not wanted for much in her young life (will be 2 in May).

The question I have is how easy is it to change the minds of folks that only want pure bred puppies? First thing I see on the web when I read about how to select a puppy is "pick the breed that's right for your life, and a good breeder, and meet the puppy's parents". My husband and I went to the shelter and found a wonderful pup that turned out to be a great dog, but my dear old Dad, rest his soul, always swore that no "mutt" was as intelligent as a pure breed. As much as I respected my Dad, he was definitely wrong on that one.

I understand the worry about not knowing how one's dog will turn out, though after raising Layla I see that a huge amount depends on the work the humans are willing to put in with training, exercise, and socialization. Layla's got a lot of either Aussie or Border Collie (maybe both) and she could have ended up a bit on the wild side if we hadn't started training with her very early, at this point she's the best dog either of us have ever had. But a lot of people are really in love with a particular breed and want to start with a puppy, and if there is a demand a supply will appear.

I want every unwanted dog to get a home, the idea of any of them going unloved makes me hurt. I started sobbing over one of the ASPCA commercials over Christmas until I almost couldn't breathe. I think there is going to have to be a lot of mind changing to reach that goal though.

[roody]

20. I'm glad I questioned breeding dogs.

This conversation is important. I will be posting more about it.

[99Forever]

22. Great.

I agree it's an important topic and needs discussed. So start your own thread about it and stop dumping on mine. Your distraction is unappreciated. You aren't going to change a damn thing by preaching to the choir.

[badgerpup]

12. Whew...

Glad to see the 'goodbye to Tuffy' was because he was getting a forever home and not because he was headed for the Bridge!

[get the red out]

18. Me too!

I almost didn't click on the thread but when I did I saw that beautiful puppy going to his home. Whew!

[TorchTheWitch]

25. that's what I was afraid of, too

We can exhale now. LOL!

[Texasgal]

17. Tuffy!

What a cutie!!!

Glad she is in her "forever home"!

[99Forever]

21. 'Tuffy' is now..

.. Woody and he's fitting in nicely at Paul and Dot's place. 'Tuffy' was the litter name he earned while still tiny, by playing with Sadie May like she didn't weigh 10 times what he did. It's really amazing how well Sadie played with all of the pups, being that she was still a pup herself and being so much larger than they were. Her gentle handling of them as they swarmed her from all angles was something to watch.

Each of the pups, Rosie, Pookie, Little Leo (the Lionhearted), Stitch (Gizmo), LT (Long Tail) and Woody (Tuffy) owns a piece of my heart as if they were my children. (They are in a way.) Up thread I took it personally when people attacked who don't know me or have any knowledge of the details of our situation and choice to bring these beautiful, loving and loved family members into the world. Was I being over protective? Maybe, but I didn't seek out those people's stories, make false assumptions, and use them as a soapbox for my personal crusade. Next time you folks want to speak to the need for rescue homes, please start your own thread, and refrain from sidetracking mine.

Thanks.

[TorchTheWitch]

23. Holy Cow, I thought when I read the title

that Tuffy was going to be put down! Damn, that scared me! I remember you mentioning this adorable little dude before and remembered him.

Pheeeeeewwwwwwwwww! I can't tell you how glad I am that my initial reaction was way off the mark. *exhale*

Ok, anywho... This is the single reason I just could never be a breeder no matter how much money I could throw into it and how big and nice a spread I had or how much time on my hands... I could just never ever give any of them up. So, I really feel for you. It just has to be so hard to try not to bond this the little boo-boos while you raise them to go to their new homes, but of course we all know that dogs (and puppies especially) have a way of melting our hearts and making us adore them.

It's wonderful that you can see him for time to time and keep in touch with how he's doing though. The breeder I got my current fuzz ball from was heartbroken to let him go (he was supposed to be his doggie, but he just couldn't devote the necessary time and attention to him), so I make sure that once in awhile I send an email letting him know how he's doing and any pictures I can manage to take of him (the picture taking has been a total failure with him though since he refuses to stay anywhere in the frame). I tell him funny little stories about him and his little quirks... just generally what our life is like. I always get a response full of enthusiasm that he's so thrilled that he's so well loved and cared for. I think that was his biggest difficulty was being afraid that he was unhappy or not loved or cared for enough.

I have to think it makes the parting so much easier for any breeder to REALLY know that their pups are going to wonderful forever homes where they will be well loved and well cared for. I also think it helps the breeder to send off a message and a photo once in awhile especially in the beginning to help them put their mind at ease and reasure themselves that though it was hard to say goodbye the little fuzz balls they brought into the world and gave their best at a great shot at a healthy and happy life that they made the right choice in sending them on their way to their forever homes where they will be adored and a true family member.

Try to keep in touch with the family that is welcoming Tuffy into thei lives and hearts. I think (especially in the beginning) that it really helps.

[99Forever]

26. Maybe I should have titled it..

... "Saying so long to Tuffy." Didn't occur to me at the time. I was pretty emotional that morning. You are so correct in what you had to say. This is the one and only litter we have ever had, and not likely to happen again, but it was one the best experiences of my life. One of Tuffy's (now Woody) brothers, Little Leo the Lionhearted is still with us and will remain. (Actually sleeping by my feet as I type this.) Charlie an 11 year old Shi Tzu that we've had since he was 1 1/2, passed in Dec., so we kept "the population" steady.