Dances With Dogs

Cookie

      We have a family acquaintance, who has two Old English Mastiffs, a male and a female. Not to worry. The lady has the land and the financial means to support and protect her animals. Someday she would like to breed the pair. All good. Here is what I want to say to her. To breed mastiffs any sane owner would retire from his/her career. The government will not give FMLA leave, which would be the only other alternative. Next, once your female has produced a litter or two of fine puppies, have her spayed. Have your female spayed with as little delay as humanly possible.  
     Please pay attention to my story, because it is a cautionary tale. Not all of us have pedigreed dogs. I have a creeping feeling those who have dogs free of inbreeding, are the more fortunate among us. Your mutt is probably rocket scientist material, by comparison to many purebreds. My gorgeous, pedigreed, Irish setter, Mike, was a good example. Outside of field work, where his intelligence was nothing short of phenomenal, he was sweet, but goofy. When I lost Mike, my entire world collapsed. I wanted nothing to do with dogs for decades, outside of rescuing a young Labrador from a downtown planter box. I could not keep him, but he eventually went to an excellent home.
     More decades passed without pets in my life. Eventually, though, I bought a tiny puppy. The breeder, my neighbor, was in the end stage of HIV/AIDS. Unprepared though I was, my little foundling  taught me all I needed to know about terriers. I named her Cookie, after my temperamental Irish mother. I adored my little dog, but found that part of the territory was genetic defect, in Cookie's case,  a collapsing trachea. Nor had she been spayed, when I bought her, because she was a show quality bitch. 
     Spay surgery seemed a poor choice, given Cookie's choking episodes. I was worried, however, about disease. We went from one vet to another. A particular doctor seemed an excellent choice. She specialized in toy breeds, and owned a Yorkshire terrier female.  In her opinion Pyometra would be something worrisome, as would breast cancer. However, she  feels  Pyometra is an uncommon canine killer. She is not alone in that assessment. Also called Stump Pyometra, even veterinary colleges don't seem to agree about how common it is. So the good lady advised me to simply be a responsible owner (i.e., to breed only by intention.) No problem -- my silky did not like other dogs, particularly males. She did not care for strangers or their children, unless they had really good manners. She was not above teaching people how to behave. My question was how one would manage to breed silky terriers, intentionally or otherwise!
     At 13 years, Cookie was a fierce beauty and in glowing health. What an engaging little creature, smart and sassy! A famous lady in her own right, people everywhere in Denver recognized her, many of whom could not recall my name! Not long after the photo above was taken, I came home from a meeting, to find Cookie quite ill. It was not alarming, but she was having a digestive issue, and seemed uneasy. It was late, so I waited for morning to call the veterinarian's office. Dr. Smith was unavailable. I began to panic, ultimately reaching a vet who would make a house call. By the time he arrived, tiny Cookie was overwhelmed by infection, due to Pyometra. Her organs were shutting down. 
     Dr. Larry Magnuson had to euthanize Cookie, a tranquil, if untimely, death. I have never recovered ... not really. Dr. Manuson made a memorial contribution in Cookie's name to Pyometra research. I've made donations to rescues in her name. Meanwhile everything I have read on the subject of spaying and Pyometra contradicts what my "favorite" veterinarian told me. It is not so uncommon, as a bitch ages. Nor does it matter whether she has or has not produced litters. Don't take the chance. This is a painful, overwhelming disease. It does not matter the breed or size of the bitch. Do not delay. Spay your animal, because, if she dies of this condition, you will be heartbroken.
      Spaying and neutering are absolutely necessary for the health of pets. That said, I encounter so many owners who don't take care of this. I find myself wanting to say, "Come on, you know you aren't going to show or breed this animal!" I stay silent most of the time, because it is not my decision ... none of my business. 
     If you do not have the stomach for having the surgery (albeit routine and very safe) performed, adopt. Adopt anyway! Never think you cannot adopt a pedigreed companion, if that is what you desire. I helped a friend find an apricot poodle from an online source. She insisted it was the only breed she had ever owned, or wanted to own. She is ecstatic, and the poodle, thriving. A huge bonus of adoption is that the pet will have been ( or will be ) neutered or spayed, as a condition of ownership. Buying a dog, from a breeder you don't know personally, is not a good idea, but buying from a store is a horrible idea. As a consumer, a prospective pet owner, you play a vital role in preventing animal cruelty. 

-Me? I'm still dancing with terriers. My dog is a toy fox terrier, surprisingly calm and generous by nature.