People Who Shouldn't Have Pets

Recently I have been talking with a woman who has been having puppy problems. Well, she's been having all kinds of dog problems, really. It seems that she has been taking care of a little chihuahua that belongs to a neighbor while that neighbor is in the hospital. And the dog went and had a litter of puppies while she was taking care of it. This fact alone was sending this woman into near hysterics while I was talking with her. She had no knowledge of the health or much history of this chihuahua, nor how many puppies she was carrying, or really much of anything about the dog. To the best of her knowledge, the little dog had never been to see a vet in it's life.

Now, in addition to the arrival of multiples in the four-footed catagory, it seems that this little chihuahua wasn't being much of a mother to her puppies. She really didn't want a whole lot to do with them at all. She would lick them a bit, but wouldn't let them nurse, and when left alone with them would retreat to the far side of the room and sit with her back to them. Generally not good signs of mother-furrball bonding going on.

The lady taking care of the dog had been trying to help the puppies nurse by bringing them each up to one up to the mother while the mother was being held, to give the pup an opportunity to nurse.. but she was only doing this a couple of times a day. Now the care and feeding of neonate furrballs comes with instructions of "must be fed every 2-3 hours for the first week".. more frequently if possible (and allowed by mom).. and she just wasn't happy to hear that her few times a day really wasn't optimal. Further, she was very distressed at the idea that if the mother of the pups wasn't going to be letting them nurse on their own, some supplemental bottle feeding may be required to make sure they're getting their proper nutrition.

... It was around this time when I asked further about the condition of the puppies and discovered they were laying on a towel in the middle of the floor, and had been for some time. "Well yeah, they do feel a little cold," was the response when I asked her what their temperature was. "Can't they stay warm on their own?"

Sigh. No. At this age, they can't.

Once I'd managed to convince her that the puppies needed far more warmth than they could provide on their own, including warm towels, blankets, and preferably a heating pad, the lady I was speaking with indicated that she was just feeling quite overwhelmed by these puppies and didn't think she'd be able to charge for them an amount that would compensate for the work she was going to be putting into them.

All I could do was blink for a few minutes and attempt to find polite words. I have very strong opinions about dogs being bred who do not further the welfare of the breed. I do have two mixed-breed dogs, and I love them dearly. But I believe that dog overpopulation is a big problem, and that good breeds have had entirely too many unnecessary problems due to poor husbandry on the part of irresponsible breeders.

When I'd managed to gather my senses, I gently offered that if she wasn't feeling up to the idea of raising these puppies herself- since the mother wasn't helping out in that regard, I would be happy to take them on and do it myself. And while my offer was initially accepted, she later changed her mind and decided to try to find some "baby formula and bottles" and give it a go herself.

Good luck little pups. You're going to need as much of it as you can get.