They are someone who sacrifices personal interests, finances, time, friendships, fancy furniture, and deep pile carpeting. They give up the dreams of a vacation in favour of making sure each and every new pup is ready for their new home.

They go without sleep (but never without coffee!) for hours planning a breeding or watching anxiously over the birth process, and afterwards, making sure each little pup is being nourished from mom. They skip dinner parties because that litter is due or the babies have to be fed at eight. Disregards birth fluids and will use mouth to mouth to save a gasping newborn, literally blowing life into a tiny, helpless creature that may be the culmination of a lifetime of dreams.

Their laps are a marvellous place where generations of proud and noble siblings once snoozed. Their hands are strong and firm and often soiled, but ever so gentle and sensitive to the thrusts of a puppy's wet nose. Back and knees are usually arthritic from stooping, bending, and sitting in the Whelping box, but are strong enough to enable the breeder to show the next perfect pup to an excited and wide-eyed new owner.

Shoulders are stooped and often heaped with abuse, but they are wide enough to support the weight of a thousand defeats and frustrations.

Arms are always able to wield a mop, support an armful of puppies, or lend a helping hand to a newcomer. Their ears, sometimes red (from being talked about) or strangely shaped (from being pressed against a phone receiver), often deaf to criticism, yet always fine-tuned to the whimper of a sick puppy.

Eyes blurred from pedigree research and sometimes blind to their own dog's faults, but they are ever so keen to the pleas of others who struggle with a problem birthing or sick puppy.

A Breeder's brain is foggy on faces, but it can recall Litters faster than an IBM computer. It's so full of knowledge that sometimes it blows a fuse: it catalogues thousands of good boning, fine ears, and perfect heads... and buries in the soul the failures and the ones that didn't survive. Their heart is often broken, but it beats strongly with hope everlasting... and it's always in the right place! Oh, yes, there are breeders, and then, there are BREEDERS.