Warning!!!! Animal Lovers beware, this post is not for you. It is also not for the squeamish or emotional. It is for folks who want to know how animals are treated in 95% of the world, including On the Steppe. My dog had puppies yesterday. We are happy that "she made it", yet, somehow disappointed that we have 3 long months of work ahead of us. Let me explain how our dog is different than most other dogs around us, and also different than most dogs in America.
For one, she has not been considered a potential meal. One time, we found dog parts in the irrigation canal that runs along our street- the poor unfortunate victim of someone's hankering for canine stew. On the other hand, she is not hand-fed little dainties, and called "my little pookie-wookie".
Secondly, she has a nice, solid house to find shelter from the cold- for her and her puppies. The vast majority of doggy dwellings are made of flimsy plywood in which the wind is free to whistle through. Some pups aren't even lucky enough to have this, as they are of the migrant sort, roaming around seeking shelter under heating pipes, under apartment buildings or in culverts. And yet, she is a dog. Dogs "on the Steppe" do not belong in a house. They are dirty, abound with fleas and ticks, and are kept solely as anti-theft devices.
Let me explain... When we first moved into our house, we were robbed not once, not twice, but 3 times. The last straw was when the one-day old power sawwas stolen while we were home, right out from under our noses. OK, so we are dense. We didn't take our neighbors' advice when they told us we needed a dog. Once we caved, we have never been robbed again. It was probably the neighbors robbing us in the first place.
Our dog, Daisy, is a lucky gal. She has plenty of food to keep her belly full too! Leftovers fill her red plastic dish a couple of times everyday, and most of the time its mate is full of fresh water. In the winter, the kids go out several times a day to break up the ice or bring it in to thaw. My dog is not picky, favoring this canned stuff or that, she takes what she can get. I cringe when I see American canned doggy food fabricated to look, smell, and maybe even taste like something I'd concoct in my own crockpot. Most dogs are not so lucky; they get a few leftover noodles or a bit of rice, and their pathetic skinny ribs protrude like Italy into the Meditteranean.
There is no vet around her to take out her girlie parts, so we are now stuck with a 4th litter. The firstbunch all died, as she was sick and scared. We are pretty sure she ate most of them. What she didn't eat herself, we buried. Then we cried. It was a hard day. Now she's a pro, and fiercely protects them, with a snarl if her dog house flap is lifted. It wasn't until today, 2 days later that we even knew how many there are this time. She's a good mom- willing to receive pain to protect her young.
So, we'll hang onto the 7 little blobs of fur for at least 8-10 weeks; maybe even til Spring, as puppies typically have about a 6-week lifespan. I guess about 85% of the littlest ones die about then, and if they make it beyond that they live about a year or 2. So, our job this winter is to make dog food mush from dry kibbles, scoop frozen globs of puppy poo, and keep Daisy from committing infanticide. Come spring we'll find homes for them all, and wonder how long each one will make it.
Until Next Time,
SteppeSister
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We had to protect our puppies from the neighbors. About the time the pups received 6 weeks, they were large enough for a good stew but still had tender meat. We were lucky to keep even 2 from a litter. And yes, dogs in most of the world are just 'anti theft devices' (nicely and aptly phased).
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