All of us have had a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience that changed our lives. My amazing lesson happened in 1947. I was age 11, in sixth grade, and I saved a life. This life-saving event involved my precious pet, Buttons, a small black terrier who was very pregnant for the first time.
One day, during a game of fetch-the-ball, our eyes met and I felt overwhelmed with fear. She would soon deliver a litter of pups. I’d never seen a dog give birth, and two urgent questions needed answers: How does this miracle of birth play out, and what is my role?
I had no clue. It definitely was a time for learning.
In a panic, I jumped on my old Schwinn bike and peddled fast to our nearby library. I was convinced this awesome place had useful books on pregnant dogs and what to expect when they give birth. I found three books, checked them out and raced home for some much-needed knowledge.
From my speed reading, I learned one incredible fact about how dogs give birth. If this is your dog’s first batch of pups, be careful! A first-time mother dog will be in so much pain from delivery that she will run away and leave the first pup alone in the embryo sack to smother and die. Thus, a pet parent like me must be there to save the new, first pup.
