By Lisa Peterson

Eight years ago today I whelped a litter of puppies.  This morning I received an email from the owners of one of those puppies. It boldly declared “Happy Birthday Jazzy!” as it has for the previous seven years. As the breeder of Jazzy, I knew in my heart that this puppy I had planned, whelped, raised and lovingly placed with new owners, had made her way into their hearts.

As a breeder, the most difficult part of the whole process is not the endless hours waiting for the delivery, not cleaning up mountains of newspapers and what’s inside them, but making sure they go to a good home. And not just a good home, but the right home. Each breed presents unique temperaments that must be matched to its new family. Then on top of that, each individual puppy in a litter presents unique characteristics that must…