Yes, that is a good point and like I think I said, we were "ignorant" about breeding at that point. Someone had a female, we had a male, we made puppies. Knowing what I know now, it was not the wisest thing. Daxton's heart issues (which he didn't have until about age 12 or so) could have definitely been hereditary or not - not sure since I lost touch of the breeder. I do understand now that all the genetic testing should be done before breeding any pair.
When we got Tatum I thought it would be "neat" to breed her when the time was right but luckily I found this site right after we got her and read about all the precautions. Figuring that she probably would not reach a suitable weight for breeding, we made the decision to have her spayed. I think even if she would have been big enough (and I think she's borderline now at about 5 pounds), I still would have not attempted it knowing about all the problems that can occur. I will definitely leave the breeding of these special babies to those that "know it all" or at least have more knowledge of it all than I do!
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~ Angie |