- Jun 15, 2008
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That's a pretty good survival rate for that size litter. Odds of not losing at least one out of an animal's first litter even if they were all bred under ideal conditions is probably lower than the odds of seeing a death. That's why a lot of people who want to discourage backyard breeding respond to the desire to show children the miracle of life by asking if you are ready for the miracle of death. Breeding animals results in dead animals irregardless of whether you do everything perfect. If you are lucky you won't ever have to lose a parent animal. Every time we breed horses I fail to sleep well for months because there's always that risk. The guinea pigs we had growing up, the rabbits, and the stray cats I can more easily accept that we might lose. It's the horses I've raised from foals over the past 4-6years that stress me out and while I want to import and breed shikoku dogs I'm not sure if I can handle that.