Midland Border Terrier Club

B.T. TIMES

Not Astrology (An extract from Furthermore by Frank Jackson
reproduced by kind permission of Our Dogs)

We try to have pups in spring though our efforts are often frustrated by the bitch’s hormone cycle and the younger child’s holidays.

Among the reasons for trying to have spring or summer pups is that the bitch will have enjoyed a bit of exercise in the sun during the later stages of her pregnancy, pups too will be able to enjoy playing in their run on the grass and so extend their experience while giving the bitch a bit of respite from the demands.

Now we find that there may be another reason for having spring and summer pups and I’m not talking about astrology – which I put alongside homeopathy in the wider scheme of things – or perhaps even about dogs. I’m talking about the propensity of a number of human maladies to be linked to their date of birth. Scientists have demonstrated babies born at certain times of year are significantly more likely to suffer from certain diseases than are babies born at other times of the year.

This inclines me to wonder whether the same might apply to puppies. Are puppies born at a particular time of year inclined to become successful show dogs, be easier to train, to be easier to feed, to get along with their fellows and to live longer than dogs born at other times of year?

The evidence exists in Kennel Club files but like so much else is not being fully utilised. I could get quite annoyed about this waste of potentially valuable material.

	Not Astrology (An extract from Furthermore by Frank Jackson reproduced by kind permission of Our Dogs)
	We try to have pups in spring though our efforts are often frustrated by the bitch’s hormone cycle and the younger child’s holidays. Among the reasons for trying to have spring or summer pups is that the bitch will have enjoyed a bit of exercise in the sun during the later stages of her pregnancy, pups too will be able to enjoy playing in their run on the grass and so extend their experience while giving the bitch a bit of respite from the demands. Now we find that there may be another reason for having spring and summer pups and I’m not talking about astrology – which I put alongside homeopathy in the wider scheme of things – or perhaps even about dogs. I’m talking about the propensity of a number of human maladies to be linked to their date of birth. Scientists have demonstrated babies born at certain times of year are significantly more likely to suffer from certain diseases than are babies born at other times of the year. This inclines me to wonder whether the same might apply to puppies. Are puppies born at a particular time of year inclined to become successful show dogs, be easier to train, to be easier to feed, to get along with their fellows and to live longer than dogs born at other times of year? The evidence exists in Kennel Club files but like so much else is not being fully utilised. I could get quite annoyed about this waste of potentially valuable material.