I always get a guilty feeling every time i breed from a bitch.
My little girl is due to whelp in 8 days from her first mating & she is huge(all are spoken for if any by the way) she has gone from this beautiful sleek babe to looking like a hippo! & she knows it too she gives me funny looks because she can't play with the other dogs.
She'll make a good mum but i always feel awful about putting them in whelp- its the worry that i go though for the 9 weeks pregnancy then the 9 weeks of rearing the puppies, i haven't slept much for the past 2 nights because she keeps scratting about my room & she is so NOT comfortable.

A.N. .. don't think you should feel guilty, :-) have you never seen that 'all these are mine' look on a bitches face after she has whelped? :-D I am sure a lot of bitches love having a litter (but like us they  find the 'pregnancy bit'  a bit  much particularly when it is hot). I had one bitch who 'felt it her duty' to help out with the 'washing bit' for her daughters babies and having found an orphan kitten (dicovered in the garage abandoned by feral mother?) in a box by the fire removed it, took it to her bed, developed milk  and reared it as her own. he grew up to be as big as her!! Hope all goes well..enjoy the pups you lucky person. :-D

Wish puppy farmers would get an attack of guilt,at least your bitch has you around to care for her.

I dont breed very often well in fact have never bred often but always feel safer and releived when its all over.

Its the care you take of your dog that counts if you look after her do all the right things and make sure pups go to the very best of homes  then you need not feel guilty.

I feel guilty today, it's day 58 and she has spent all day digging, panting and generally being uncomfortable.  It's very warm today and having had my first child in July '83 I completely sympathise with heavy pregnancy in the heat.  We've spent all day saying "Aww what have we done to you".  I guess it's the start of the end as she won't rest one little bit and is up/down in/out.  I've failed dismally with temperature taking as she hates it and I'm not brave enough to argue with the snappy end for the sake of a temp, but she is still eating.