Missy and puppies

This is a picture of my dog, Missy on our bed this morning after we got up. She looks really cute with her toys but she's been a bit of a pain for the past few days. Every six months or so she comes into season and then a few weeks later, around the time that she would've had puppies had she been mated, she gets very difficult. Any small squeaky toy (like these two), suddenly become very precious and she acts like they are puppies, licking them and trying to get into small spaces with them.

It sounds adorable, which it would be if she weren't so stressed about it all. She's very restless, wanders around with one of them making wining noises constantly, if we try to comfort her, we get licked and cleaned like we're puppies too! I'm not sure if it's a good idea to indulge her by letting her keep the toys but try and take them away ... I'd be prepared to put up with it for her sake but she really does seem to be very unhappy. This time is the worst she has ever been. Today she has been to the vets and we've all decided it would be best for her to be spayed.

We've resisted doing this in the past because she's a rare breed (Manchester Terrier). The year she was born, there were only 90 Manchesters born in the whole of the UK. However, I doubt I could ever part with any puppies if we decided to breed from her. It has additional health benefits for the dog eliminating the possibility of various cancers that unaltered female dogs can suffer so that makes me feel a bit better about putting her though a big operation. Hope we're doing the right thing.