Brood Bitch : Purdue University Press : 9781557532367 : 1557532362 : 30 Jun 2002 : BroodBitch is a mother's reflection inspired by her hand-raising a litter ofPembroke Welsh corgis whose own mother died after a Caesarian delivery.Devastated by the loss of her only companion and awed by the task of saving thepuppies, the narrator was surprised to discover she enjoyed this exclusivecommitment. Her education, career, marriage, and mothering were all behind her:she was retired, her ex-husband was dead, and her daughter was independent. Shebrooded on these past commitments?usually conflicted?in light of her successdoing the job of a canine mother. Parallels between the birth and care of thepuppies and her daughter kept coming to her consciousness, helping herunderstand her sense of failure as a human mother. This was not what sheexpected when she began showing and breeding corgis. It was a hobby cultivatedin middle age when she was well established in her job but uncertain as asingle mother