Spaying and the Facts of Life

After Mimi disappeared from our acreage near Cutty's, we got a puppy from a neighbor of my folks. She was a Border Collie mix, mostly BC with BC colors and markings. Mimi had been Doug's dog from when he was little, so he got to name the new puppy. He was taking French at Johnston High School. He named her Nadette. (Seems to be a French connection in the dog naming.)
Doug named her, but she was everyone's puppy. While we were gone during the day, we left her in the basement where it was warm and dry and easier to clean up messes. One morning as Kari was carrying Nadette down the basement stairs, she slipped. She ended up with stitches in her head - but she didn't drop the puppy! (Her main concern.)
Nadette would be an outdoors dog just as Mimi was. That summer as she neared six months of age I said we would have to take her to be spayed before she went into heat. Kari asked, "What does that mean?" "Ahhh, my little girl is growing up. She's ready for the facts of life", I thought.
This was going to be the perfect Mother/Daughter teachable moment. I took her to the big swing hanging from a tree out in the grove and proceeded to explain to her all about males and females and menstruation and eggs and sperm and babies. About sex and how wonderful it could be between people who loved one another - the whole nine yards.
Kari listened very attentively. It was only when I stopped talking that I realized she didn't care about the facts of life: "But Mommy, what does 'in heat' mean?"