I am reading this with great interest, as I am only 19. What I get from this thread is regardless of what breed or line thereof we hunt, the clearest message coming through from everyone is just how much we LOVE OUR DOGS! My family's GSP Dixie Belle is almost 16, blind and deaf with hip dysplasia. We have not hunted her in years. The vet says she is healthy otherwise. My father and mother get up twice a night to take her out so she won't soil and humiliate herself. EVERY NIGHT! I asked my father if he would ever put her down, his answer..."As long as she is not in pain [vet says no] then she will stay with us as long as she has"
Just my opinion.
H
