doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Time marches with a relentless beat

Slate,...we have good Drathaar lines here in the east,a friend of mine just lost his GWP of 11 years has put a deposit on a new pup,...that litter should be on the ground in a few weeks, and I think there maybe another litter coming up in Nova Scotia
I can put you in contact with the boys from VDD Canada if you wish,...you can get yourself another one of those scruffy looking things!

CJ

KY Jon,...have you checked your email today?

I'll send you a mailing address tomorrow

CJ

Hey King
Word of warning to the wise. My black lab went through a TPLO knee surgery a few years back to the tune of over 3000; it was brutal on the dog. After a tough rehab ( for both dog and owner)of a year, 20 mins. into the first day of pheasant season her other knee blew. Had that one fixed with the conventional ( 500 or so) surgery. Worked well, but the cheaper surgery knee bothers her daily with arthritis. In a nutshell, she was retired at age 7. A total drag, my favorite dog to hunt over ever.The first vet ( a dog knee specialist) warned me the chances are like 80% the other knee is bad as well, and common in labs. As awful as it sounds, you may want to consider having both done as the vet suggested, but I pooh poohed. Good luck!
Rick

I thought my 10 yr. old brit was done last year. Had to carry him off the chukar mountain, his joints were hurting so bad. I put him on daily doses of glucosamine, and it was a dramatic improvement. I just hunted him for a day and a half, no problems. I was lucky to get two hours out of him before.

Give it a shot, you might be able to prolong your dog's career a while.

In the past 30 years, I've had two Goldens with just a few months off in between the passing of my first (Chase) and the birth of my second (Cooper).

Both were of the same blood line from Spirit Lake Iowa. Both were the alpha males of their respective litters, weighing in at 100 pounds without an ounce of fat. Both were super aggressive in their desire to work, and protect...much like Ky Jons Chessie they would have tracked down your killer and made a meal of them...then asked for more. Never the less, each could "read" people perfectly and would instinctively protect youngsters while in the yard.

MOST IMPORTANT... both have been the smartest dogs of any breed I've ever known or been fortunate enough to own. In fact, when I picked up Cooper at age 9 weeks (having already spent two weeks bonding with him) it took him only 20 mins. to train me into never putting him in a travel cage again. He spent the next two days of car travel happily riding on my shoulder, or sitting on the console between the seats...even driving the last few hours to get home. He's always been second in the family pecking order...my wife continues to be third...as well she should be.

Now the line is done. Cooper is 14 1/2 and on his last legs which I find heart breaking since he wants to go but his legs just won't take him there anymore ... so we spend a lot of time retrieving biscuits and just climbing stairs in the house. The next crisis in my life will be his passing.

Now the obvious question...where do I find my next WORKING Golden? I am in the upper mid-west, but will go anywhere to find a suitable MALE successor. I am leery of big "breeders" who have a reputation for using terror tactics to train. Damn near shot a professional trainer who was using a shock collar in a very inappropriate manner on a lab one day during field trials training. In my experience if the dog has the native "smarts" it's not necessary to push like that.

I do need recommendations on where to find my next Golden. If anyone knows of a possible Feb./March 08 litter coming up, please send me a PM at: rsmith@truepair.com
Many thanks.

Thanks Guys lots of great info. KY John I enjoyed our comparative on breed characteristics. C J - I sent you a private message. A word of encouragement to all of us who are seeing our four legged hunting companions nearing their end. May we remember the days afield with joy, recall their exploits with pride and treasure their demonstrated love.

Foxhound, I really appreciate passing on your experience to me. The price here is the same. I made a lot of inquiries and the devil of it is that the vets say the TPLO is best bet and the Lab breeder, trainer and former DU employee says he had better luck with the fish-gut $600 job. I know the vets personally, one as a family friend.