retired dogs

[larry]

you bet bud

[poser]

MR. Mike Leonard, i truely appreciate the help and comments you offer for those here on these hound sites. You have alot of knowledge and are willing to share it with others. I commend you for that. But for you to say that no "REAL" houndsman would pawn off their old friend is a pretty BOLD statement.

I am not a houndsman, not even an enthusiast, just a trashy poser. Family comes first for me.

I do happen to know some guys that i would call houndsmen. Not sure if they fit into your definition....they breed, raise, train and make their living hunting these dogs. When the dogs are going good and catching they sale them. What would you call the people buying these dogs? Are they "REAL" houndsmen for reeping the benefits from someone who is not considered a "REAL" houndsmen?

I think a houndsman or houndswoman is someone dumb enough to own one and enjoys the heck out of them. Regardless if you are self proclaimed, or if you actually hunt them. "TO EACH THEIR OWN"

Like i said, i agree and can see both side of this one.

Best of wishes, Jason

Not starting a pissin match. Just disagree with that one statement

[Rockcreek]

Not starting a pissin match. Just disagree with that one statement

Just so you know good buddy, that's the beginning of a fine "Pissin Match". LMAO!

Take care.
Mason

[Mr.pacojack]

MR. Mike Leonard, i truely appreciate the help and comments you offer for those here on these hound sites. You have alot of knowledge and are willing to share it with others. I commend you for that. But for you to say that no "REAL" houndsman would pawn off their old friend is a pretty BOLD statement.

I am not a houndsman, not even an enthusiast, just a trashy poser. Family comes first for me.

I do happen to know some guys that i would call houndsmen. Not sure if they fit into your definition....they breed, raise, train and make their living hunting these dogs. When the dogs are going good and catching they sale them. What would you call the people buying these dogs? Are they "REAL" houndsmen for reeping the benefits from someone who is not considered a "REAL" houndsmen?

I think a houndsman or houndswoman is someone dumb enough to own one and enjoys the heck out of them. Regardless if you are self proclaimed, or if you actually hunt them. "TO EACH THEIR OWN"

Like i said, i agree and can see both side of this one.

Best of wishes, Jason

Not starting a pissin match. Just disagree with that one statement

I too would like to hear your responce to that one too Mike.
I have kept two of my hounds into their old age until they died and I wish I would't have. Not only was it very hard on me but it about killed my wife and kids.
I like Poser enjoy raising and training hounds a finished hound is not what it is about for me. The thrill of it for me is seeing a hound do it for the first time, not putting numbers under it.

[poser]

I have always thought it was interesting that men could spend so much time on a computer talking about their dogs. But, I must admit that from time to time I get on the computer and check out these web sites and read about what seems to occupy so much of my husbands time. I was browsing tonight, and found this topic very interesting. My husband (poser) brought home his first hound dog in 2001. At that time, I never knew what lay ahead for me. He has spent many hours, many miles, and phone calls talking, hunting, and spending time with his dogs. My children have also been apart of this. Most of the dogs we had in the beginning were given to us, or traded and so forth. One dog in particular, we had to borrow money to purchase. His name was Chonk. He was an older dog when we bought him from Wade Lemon. He instantly became a favorite around our house. At one time, he too came to Poser's rescue on the mountain. 360 stiches later, he came home. I was and still am very grateful he was there that day. He was an important part of our family, and as the years went on he grew old and tired. My husband had no desire to sell him. He was approached by someone who offered to buy him. We talked and both agreed that for our children, as well as ourselves it would be easier to let him go now alive, than to burry him. Our children were still young at this time. I appreciate the fact of how hard it was for Jason to let him go. I remember him telling me, that he needed to sell him because he couldn't stick around and watch him die. A few months after we sold Chonk he did die, and to my relief me and my kids didn't have to be there for it. When my kids heard that he had died, our youngest son said that he had really missed him, but was glad that he didn't die in our back yard. So as I read these former posts, I must disagree to some extent on what some of you would consider a "true houndsman". I am sure there are many characteristics that define a "true houndsman" however, I don't believe that making the decision to sell an older dog or keeping it until it dies is one of them. I do know that Poser loves his dogs just as much as the next guy. I have often cussed him for the hours and money he puts into hunting his dogs, training puppies, trapping racoons, and disposing of skunks. But, it is something that he loves and will continue to participate in as long as he is able to. Is this the definition of a "true houndsman"? In my book it is, but I guess I will let you critics decide.

[Rockcreek]

Mrs. Poser... I am truely greatful to know you and your husband. I consider you and your family, some of my best friends. I think you just gave a description that many "Real Houndsmen" and their wives will be able to relate to.

Thanks for posting, sorry for having been a contributing factor. LOL!

Take care.
Mason

[Mr.pacojack]

Very well put Mrs. Poser

[larry]

Well, this is gonna be highly unpopular with the recent posts, not to start a rift, this time anyway.
This has been bugging me since I read these recent posts, if anybody wants to jump on the bandwagon after Mike L. its me, but I'm not agreeing with the attitude portrayed here.

Way I see it is if you have a dog that has given that much for you and is truly one of your best, you owe it to that dog to let him retire in peace where he is most comfortable, not saying all your dogs, just the special ones. Making ends meet and needing to sell... what is a dog on his last leg really worth??? Not much.
Selling out a lifelong hunting partner to avoid the agony of watching him go is really pretty chickenshit. Reminds me of a guy that asked me to shoot his dog for him cause he couldn't do it(a pet dog). My fathers pet german shepard needed put down in a hurry, he was 1500 miles away at the tip of BC and I was home, we talked about putting the dog down, he asked me to dig a hole behind the house, he then drove home to take care of it himself. It was his dog and his companion, and his responsibility. Then turned around and drove back the next day.
Dealing with the loss of our best dogs is part of the deal, and our responsibility to the dogs that mean the most, and hold a special place in our memories. Sending that kind of dog off to a strange environment to someone that doesn't appreciate it as much, to live outthe rest of its days in who knows what kind of environment, well, might as well kick it in the head before you load it up in some strangers truck. Modern scociety likes the easy way out of things most of the time, and if it can be justified, the easy way out is taken. I'm talkin about the special ones here, not sayin every dog you raise, but the ones that earned it deserve it.

[BlacktailStalker]

Your buddy spent $1000-$1500 dollars to drive home and shoot his dog ?
He should buy that $35,000 dog for sale before its gone

[poser]

Larry, i respect your comments and agree. I think we might be looking at things a little different also.

I don't keep dogs til they are old "retirement age". I had one dog that was 10 and sold him for 1,000.00 Right now my oldest dog is 6, the next is 3 and then i'm raising 13 pups from 20 days old to 5 months old. I also start a few pups for my friends. I'll sale my dogs at whatever age someone wants them. I like to start pups and see their progression. That's what does it for me.

I'm not at all bashing people who want to keep their dogs and burry them either. Different thing for different people. Once again, I agree with both sides. I don't think there is a right or wrong, just two different opinions.

And to clarify, i'm not bashing Mike Leonard. Just didn't agree with the one comment. I think he is a great asset to these sites. I don't know or have anything against Mike.

Best of wishes, Jason

[larry]

Gotcha, no problem sellin a dogs that is just a bit out of its prime to help somebody else. Thanks for understanding my POV.

[Latch44]

I do not post much on this web page but this is something that I might beable to talk about little. Like most of you I have some dogs that I have had to retire due to age and in some cases injuries. I can remember these two beagles I ran with and the ran everything form deer, rabbits, coyotes and yes they would actually tree coons till they were 16 years old. We decided that year that we would leave them at home and I will tell you all they did for those two weeks was bark non stop, about two weeks later the first one died of a broken heart and the other was about a month later.
I also have had a old female plott who I was using to train some pups as start dogs, I was going to leave her at home that night (she had ran the night before) but she was standing on her dog house barking every breath so decided to take her and well that proved to be the wrong thing to do but you know she died doing what she loved doing best. I also have a full brother to her (2 or 3 years younger) who now is 12 and still doing a great job but this past weekend makes you wonder what to do, we ran a mean bear for about 5 hours and the poor lad caught caught and got some holes and for the first time in 11 years came out to the truck. So then decided to go out sunday and run again and found a nice small track and put them down and held him the truck (had to take him so he would not bark at home). We treed this little fella and sure enough what does he do but come down the tree and right into the dogs and yes he was the first one to grab it and he put it right back up after a couple new holes. You know we killed that little fella (150lbs) and let him drag that bear out for us.
So I was just thinking about what to do with him and you know when you get a dog like this why sell him, or let him go when dogs like this do not come along very often. He will now be a dog who will be inside most of the winter and yes he may even be hunted on some coons or something a little less damaging. A dog will retire him/herself when they are ready to retire you just keep taking them to the woods till they do not want to go anymore.

[Mike Leonard]

I have no problem with a person selling a hunting dog that is going to bring some real worth to another houndsman but here is what I feel.And really this is all about opinions and if people don't want to hear opposing ones they shouldn't ask the damn question in the first place.

I just returned a message to an aspiring houndman from Arizona. This man in good faith bought an old pup trainer if you will that was well up in years. The dog had caught it's owner a lot of game over the years and was slowing down and he had others passing it by so he decided to let this guy buy it and it might help him out. Nothing wrong with that. The dog is not helping him and won't even trail with his other dogs. why? I don't know he said he acts like he is deaf. Maybe he is, or maybe he just doesn't feel like working in a place yet. some dogs are funny about that. We will see how it turn out.

Now as for selling off old dogs that are pretty much shot in the arse from time and hard work . If you want to and have no real attachment to the dog and you can find a buyer and it works out. go for it I am not going to judge that one way or the other. But don't do it just so you don't have to watch them get old and die or put them down yourself. That is not fair to the dog that has poured out his whole short life for you and it is usually not very fair to the buyer.

And when I said the houndman thing I was simply saying the cruel fact of being one is that lifelong commitment to hounds. It's just not a fast food type thing. Lots of guys and gals get into maybe even for a generation or two of hounds and then they find it is not to their liking.

If a person can make a living doing what he loves and if that is raising, training hunting and selling hounds I am all for them. I know a few that can and my hat is off to them. But not many can especially for big game dogs.


Good luck with your hunts.

[bigboarstopper]

Lots of strong opinions. Im curious. Most of this topic is refering to older dogs that are slowing down. Almost all of my retired dogs have had to retire due to injuries over the years. There is no option to sell them to somone. Its either spend the rest of their days next to the fireplace or be put down. Id like some of the previous posters to reply to this. As this aspect is either being overlooked or ignored.

I have always been too emotionally attached to my dogs to put them down or get rid of after a career of hunting for me. I have a 16 year old dog that has been retired for almost 5 years now due to a shoulder injury. She is comfortable and is not in pain nor is she costing me any more money than feed. She is taking valuable space however. But the memories we spent together in the hills are just as valuable. I can understand that somone dosent want to see their dog die. But its a simple reality. Ignoring it or selling/giving the dog away to somone else dosent change that fact that it happens. Its part of the process.

But back to my question. What do you do with your older veteran dogs that get injured in the field and must retire? No oppertunity to trade off or sell. Put down? easy living? Im not refering to dogs that are gonna be in pain or need expensive medications.

[Ike]

Easy living! I have two twelve years olds in that boat right now, they'll still run hard and I'm pretty careful how often and where I hunt them. They are both still pretty healthy and love to road, and I take them along on those five or six mile jogs, but I can tell they don't have the zip in their stride most days or cast nearly as hard as the younger dogs do. They'll get to run down some lion tracks this fall but usually only get turned out on the easy ones; they still love to go as much as they ever did but just don't have the speed or energy they once had.

ike