Old Hounds

[lonehunter]

I know that this will stir some contention but just my thoughts, want to see what some of you think about it. I have noticed quite a bit of this type of add in the dog classified " Decided to sell my lead dog" when the dog is 9 or 10 years old. We all know that hounds at that age are in their twilight years and ready to be retired. I have two that are like that now, but they have given me great service and they will have a warm comfortable home the rest of their life, even though they won't be hunting any more. It's a little hard for me to see how some one dumps them for a few bucks after they slow to that point after they have hunted their hearts out for them while they were young.
Just my thoughts, what do you think?

LoneHunter
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"I have never hunted a good dog that was a bad color"

[cobalt]

This topic was beat to death(no pun) a couple months ago. Can't remember the title.

[Arkansas Frog]

I am with you Lonehunter horse included.

[waylon]

x2 frog

[mefishme1234]

I would love to give a retired hound a nice warm and comfortable home to its last days.. I like to use it to get my female going.. any breed that is a good cat dog.. local too.. i have a friend that i tried to buy his old cat dog but would not part with it! i understand. A old guy i knew would hunt his hounds to their last day.. some died in their houses and a few luccky ones died hunting.. died with their boots on.. doing what they love..

[FullCryHounds]

I've got a hound that was bit by a Tom in 2006. He's blind now but will always have a place here (on the couch). I've also got an outstanding Walker that is 10 years old this month. He's still going strong and hope I'll have another couple years out of him. He'll also never leave this property while he's alive. Personnally, my hounds are my life and I treat them that way.

[Melanie Hampton]

I can see both sides of the coin... It your old dog is getting outran and would be better off helping somebody else out.. then why not..

But for me.. No way... I have a hard time getting rid of a dog once it hits a year old.. If it is still around by then, you can pretty much count on it staying around... So getting rid of the one who used to be head of the A team.. I just think of all the work those older dogs have done for you...

No way.. I have one who is starting to age on me.. Once he hits the point where he done... I'm booting the house dog out and he can claim any piece of furniture he wants... He has way earned retirement in comfort and being spoiled...

[BuckNAze]

Well you can definetly tell who the people who care more about their hounds are, not that one person takes better care or what not. Some people just get attached to their dogs and they become part of the family. Even my wife said that once our older dogs get old she will even allow them in our new house just because they've earned it. They put their time in and made the whole journey with you. Its like booting one of your kids out. Thats how I see it anyways. Id have a hard time after they were a year old too! If Ive had them for a few months Im almost too damn attached, just a big wuss I guess, haha damn dogs!

[Mike Leonard]

BuckN Aze,

You tell your wife I like her a lot! OK?

Ya"ll do what you will and I will not judge but the only old critter that has paid their dues around here that gets hauled out of here to greener pastures better be me. LOL!

[liontracker]

[lonehunter]

Just a little more about the older hound. Saturday my two older dogs, one 9 and the other 10, along with my 5 year old spent 4 1/2 hours on a lion that refused to tree, he bayed at least four times, and once jumped 40 feet off a cliff. Finally had to catch the dogs and stop the chase, was 4:30 and 6 miles from my truck. I'm 62 and these dogs are past my age in dog years, yet we can still run the mountain. After about 20 miles of hiking we all had to recoup today!!

LoneHunter
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" I have never hunted a good dog that was a bad color"

[poser]

I do not see anything wrong with anyone selling or giving away their old dog. It's their dog, their choice. If someone is willing to buy or take that dog and give it a good home...great.

I give some of my buddies a hard time about keeping a dog past 6 or 7 year old. To me, that is the time to sale them. That is usually when they are worth the most money and hopefully have been hunted enough to have made a good hound.

For me, its not about keeping an old dog around and reminiscing about the good ole days. "Not saying theirs anything wrong with that" I like to breed and raise pups. Thats what does it for me.

Then, when that pup is going and showing promise i like to put them into good hands with someone who will give them a good home and a soft place to lay their heads when they are old.

See....it's a good thing that we are all different. Some of us are dumb enought to raise pups and others are smart enough to enjoy a good old hound. To each their own.

Take care, jason

[Ike]

I was visiting with an old hounddogger some years back who told me he was jealous of me, so I ask him why? He responded that he trained and sold young hounds and by the time they really got going they were usually gone to some up and coming hunter who just doesn't train their own. He then went on to say you get to keep your dogs and they just get better and better........

After that I thought alot more of that man and realized that people do what they do in an attempt to make it all work for them. He also told me it hurt too much to watch those old great hounds go downhill. Therefore, I'm not going to condemn anybody for their choices and to each his or her own.

I will say that a good lion hound doesn't hit it's full stride until it's five or six years old, and then only gets better. Presently I'm hunting a dog who will be eleven in April, and another that will be nine this summer. Those two dogs still keep up with the young dogs on a lion track but have more trouble on the long, hard bear races. But that's OK because that's OK with me as I don't run as fast or hard as I use to either.............

it's one hell of a lot easier to get a dog to run down a hot bear track and catch it than it is to make a hound that will cold trail a dirt lion track fro daylight until dark and still be pushing that track......

ike