The old boy is to tired!

[Alabama John]

Thanks Patch!

Among the beaglers I know and I know a lot there is not one that has a beagle for a pet. They are working dogs.

We all around here have tryouts for our next hunting season team (pack) all spring, summer and fall for the next season. We talk on the phone weekly or after we run our packs about who's staying and who's going somewhere else. Would one I am cutting help him or vice versa?

I'm going to Tennessee this weekend to see two young ones that have become too fast for his pack that he thinks might make the cut with mine.

Have a man coming to my place to try out a female that WAS fast enough, but now is getting older and slowed down that might fit with his upper medium pack. Sure won't make it in mine anymore. Couldn't stand to see her struggling trying to run front like she used to. Bet you if I kept her and she had to do that, she would start doing something crazy to make up for it as old dogs will do and mess up the pack. Once competetive always competetive as that never changes with age.

When athlete dogs start getting old and can't compete anymore like they once could, they start doing things like mouthing, backtracking, running a pickup silently until getting ahead of the pack, opening behind, cutting badly, swinging to one side, especially if you leave them in a faster pack than they can keep up with which is cruel in my opinion. Time to move it on to a boy or someone needing a pup trainer or put it down.

[bluemouse]

Time to move it on to a boy or someone needing a pup trainer or put it down.(wrote Alabama John) I can agree on the first two parts, I can put a dog down if its suffering no problem. But to put one down because it can not keep up any more. Sounds like Obumer care to me.

[Travis & Dio the dog]

I completly agree with what bluemouse had to say. My friend was givin an old dog when he was 15 because the dog was to old for a guys pack. After hunting with the dog for a year he relized how fun it was to run dogs even if the dog does only last an hour or so. My friend introduced me to the world of beagling last year i loved the idea so much i now have a pup i will be running with his dog this year, and my friend has gotten another dog to start too, it has opened a whole new world to us. Just my opinion but i would give the dog to a new beagler.

[Bev]

That was kind of my point, too. It's not like the dogs are suffering, in pain, starving and unable to eat...with the doggy spirits beckoning from the other side, and the guy won't let 'em go. They're just old and need to retire to easier activities. I won't condemn someone else who chooses to put a dog down just because he's old, but I won't do it. If the dog has served me well and still enjoys the sun on his face and a good meal, that's the least I can give him.

[bluemouse]

John and Patch I understand you guys trade and buy a lot of hounds and you try to improve your packs by doing so. I by no means are trying to put you guys down. I do not have the time or money to spend in the hound world like you guys. I only got a six pack of potlickers, I started with two male pups and have breed and raised the rest out of the first female I brought so its a litlle different for me to put my heart and soul into these hounds. Thats the reason I feel the way I do about 86ing a hound in its latter years. If I brought a hound that just wanted to eat and chase cars that would be another story, I have been around long enough to know that you can feed a good one just as easy as a bad one.

[Alabama John]

Not putting you down in anyway either. I understand falling in love with a dog and having one for a pet. Nothing wrong with that at all if that is what you choose to do. More power to you!

Would be interesting to start a new thread asking everyone that post on here how many dogs they have total and how many are over 7 and not count those old males that are at stud or old female brood dogs being bred to sell pups. Just hunting dogs, not old dogs that are kept because they are money machines. Look at the dogs for sale and those being bought and see how many are pretty young. Where are the old dogs? Whats happened to them?

I'll start off. None over 7, oldest will be 5 this fall rest are 2-3 years old. Have 6 total with 2 more 3 year olds coming this weekend.

I bet you would be suprised IF you would get straight answers. I'm more normal than you think.

[Bobby Vest]

I know what you're trying to say John. With all the beagles that are being bred all over this country there are way too many people with 15 to 30 dog kennels I have seen and you won't see 10 old dogs laying around on retirement. I agree that most of the old dogs you see are either old studs still breeding or an old female that they are hoping to get another litter out of. Where are all the old dogs going? I promise you a lot of them are being shot by somebody. I am in no way saying that is the thing to do but just think about it, I know it's happening. I have a 11 year old female that was from A to Z as complete a dog as I have seen. About 6 mo ago I got in my truck and went to leave and she got out from under the truck. I never saw her do it before but she turned and walked right back in front of the truck and I didn't see her and ran over her. She layed around here for quite a while and I thought she was going to die. Well she got back on her feet OK and is doing fine to look at her. I was watching her the other day in the side yard she started opening and kept acting like she was running a rabbit. I watched her off and on for 5 hours and she never left a 50 foot circle the whole time. I love this dog so much it hurts but I think about putting her down and it just kills me. She was not just a great hunting dog she was as sweet as any creature I have ever been around. I kinda got off track here I guess but I know too many people that keep too many dogs that don't have a bunch laying around on retirement. Someone is putting dogs down, there is too many bred and too few laying in kennels.

[S.R.Patch]

lol. That was some funny stuff there, Patch. Not about your grandmother, but the rest of it.

People often try to laugh or discredit what they don't understand, don't be embarrassed, it very common.

I don't begrudge you your pets, but try to understand pack dynamics and what it takes to keep a pack going in real terms.
Else, if we were Eskimo we'd be sitting you out on the ice...

[Bev]

lol. That was some funny stuff there, Patch. Not about your grandmother, but the rest of it.

People often try to laugh or discredit what they don't understand, don't be embarrassed, it very common.

Not a bit embarrassed. I haven't understood most of what you've said for years. And I'm in good company, lol. But you just keep flogging away at those parables. One day it might take hold.

This really isn't the thread for it, but I'll be happy to go toe-to-toe with you on pack dynamics any time.

[tenntreedog]

I`ve got a6 yr.old male that if he never runs another rabbit he will die right here hopfully of old age.
he sleeps on my bed eats what I eat and is a complete rabbit hound.
But through all my faults he still is my best friend.And I treat him as such.

[Mapel Valley Kennels LLC.]

In ur repsonse of old dogs, I have retired a few and buried a few.You make it in the valley till 2 u suit me fine. I dont sell culls i kill em just my little way of exceeding the breed. I feed 4-5 dogs at anytime Out of 4 running hounds 2 have impresive titles the other 2 have never been trialed. I guess my point is they dont all make it period.So many folk try and fool themselves, they are lying to nobody the complete package is as hard to make a kfc orginal recipe.Funny u dont hear about em only see em for sale /extreme hunt will make a rabbit dog at least. Funny But my trial dogs are also my rabbit dogs. But my ol dogs have earned it they are family and i will stick till the end, i dont give em away i run em on my terms. As for me i love old dogs.



The Valley Not Always Politically Correct but a realist


Jimbo

[Bobby Vest]

Abshire, go back and read my post on page two and look at the little video of the two guys fighting.

[Duke]

Ive got one 10 year old he has moved to the kitchen and I take him out alone to run once in a while. Two females in the kennel 8 and 9. The other 4 are under 4.

If a dog makes the grade to stay in my kennel, it stays in my kennel, even after it is past its prime (unless a better circumstance for the hound came up). As long as that hound comes to meet me at the gate, wagging its tail happy to see me looking forward to a pat on the head and does not seem to be in pain, I will care for it as well as I can until it dies naturally.

I dont trade dogs, I occasionally give a dog away or sell one that does not fit in my kennel. I dont breed a lot, I pick pups out of select breedings to my male and test them from there.

[da ridgetop]

I can honestly say i only own 1 old dog she's 10 and got a place here until the day she dies,she still runs but aint much good in a pack no more but i started her ran her in the good years never once did she dissapoint me but that just it owned her her whole life this is home for her and yes in her day she was as good as they come.Never since her have i kept one over 3-4yrs got bit by the trading bug looking for the greatest dog on the planet.Point to all my rambling if you have a dog and it was outstanding in your opinion you would hesitate to get rid of it but if you had a dog thats just ok would you honestly not look at its kennel with a question in your head because of the expense knowing the next big thing might be just over the hill ? Keep in mind you can't give it away and knowbody wants to buy it. bobby's right in the above post these old dogs got to be going somewhere
Donald

[deerhost]

Good post Jimbo!