retirement
 

I went shooting on saturday for the first time in two months. I have two springers "mac" and "baby" that I have had since they were pups and are now 10 years old.
They have been trained to suit how I hunt and work as a pair, from hunting rabbits in fir bushes to flushing game birds at driven shoots.They have a good reputation as hunting dogs and I have been offered alot of money both to sell them and breed from them all of which I have always refused.
I know they are pushing on but they are still as eagar to hunt as when they were pups, but I have had to make the decision to retire baby. He has arthritis in his back legs, and can no longer go for any length of time. I kept him beside me saturday and would not let him do any work. That evening he was very lame and I said enough was enough.
Sunday morning I was going to a driven shoot and had to leave baby at home. I had to carry mac out to the van because he never goes out of the yard on his own.When I got home mammyhouse told me that baby cried all day long.He knew where I was.
Well I am just sad to see my long time shooting companion come to such an end, and shooting will not have the same enjoyment to me without baby.

That's always hard to retire a dog, especially when they want so bad to go.

Man, I feel for you, homerhop, and Baby too. It is always a sad thing.

It's never an easy thing to do, is it? Retiring a dog, I feel your pain.

Maybe it's time he taught a younger pup to take over for him.??