Sorry Glenn didnt finish answering the question. Owning so many hunting dogs isnt really like a " pet " dog as far as attachment. Dogs are trained sold, dont fit in the pack , and are subject to alot of accidents after chasing various critters all over. I have had about every bad thing, accident, and such you could imagne happen to hunting dogs, not counting those that just get it done, nor be totally broke of " off " game. My last personal dog was a GSD,who had to be put down due to some neuromuscular disease which couldnt be figured out by 2 different vets <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I don’t know if this counts but I switched species. I always had cats and 5 years ago married into APBTs. (still have the cats and a couple of ferrets)These dogs are high maintenance and responsibility is a requirement but the unconditional love you get back from a dog is something I never imagined. My male is getting on in age so I considered what I might get once he reaches Rainbow Ridge…I love my brothers GSD, Romel but he is as punchy as mine are…sooo, I’ll move to a dog that can pull, I want to get some good pull dogs and compete them…………..

i've never sold or given away a dog i've owned, and i doubt i ever will. they are intimate friends. neither i or nor the dog could handle it.

i had the ultimate test of this over the past few years. we adopted a 2 1/2 year old mastiff from his first owners, with the explicit intention of using him as a pack dog. it soon became clear that he had problems that prevented this, and a series of xrays uncovered a congenital spinal defect that left him wholly unsuited to the activities we got him for. he lived out his life with us, even though at times having a crippled giant dog around the house was a huge liability, especially as it meant not having the pack dog i wanted, or getting a second dog, which i didn't want to do while the first one was around. but he was such a love, such a beautiful soul, and it had taken him a year to bond with me, and he had grieved his previous owners terribly. i couldn't do that to him again, even though he was of no use to us at all.

we put him down in july, when he finally could no longer walk at all, and the prednisone was no longer helping.

before we got him, i was without a dog for ten years. when my previous mastiff died, i swore that my next dog would be small, not shed, and not drool. my husband and i went and looked at puppies for several other breeds, but none of them had the personalities of the mastiff. they just weren't as people focused, as emotionally connected as mastiffs.

so, we stayed with the mastiffs. i still fantasize about finding another breed with as good a temperament who would be lower maintenance, but i haven't been able to come up with one. i'll probably have them until i die.