Keep it, kill it, or bring it back

back when I was breeding a consistent line of dogs I very seldom sold a pup and only gave a few to friends and no one else around this area...I did not expect anything back but it was understood that if I liked the pup once it matured into a hunting dog that I would breed it back to one of my dogs...always a male pup never a female...even though I gave a few females I would not ask for a breeding or a pup from her unless she was bred to a male I liked and I liked that pup as well...

I sometimes tried to place a top pup with someone because I saw a lot of potential in that pup but I didn't have the room to keep it at that time...that usually happened when I liked another pup just a little better...the thing that bothered me about some of my gifts to others was that sometimes they were not appreciated...when we spend hours and days planning a breeding and years on a line of dogs it is hard to see a pup running loose and ranging out and crossing hiways and you tell the new owner to put the pup up because it will get stolen, ran over on the hiway or eaten by a coyote...and 2 weeks later you see the pup dead on the road...I didn't have the right to say anything...but I still remember...and I chalk it up to experience and I have to remember that some folks are in it for the sport of catching hogs and not for breeding better dogs...

only thing I can say is that a deal is a deal...but when it comes to dog and loaning money is like this...on money don't loan more than your willing to lose...unless it is my kids I expect them to pay me back if it is a loan and they will know about it if they don't honor the contract...it's not about money it is more about the lesson...

with dogs we have to understand that not all folks have the same standards/character as you or me so the best thing is expect the worst and hope for the best...this way we don't feel as let down and we will just have to move on...