Thinking of hanging it up!

TOUCHSTONEBGLS · Post by **TOUCHSTONEBGLS** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:07 pm

It is never good to try to make a quality decision when at a HIGH point or a LOW point in life. You seem to be at a low point so I recomend caution in making a significant decision immediately.
I do agree that family should be the major priority in life. At the same time your happiness can flow to your family and create much goodness in life. Doing something that can create regret and possably bitterness may not get you where you want to go.
Jumping to a far extreme may not be the answer. Sounds like you have fine hounds that you really like. Not an easy thing to build. Why not kick it down a notch for a while, keep your dogs, and re-evaluate in a month or so. If you feel the same then do what you feel you need to do. If not you will not have lost all that you have built over all those years. May GOD bless you with the wisdom to overcome this difficult time. Dan

buckridge · Post by **buckridge** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:38 pm

Being 60 yrs young... you don't even want to think about the time and money we spend on our sport.
You want to follow the fomat that best suits you and your dogs!
Your family comes first and if you have any time and money left to do this sport, then go ahead and enjoy.
The best thing possible is getting your entire family Involved and making it a family sport.
I wish I had follow my own advise today, because it cost me my first Marriage a long time ago... and I have been paying for it ever since in many ways.

Best wishes.

Jim

Blu Tick Beagler · Post by **Blu Tick Beagler** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:26 pm

Jeremy,

I am in exactly the same situation in my life. We use to run and trial as a family. I remember carrying my son out on casts beacuse he was too little to walk, and my daughter having to stand on a chair to show her hounds on the bench. We all ran dogs and our life seemed to revolve around them. Well, over the years we have slowed down and sold most of the pack only keeping a select few. I spend my time running my kids around now.. Softball, baseball, vollyball, basketball, etc... With kids, work and a family life there just isn't enough time to run and condition a hound to compete as we once did. I have been fortunate to own some of the hounds that I have. I guess that is why I hate seeing them sitting in the kennel. They have all given me many memories, but I am considering calling it quits. At least until the kids graduate. I will be attending the world hunt this year alone for the first time ever. It's not as easy to just pack up and go once the kids hit high school. Anyway, I just wanted to say I can relate and wish you well in your decision...

hubertsoutlaw · Post by **hubertsoutlaw** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:27 pm

It is so hard running and trainning my dogs to be the best, and then see them sit in my kennel trial season. I have everything I want out there. Good quaility hounds with the pedigrees I like. I know 4 years is not really a long time, but that is how long it has took me to build what I have. Being 26 years young and having a stay at home wife, the money just isn't there. Believe me, I am not saying GOD has not blessed me to the fullest of evrything because he has. I just have to craw before I walk and God and Family come first in my life. I have tried to do God's will for a long time, and taking care of my family and keeping my family happy is what is needed now. I hope to give people good deals if they buy dogs from me, so when I get to do it again, it will be right. Thanks to all for the good advise and kind words. God Bless jeremy

DRamey · Post by **DRamey** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:10 pm

I used to go to every trial at my home club but had to put my wife through college and then go back myself (at 46!) after she was through. I have a part-time job at a high school, I preach several times a month, and I have a 5-year old and a 9-year old. I coach peewee basketball and tutor the 9-year old's academic team in math. I teach teenagers on Wed. night in a Bible class. 3 of my classes are upper-level math and are demanding as all get out. My hounds have suffered because of this and I am looking to go from 6 to 3, so I only have one small pack to work at a time. I try my best to make it to one trial in the spring and one in the fall to judge to support my home club a tiny bit and to keep in touch with my buddies that I miss dearly. I take my son with me when I go to the club to expose him to the good folks that are beaglers. I hope someday to return to competition but only as a hobby, not as a life-or-death venture. Trialing can be done as a just for fun thing and doesn't necessarily have to be all-or nothing, and you can still enjoy yourself. I used to play softball on Sundays and played like it was my last day on Earth. I played in racketball tournaments the same way. A few steroid shots way down in the joints later, and I realized that winning is special, but not worth giving up things that can only be appreciated by slowing down and looking around. Slow down and look around! Might surprise you what you see!

Bill Mills · Post by **Bill Mills** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:37 am

I would think real hard before selling ALL of your dogs.And if that ends up being right for you then you have to do what you feel.I dont think you should feel obligated to trial your dogs if time and money are short.Those dogs run because they love it not because they are at a trial.If you can,keep some of your foundation dogs and in a few years let your kids hunt over them and that will be better than any trophy or award that you have ever won.I am not trialing that much this year because of a new baby boy,but I will make the ones I can.And in a few years I will be at them all with my new handler!ANd he will have the best dog in the kennel on his leash.Dont beat yourself up.Scale it back.But still keep something for the future that you have developed.

SilverZuk · Post by **SilverZuk** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:08 am

The purpose of life is to be happy.
If trialing doesn't make you happy, then find something that does.

I enjoy a lot of things, hunting, fishing, shooting, trialing, ATV/Motorcycle riding. I like to go to trials, but don't pressure myself into going like I have done with other things.

I grew up racing motorcycles. Every weekend we raced from April to October. We traveled the country and had a good time. There were times though, I would have rather stayed at home. I got burned out on it several times. I didn't have a choice back then, because dad was racing so the family had to go. We all eventually got burned out on it and quit.
Chasing the AMA points in several districts was the pressure that made dad say, "We have to go to Pennsylvania this weekend so I can stay on top of the points".

I got into field trialing running my neighbor's dogs. I have fun with it.
I have a couple of dogs that will likely champion, one is exceptional.
I don't care if I ever champion them, win the world hunt, hound of the year, etc. I know what I have got in my family, friends, and in life.

I enjoy too many other things in life to campaign a dog like KY Reggie has been campaigned. If that is what you enjoy, that is great. I enjoy other things also.

KPrice · Post by **KPrice** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:40 am

Jeremy,
I think that it is a sign of your good character that your are examining your life priorities and putting this much serious thought into it. It's obvious that this is a strugggle for you, but you are doing the right thing by facing this decision head on. Like a lot of others here, I can identify with what you are going through. I'm older than you, but I have young kids. They love to go to the woods with me and will go with me anytime that I want them to. But I know that sometimes they would rather be playing baseball or playing with their friends. As wrong as it feels to leave your good hounds sitting in the kennel on some weekends, I think its even more wrong to not give your kids the oppurtunity to explore their own interests. My kids have been with me in the woods since before they could walk, but I have slowed down A LOT over the past few years. I seriously thought about getting out of hounds for a few years myself but instead I have cut back to just a handful of my favorite hounds. I think about it this way. I want my kids to explore their interests, but if these hounds are so important to me, then they should share in that experience as well. If my boys grow up to love this sport like I do, then I will be a happy man. If they find something of their own that they love just as much then I'll be just as happy. But as long as I have some hounds around then at least they will see the pleasure that it brings me. So my advice to you is to cut back to just a few of your favorites, don't worry about competition, spend time with your kids, run the dogs when you can.
Don't let stuff like this get you down.
Take care and good luck.

BluedogPhil · Post by **BluedogPhil** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:59 am

I sold tori. she was a very solid hound. My best two friends in the whole world bought her, so I'm not to hurt. One down, 6 to go

Bopeye · Post by **Bopeye** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:57 pm

Interesting subject.............I remember when I decided to quit beagling.
Yep........life is good.