Sorry to hear about the medical problems, I could not take my Feist squirrel hunting for 2 years due to my back and actually gave 2 away but kept my sweet Ms Dixie, and today she did not miss a beat in the woods. The Dr. gave me a new lease on life when he operated on top and bottom of spine. We never know what life will bring us, maybe you can really downsize, we changed from a pup to a small pull behind TT. Stay on the forums tho, as you do have badly needed experience that can help someone else with a problem Good Luck