Each day that Norman trains I am saddened by him getting older. He is going to be 12 this November.  My best friend with his HRCH & MH title can’t do the work like when he was younger. I know we all get old and can’t perform like we used to but it saddens me to watch this in Norman. He managed to run hunt test and receive his hunting titles, he hunted every hunting season for 11 years so far and did a remarkable job doing it. So when we train now with a group of people and he can’t do the work like he used to I am saddened and want to say “really he has been trained and could do the work”.  He doesn’t hear very well even if at all, he doesn’t see like he used to and he is sore after training. We don’t even train hard as I know he will be sore afterwards, not that he won’t try to do the work and will give it his all I just won’t put him in that type of situation. His mind is like a 2-year-old and he so wants to do the work but these days we only do short singles with him or swim him and he is so over joyed just to get a single. I guess to a dog a single is better than nothing and it doesn’t matter how far away it is just as long as he is still able to go out and perform.  Today I had to go out and help him find his mark as he couldn’t hear or wouldn’t listen to my whistle blows and when he found it and carried it back to the line he was the proudest boy ever. It’s so hard to know when it is time to retire them. I don’t think I could ever retire him as long as he can get up and go get one bumper even if it is only 10 feet away. God bless the seniors!