Beautiful companion there Paul. It is funny the lengths we go to when we get to spend precious time with our dogs. Worth every mile driving those 12 long hours.
My dog Lucy don't hunt! Sure, wished she did, and I've tried a few times in the early years, but she gets cold tail and is just miserable for weeks afterward. She actually doesn't even like to get in the water to her belly now. At 11 years old it wouldn't be the same without her. There's a lot of reasons to have a good dog. Here's one of them. (Don't mind the floor. Carpet installer is a little behind)