Great shots and story. Brings back memories of my junior high and high school days when I rabbit hunted with my uncles with a beagle/bluetick cross who was a a real knothead until I spent one summer working him almost every day until he became one of our best dogs especially for "white rabbits" (varying hare) in deep snow. When he finally passed to the great great woods heaven, I felt lost and even wrote a poem about him for our high school magazine. Unfortunately that was seventy years ago and I do not have a copy, although I am still looking. It started "I never wrote no poetry, I never even tried, but now I write to tell you my old hound dog has died ..." I don't remember all of it but I remember it ended "... Pal was my only choice." That was before my photography days so I don't have any pictures of him or any of the many beagles and hounds my uncle had.
Bud