Quote Originally Posted by FrostyPaws View Post
Because with a bad bleeder, there is a loss of blood. And if I go strictly by what you wrote, it is simply a quick loss of blood that you're worried with, and that doesn't entail gameness in my thought process. That tells me an artery was hit, which is pretty common, and you did the thing you thought best, but it doesn't make me think the dog showed what I consider to be game.
We agree, except that there is a difference between "what you" consider to be (I assume, proven-) game ... and a dog merely being picked up "game" (as in "still willing" at the point of pick up).

Ultimately, the term "proven game" is a subjective assessment on any dog that is picked up.
Ultimately, there is room for error in trying to make any kind of "permanent" assessment of a living animal
Too many future variables are possible, and so to try to make any kind of extreme permanent assessment, based on a past performance, is ultimately absurd.

Therefore, we can only speak with authority on the past performance, and we can only do so based on facts.
A dog "having run a scratch," and making contact after pick-up, is an objective fact that the dog was still willing to scratch at the point of pick-up, on that contest.

It doesn't mean the dog is "permanently game" ... there simply is no way to determine such a thing, based on a past performance, regardless of what time or what was done

It only means the dog didn't just stand there, he went over, and in doing so expressed willingness to continue at the point of pickup.

Jack


> EDITED