As someone that respects gameness more than most, I will say I'd never show a dog over 7 years of age. I have a 10 year old dog that acts like she's 3 and will jump on anything from pups, grown dogs, bears, dragons (you get the drift).

Showing dogs is a very difficult thing to do for people that really care about their dogs. It comes down to whether or not you're able to really risk the dog's life if said dog is still in the thick of the battle. I know some truly competitive men that can and some that can't. There are times, especially shows like this, where pride DOES play a part in what we decide what to do, but pride has nothing to do with knowing when to pick up. Not saying OP was prideful in what he did; I'm just stating some things I've seen over the years. I've been prideful in one particular instance, and it cost me. I'd be a liar if I sat here and said, at certain times, I wish I would've done something different. I didn't, and that's basically the end of it.

I'm not a firm believer in dogs actually "loving" what they do, especially when it comes down to three flats and a chest that looks like hamburger. That subject can be debated to death ad nauseam.

At the end of the day, I look for and expect a particular level of gameness from my dogs. I understand that with pushing them to those gray areas, the risk of high of losing an animal due to that is high. It doesn't have to necessarily be a show to see that, but it seems that's how it works with most people. Either way, the risk is still great that a life may be lost, and it's something that I have to struggle with each time we get to that point of the dog's career. The balance between what I expect and what's best for the dog is always a delicate balance that's sometimes out of whack due to situations. I hate it.