Jeff, if you look to the left, you will see my dog Brutus, a mix of Chocolate Lab and German wired hair pointer. A gift from heaven, I was never going to have another pet. Pulled into a hardware store in Michigan on vacation and they were giving away pups. We got one and have never regretted it. They can be such great friends and part of the family. This one will most likely outlive me. They have a life expectancy of 14 to 20 years. I am not trying to talk you into another pet, but this is just my experience. he s 95 lbs now and still thinks he is a lap puppy.