My sister in Michegan had a lovely chessie that they rescued as a youngster for about 10 years. He was a failed hunter, I believe, just didn't make the grade and became one of their cherished family. He was very suspicious of strangers and protective of the house, though, took awhile to warm up to strangers. Great with small animals-They had a procession of cats over the years and dog sat numerous times. The largest drawback was finding an area vet to treat him, most would not because of the breed's unpredictible temperment??? Couldn't prove it by Sam though.
Stella