Thanks for all the replies, I agree with most of them. Especially about giving of 150%, very important. I guess that's called heart. I suppose the characteristics that I'm really trying to put into a dog are Brains, Nose, Heart, Speed, Loyalty, Stamina, Weather Resistance, Convenience of Size, and Jumping Agility. Have I missed anything?
My top 4 dogs since my childhood are as follows: Turk, a dingo/stag, a little slow but very committed and freakishly athletic on rabbits. Commie, a whippet stag with a splash of staffy who once jumped a 7 foot security fence, with a great nose, loyal and human like personality, and extremely hard on foxes and cats, but too slow for hares. Sally, a deerhoundy type stag who once ran a hare to death but was brainless and lacked personality. And Nelly, a bully/GSpointer cross deerhound who appeared to have everything except for speed, could even fetch a beer, but died too young to prove herself.
What do you all reckon about a bully/GSpointer cross saluki?
And tell me more about catahoulas?