I think his love would have blinded him from what the right way to rationally deal with the situation. It was selfish of him because he was obviously needed the dog more than it needed him, he just couldn't let it go like I said he had no way of thinking rationally.

I know I would find it hard to give any of my pets away, in fact we had a 2 year old kelpie dog, she was beautiful but with three young children I just didn't get enough time to spend with her, she was unhappy and that resulted in her digging up the back yard.
Therefore we gave her away to a family with grown up kids who could take care of her better. She is now one of the most successful tracking dogs in the region because the owners had the time and money to train her. I will admit I cried when we gave her away and I still think of her but I know she is better off.