I had a girl that had cruciate surgery on both knees in 1982 and 1983. That surgeon removed a piece of ligament from her Leg and used it to stabilize her joint, probably similar to what your dog had done except that synthetic materials were not available back then. She went on to finish her championship, get a CDX when they had to jump 1.5 X their height (she had to jump 32 inches) and get her JH. She lived to be over 14. So yes, cruciate tears are not necessarily career ending. Also, I have 6 generations down from her and not another cruciate problem. My girl who just had surgery is not related. Good luck!
