This mod changes what happens to dogs (and hounds, and one unique animal) in combat when they reach zero hitpoints. As a dog owner, i found it very unpleasant to play with or against dogs, as they inevitably die. Even after deciding to play without them, it didn't take long for the enemies i encountered to use them against me. Thus this mod was born.

Instead of dying (and playing the horrific death sound) they now disappear, playing the hurt sound instead.
Player owned dogs remain with the party, but need to recover first for 1-2 days before they can be deployed again.
This is implemented as an effect for the owner, so balance wise it should be fine compared to the gold cost of replacing the dog.

The mod is now written using the new Modern Hooks, that can be installed in addition to the classic Modding Script Hooks. No need to decide between the two!
It can be installed for existing saves, and also uninstalled (see below).

What happens in combat and after
Brother unleashes dog, both brother and dog survive -> Dog equipped on brother
Brother unleashes dog, dog dies -> Dog equipped on brother, brother receives condition preventing dog use for 1-2 days
Brother dies, dog is auto-unleashed, dog survives -> Dog lootable at end of combat
Brother dies, dog is auto-unleashed, dog dies -> Dog lootable at end of combat
Brother falls in combat, dog is auto-unleashed, dog survives or dies, Brother survives (e.g. via survivor trait) -> Dog equipped on brother (but brother doesn't have debuff yet, might implement in the future)

Installation
Simply drop the .zip file into your game's Data folder, don't unzip it.

Uninstallation
Make sure none of your characters have the Dog Injured condition. If they do, just wait 1-2 days, i.e. until the condition is expired. Take care of your dogs in the meantime, to not get new conditions. After that, you can just delete the mod from your game folder.

Compatibility and DLC Requirements
The mod should be compatible with all other mods, that don't override the onDeath, onUpdate and isUsable functions of wardogs.
I am not exactly sure what DLCs it requires. The mod is based on the main game files, and i play with all DLCs except the supporter packages.

The mod is by addon compatible with Accessory Companions (AC) mod. AC overwrites the original dog classes. To make it compatible, install the optional addon mod_dog_love_ac in addition (!) to the main file mod_dog_love.

Credits
Thanks to Endur1el for helping me convert the mod to modern hooks, and answering many questions.