Duke

Some people may think it strange that I'm posting this so soon after the tragedy, and going into such detail but I feel like I have to. 

Duke was hit by a pickup and killed a few hours ago. 

I was in my room, when Kaia called me. I instantly wondered what was wrong, because Kaia never calls when she's home with me-she usually just comes and finds me if she has something to ask. I never dreamed that it'd be this though. Evidently, a neighbor had come to the door, asking if we had a Border Collie, because she had just hit one with her pickup. 

Kaia and I grabbed some flashlights, and went out to the road. I was really nervous, because the last thing I wanted to see was Duke torn up and bleeding, with possibly entrails all over the road. He was lying right outside the driveway, and when I shone the light on him, I could pretty much tell by his eyes that he was dead. I can't tell you how relieved I was when we got closer and I was able to see that he didn't *look* injured. His gums were already white, and he had no response when I touched his eye. 

I decided to just put him out in the field instead of burying him, because I didn't think I could dig a hole in this frozen ground. I carried him back down to the house, and Kaia went to get the keys to Dad's pickup. (We have quite a bit of snow, plus it's icy, so figured that Kaia's or my cars would not be the best choice for transportation.) I held him on my lap as we went down to the Uecker place, a few miles down the road. Kaia helped me carry him through the field, and into the stream bed, where he (hopefully) won't be seen from the road. 

So that's that. Thus ends the saga of my Dukey-boy, who, though I had given him to the boys, I still dearly loved. I'm still in shock and numb. The tears will come later...