On Friday, a beautiful Labrador retriever named "Duke," was euthanized in Tunica, Miss.
Duke was euthanized in the truest sense of the word, to humanely end his suffering.
Some backtracking is necessary to explain the circumstances which led to Duke's untimely demise...
On Wednesday, a caller alerted Tunica Humane Society Shelter Director Sandy Williams that there was a black dog who had not moved from one spot alongside Hwy 4, outside of Tunica, for two days.
Williams went to find the dog and he was exactly where the caller had described.
Much to her dismay, not only was the injured dog located on a busy stretch of highway, but there were homes and businesses nearby.
In the two days that Duke laid immobile by the road, nobody had stopped to check on him...nobody had offered to help. He had suffered alone, in pain, as life went on around him.
Williams struggled to carry the obviously injured dog from the road, and two helpful men stopped to lend her a hand.
From there, Duke was immediately transferred to a veterinary clinic where x-rays revealed not only a badly fractured pelvis from having been struck by a car, but also, buckshot, indicating that Duke had been shot more than once in his young life.
Duke was in dismal condition, but somehow, he remained gentle and friendly, despite his obvious pain. In that moment, Williams decided that she would fight for Duke's life - fight for the dog who had suffered alone for too long.
On Friday, Duke was transferred to a specialist where he was scheduled for surgery.
Alas, despite the best of intentions, the outcome that everyone hoped for was not meant to be.
Duke's body had been badly battered in the vehicle impact and on Friday afternoon, the specialists recommended that he be humanely released from his suffering.
Choosing euthanasia is never easy - saying good bye is always too hard.
But sometimes, when the suffering is too great, the kindest thing to do is to gently stroke a silky ear, whisper words of love and allow a life to go.
Rest in Peace Duke.
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I am human, if you see a typo, please let me know. Questions, comments or story ideas can be emailed to Eims1@live.com.
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