......he had been hit by a car, which is our own fault, regardless of how recklessly the kid driving in our neighborhood is racing through here.

The vet initially told us that Woody was going to be ok, but on further review of his x-rays, there was quite a bit more damage than the initial assessment. We drove him to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at WSU in Pullman, to see if they could do anything. Poor little fella had his pelvis broken in five places, and yet he still managed to drag himself back to our house. He was a real trooper through all this, never cried or fussed.

The vet at the hospital said they could try and repair the damage, but that even with expected good results, the healing process was going to be long and difficult. The wife and I very reluctantly chose to put him down. The kids don't know yet, they think we left him at the hospital to get better. We will give it a few days, then break the news, which is going to a second heartbreaker.

The little knucklehead had won his way into our hearts right from the start, and was proving to be a great dog. He used to catch moles in the fields and play with them like cat, grinning like crazy the whole time. One of our baby chicks got loose without us realizing it, and he caught it and gently guarded her, circling that bird with his paws until we found them together. No "cat and mouse" games then, just doing his duty.

I'm tore up, cried while holding him as the vet put him down, crying now too. He trusted us to the last......