I was making temporary fences for the calves that I was moving into their new paddock with my dogs Nick and Fly, on a crisp winter morning. Nick is a huntaway barking dog and Fly was a short haired collie herding dog. I didn’t mean to kill her.
I went to change the breaks when I saw the fence was broken and all the calves were out. I got Fly to chase them, but 7 calves got spooked and galloped to the fence on the main road. I whistled and Fly stayed and held the calves where they were in the untouched frostbitten grass while I got the ones that got out. Nick helped me chase the calves back to the paddock. I felt the truck bump into something. I got the calves back , I whistled to let Fly know she could come back but she didn’t come, I whistled again and again.
I raced toward the place where I had felt the bump not wanting to believe it was true, but there she was barely alive in the freshly grazed grass. I scooped Fly up in my arms, swapped vehicles at the shed and raced to the vet in town, I had decided to bring Nick as well for comfort. After the race to town I reached the vet. The vet said we had to put her down, and I knew that was what we had to do but I couldn’t bear it. I stroked her for one last time, then the vet took her away and came back what seemed like eternity later with no Fly with her this time.
I whispered to Nick, I really didn’t mean to kill her.