Uncle Dave

Today I got some pretty disturbing news. Before I tell you, though, I need to give a bit of background information. A large part of the reason my family moved from the East Coast to the West Coast was because my Dad’s side of the family lives here. His parents, who are in their early 60’s, only had two children, Dad and his younger brother Dave. Dave is 28 and has always been an amazing athlete. He was a track and field state champion when he was in high school, as well as a member of the varsity soccer and basketball teams. Having grown up in Alaska, Dave always dreamed of taking part in the Iditarod- the ultimate test of athleticism and determination. Around 22 years of age, he rescued his first Alaskan Husky and began training her. For the past 6 years, Dave has developed a relationship with a Husky breeder in the Anchorage area who allows him to train several of the dogs in his spare time. On Saturday, March 6th at 10 a.m., Dave was to be at the starting line of the Iditarod Race. Sadly, this dream will not come to fruition. Last night around 10 p.m. Dave was driving home from our house and hit a patch of black ice. His truck, a 2004 Chevy Silverado, spun out of control and into a ravine. Fortunately, Dave made it out alive, but not without some major injuries. His neck is broken, in addition to 11 cracked ribs and a shattered pelvis. His 6-year-old Alaskan Husky, Sadie, was in the car also but didn't make it. I wasn’t allowed to go see him in the hospital today, for obvious reasons, but my whole family is there now.

Aside from my immediate family, Dave is the closest human to me. Every time he sees me his face lights up, I bark, and we rough-house for a good half hour or so. I’m not sure how to react to this. It’s going to be months and months before I’m able to see him again, which is heartbreaking. Along with his pelvis, his dream is shattered. I wish there was something I could do.

Loyally,
Lola