Up until the morning he died, Blake was feeling very good. His energy was strong, his eyes were bright and his temperature was normal. He was high spirited, running around and eating normally. He was, in fact, a punky little son-of-a-gun who kept Kate on her toes with his little baby-buck ways. He was so happy where he was living. He had free rein of a huge protected shaded property that was so big he would run out of steam before he'd reach the end of it when he ran across it. He had a small pond and ducks and chickens and tortoises and cats living with him. He loved other animals and palled around with all of them. I wanted to share this with you because I think it's something to be happy about as we mourn his loss. Once Kate and Dr. Jan got him back to health those first days after he was found starving and dehydrated collapsed in the middle of the road, he lived a great healthy and happy life free from suffering. From the very beginning Kate informed me that the mortality rate of orphaned whitetail fawns is 90% and that when they do pass away it happens very quickly with little or no warning and that's what happened with Blake. Fawns raised in the wild by their mothers, completely free of any human interference, also have a high mortality rate.

While it did not end as such, Blake's story is still one of joy 

because that's what he brought to this world the short time he was here. 

And thanks to Kate, and Dr. Jan, and Margaret, and Heather, and Sue, and Larry, 

joy was what Blake knew of this world as well. -cheryl

***