truvy
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
Little Bunny Killer, Hopping Through the Yard
Did I forget to mention the bunny babies? Oh yeah, some idiotic rabbit had her pups in the fenced in area of our back yard - and it wasn't but a few hours before Rowan found the babies. Well, I hear this "squeak, squeal" from the yard as I'm fixing a big country breakfast on Saturday, look out the window and see:
a) a rabbit running INTO the yard - ("weird" I thought - "why the fuck is it coming into the yard")
b) Rowan in the bushes
So, it took me about another second to scream "Robert!! Rowan's got a baby bunny!! Stop him!"
The sounds coming out of this mouse-sized not-even-a-week-old baby rabbit was so loud I think it startled Rowan, who was really playing with it instead of trying to kill it like I would have thought a terrier would. I yelled at the mama rabbit to scram, and she did, and then we got Rowan to drop the bunny, who, in spite of being a little scared, didn't really seem worse for the wear.
So, we blocked off the yard, keeping Rowan on the deck & listening to him bark, whine & moan about how much he wanted to get the bunnies. Well, during my post-breakfast nap (I had been up since 5:30, yes kids, on a Saturday, but I no longer look on it as "that dog is killing me", but rather as an opportunity to put in another load of laundry), Rowan leaped over the banister of the deck, onto the well cover & into the yard, straight for the bunnies and got one. He then proceeded to run around the yard with it in his mouth - "ha ha! look what I've got Daddy! Wee, catch me! catch me!" Robert and our friend Brian are yelling at him & trying to get him to drop it. Well, they do, and once again, rather miraculously, the bunny doesn't seem much worse for the wear. Robert puts the bunny back into the nest and it snuggles up with his/her brothers/sisters (there are 3 of them), and Rowan goes on a leash for the remainder of the weekend. Well, almost the whole weekend - until a few minutes before we leave that is. Brian, in a daze talking to some love interest on the phone, lets Rowan out the back door into the yard as he's exiting. Bee-line for the bunnies, and he's got one again. This time, though, I'm awake, and I am NOT to be trifled with. The dog is tossing this little baby around like it's his favorite new toy from PetCo or something & I am afraid of having dead bunnies on my conscience.
I run to the yard, scream in my biggest, butchest voice (which really is pretty fucking big & butch when I set my mind to it), "No Rowan DROP IT". Which he promptly does and still runs about, exhilarated from his recent hijinks, but sufficiently scared of his daddy/mommy (me kids, me) and the big bad VOICE that he calmed down pretty quickly. This time the bunny has some scrapes & teeth marks, but is still breathing & snuggles into the nest when I returned him. I do hope they're okay.
So, dubbed the "Bunny Killer" for the rest of the weekend, Rowan happily drowsed in the car on the way home, chasing rabbits in his dreams, which is where I hope the rabbits stay (note to Mama Bunny - move you kids - you have 2 weeks - I will not be responsible thereafter).
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