Dumb Bunny

This morning I was out in the yard with the dogs. I was having a pleasant conversation with George when I heard an odd squeak. I turned toward the sound and saw Nora emerge from under a giant spruce with suspiciously chubby cheeks. I shouted, “Drop it”. She obliged, and a small wet adolescent bunny rolled out of her mouth onto the grass. I hollered, “Leave it,” all four dogs stood stock-still, staring intently at the bunny. Unsure what my next move was, I prayed the bunny would lay still and give me a second to scroll through my options mentally. Well, the dumb bunny decided to bolt, which caused an impromptu scrum. Nora triumphed and once again scooped up the bunny. Since I had one dog that needed to drop it and others that needed to be told to leave it, I opted for shouting, “NOOO! NOOOOOO!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!” Nora dropped the bunny. Alice, George, and Stan froze. I had never before yelled like this, so they were all taken aback.

I stood over a soggy, panting bunny surrounded by four giants. Thankfully, my boys have zero prey drive, but they are nosy. They would inadvertently provide a good defence line for Nora. Alice had pulled back and was watching from a distance. She hates when voices are raised, and her prey drive was extinguished when I yelled. At this point, it was between Nora and me, and her prey drive had her vibrating. As I reached out to grab Nora’s scruff, the dumb bunny bolted back under the tree. I am so grateful that Nora heeded my touch and returned to the house with me. I am also thankful that Nora had an incredibly soft grip on the bunny, which I think will be okay.