Saturday, May 4, 2013

*Graphic post alert*

Today was a difficult day and not just because I ran farther than I've gone since last summer.

Y'all. My dog is a bunny killer.

I had gone for my run and to the bank, then came home to do some work in the yard since in two weeks we are having 60 people here for a graduation party and the place is looking a bit neglected. My plan was to pull the heavy weeds from under the deck, then spray RoundUp under there and on the walkways and in the front ditch.

Yes, I know the dangers of spraying poisons. But my front walkway is made of bricks laid out in a nice 3x3 pattern with a quarter inch of space between bricks. Do you know what grows in that quarter inch of dirt that is exposed to rain and sun? Weeding it is the most miserable job on the planet.

Enter RoundUp.

Anyway, as I was pulling grass from under the deck, I noticed Pete chase something toward the garden, and at the same time saw a little baby bunny hopping along the foundation of the house in the other direction. I realized Pete must be after another one, so I ran at him screaming and flailing my arms. It distracted him long enough for the bunny to hide between the 4x4s that surround the garden, and I got Pete in the house.

I found their little den under the deck, covered with a thick mat of grass and the sweetest, softest little baby bunny hair. I left it, figuring they would find their way home again.

See him hiding there?




I finished weeding and then went to Lowe's to get a sprayer and weed killer.

When I got back, Ben was here grabbing some lunch and was on his way out to cut a tree at our accountant's house. I didn't think anything of it as I let Pete in the back door. But when I went out to spray, I found one of the bunnies hiding under the deck, gravely injured and barely hanging on. I knew he wouldn't make it and couldn't stand to see him suffer a slow death, so I asked my neighbor to come over and put him out of his misery, which he did quickly.

I'm having a hard time liking my dog right now, even though I know he's just doing what comes naturally to him. It's just sad. The mama in me wanted to protect them.


1 comment:

Rachel said...

Our cat Peter catches cute bunnies and brings them in the 8x8 pen we built for the last liter of puppies we had. He then proceeds to play gladiator....I have to walk away. I just think about all my baby lettuce that rabbits eat:/