My small fox terrier is thrilled to have bunny in the yard. But, this little ball of fluff with a cotton tail is a tease. Miss Bunny will come into the yard, sit and wait patiently for Chelsea to see her. Then begins the game of freeze tag! Chelsea stalks little Miss Bunny, lifting one small paw at a time. When the bunny’s head goes down to nibble clover my fox terrier moves forward a few steps then freezes (with one leg up) when the bunny lifts its head. Chelsea stays in that frozen position until the bunny lowers her head to eat again. Just when it appears that this little dog will catch the little rabbit, being not two feet apart, the bunny springs for safety. Like a Ferrari, the bunny has no slow start. Rabbits can run up to 18 mph. Chelsea doesn’t have a chance! The bunny’s favorite place to hang out is my garden. It is separated from the yard by a fence. Bunny will be not more than a foot away from Chelsea, driving her nuts with the desire to get closer. Chelsea stands on her back feet and barks but bunny remains right where she is, knowing she is safe, nibbling on clover or garden produce. Yes, garden produce! I have discovered that bunny likes green beans. While picking them, I see that she takes one bite out of one then goes to another. Could I possibly regret making friends with an adorable bunny? Do you remember that Peter Rabbit could not stay out of Mr. McGregor’s garden either? He had been told not to go there because his father had ended up in a pie. Mother Rabbit told Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter, “Believe there is a great power silently working for all things good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.” I think Beatrice Potter was a philosopher who loved rabbits, too. One of my past, dear dog companions was half beagle and half terrier. He had the long hair and look of a terrier but the howl of a beagle. I called him Smudge. Once, when a friend and I were out on a lake fishing and Smudge was left free to roam close to the cabin, he caught the scent of a rabbit and the chase began. We could see the shore from the fishing boat and watched as the rabbit came out of the woods, hopped unconcerned down the beach, stopped to lift his back leg and scratch behind his ear, then hop-a-longed slowly back into the woods. Smudge, with his nose to the ground, was not far behind, stopping to bay loudly. My fishing friend, Florence, and I laughed to see the circle in which the rabbit was leading Smudge. At least three times through the woods and down the beach they went. It was very confusing for hunters to look for the baying hound dog and see a fuzzy terrier. This happened one winter day when I was cross country skiing. Two hunters, hearing Smudge bay, asked me if that was my beagle onto a rabbit. I said, “Yes and no.” Then Smudge appeared and the hunters looked dismayed. One hunter said, “It just isn’t right!” My life has been enriched and made joyful by a little bunny and of course, my dogs. Albert Einstein said, “Our task must be to free ourselves…by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it’s beauty.” Amen to that!
[email protected] ©Ann Rains, September 2020 P.S.: If you want to see other cute wild critters, go to YouTube and look up Critter Cafe. What is interesting to watch is the interaction between the animals as they posture for the food that is provided. The videos are posted by ghost chaser, Joni Mayhan. We do love our animals here in New Harmony.
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