Lincoln killed a baby rabbit :-(

[Diane Denney]

Tonight was just horrible. I don't want to get to descriptive because it was awful. First of all Lincoln ran after my cat outside, and rolled him, and thankfully Haku was okay and ran right back into the house, but then the next thing you know I hear this baby screaming sound, and I turn to see Lincoln has a baby rabbit in his mouth, and it's screaming and he won't drop it for me or leave it so I finally got a piece of chicken and he dropped it, but he was so badly injured. He didn't die right away either. I tried to save it, but it was too hurt. I called the vet, and they said they'd put it down for me, but the litlle guy didn't live. This was very traumatic for me and I cried so hard. The vets office told me that dogs do that. My dog Scott has chased a rabbit or two out of the yard, but never took a baby from it's nest. I didn't know I had a rabbits nest in my back yard. Anyway I found the nest, and there are still very new born babies in it, but I don't know if the mother rabbit will come back as Lincoln and now I was near it. I really hope she does. In the meantime thankfully I have the lead still in the ground so I am putting him on that in the meantime until they get a chance to leave. The vet told me that they don't know the difference between that and a squeak toy. I guess he has a strong prey drive which isn't good considering I have three cats. Lincoln is in the house with them all day, but he's in the kitchen, and nothing has happened so far. Do you think I need to worry? Sorry but I love all animals so this was very nerve wracking for me.

[Diane Denney]

The Rabbit Update: The bunnys were gone this morning!!! I checked in on them last night, and they were there, but they were all gone this morning. They were getting quite big and outgrowing the nest!! They were so cute to watch grow up. I'm so glad they have moved on. I will check again tonight to make sure they aren't coming back to the nest before I unleash the hounds!!! LOL What a Spring it has been!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yippee! So happy for you, Lincoln, and the *!#@!*#!!**! rabbits!

[Diane Denney]

:-)

[Ali & Sonny D.]

So glad for you and thank you for all who gave me bunny advice. The mama bunny has not been back in days and we haven't seen movement from the 2 bunnies in a couple of days. Prior to that they had been out sunny themself but nothing today or yesterday. Not sure if ours are going to make it. :(

[Diane Denney]

I went for a couple of days at a time without seeing Momma bunny. They visit at night while you are asleep usually, or very early in the morning and at dusk. I think it's rare that the Momma bunny leaves her young from what I read. I know it can happen though. Usually they do come back. That is so sad :-(.

I let Lincoln loose in the yard tonight, and he went straight for the bunny hole. Can you believe it? Even after this long... He came up with all the Momma bunny's fur in his mouth from the nest. How disgusting. I got him to drop it, and then put him back in, and then cleaned up the nest with rubber gloves. Everytime I let him out it's the first place he goes. I'm checking to make sure before I let him out that they don't come back, but it looks like they've moved on permanantly.

[Diane Denney]

Yeep!!! The rabbits came back. Tonight I let Lincoln out, and there they were the Mama and baby rabbit. Lincoln tore off like a shot after them, but thankfully they were fast enough, and got away. Strangely enough I only saw one baby with Mama. I wonder if she lost the other two somehow. They weren't in the nest, but in the yard. For some strange reason the rabbits like my yard. I saw signs of them all winter. Not to be gross, but hey hang around the dog poop. I don't know why.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I was thinking about you & Lincoln the other evening. Jack & I were sitting on the patio, and there was a big rabbit calmly sitting in the grass munching clover. Jack didn't even notice it, and I have a very tiny yard. I sat there a while looking from Jack to the rabbit, really wishing I had my video camera. Finally, I couldn't help it...I had to call his attention to it. Small as the yard is, the rabbit made it under the fence with time to spare. Dumb doodle, dumber bunny!

[Diane Denney]

LOL...

[Ali & Sonny D.]

Karen, have you not read about Sonny and Lincoln???lol Sonny keeps looking for the babies.FYI.. none made it :( He goes to that spot everytime he goes out back. I think he is wondering what happened to my new toy (oh that was terrible of me! ) But he seriously keeps going right there. Maybe the scent is still there.
You know Diane, the bunny nest was right near the part of the yard that we trained Sonny to "go" in. Maybe tthese dogs of ours have sweet poop to other animals. I don't know but I swear that part of my yard grows the quickest! It was mowed 2x's before my DH did the rest of the yard.

[Diane Denney]

Ah too bad Ali :( We need to up scarecrow's, but Lincoln would probably go after that too...sigh...Yeah Lincoln is not going to the nest as much as he was now that they are gone, but the first time I let him lose when I knew they were gone he b lined it right to it. I guess I should teach Lincoln to poop in one spot as right now he goes all over the place and close to the house too. Scott always goes out in the same corner most of the time, and far from the house.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, of course I've read about them, lol, right here!

[Diane Denney]

This story just keeps on going...Well Lincoln got one of the other baby rabbits tonight, but this time I think my husband nicked it with the lawnmover first. I was in the kitchen when I saw the baby go running across the patio in our yard so I went out and looked all over the yard, and I didn't see it (our grass is extremely long in the backyard). So I thought it just ran through to the other side under the fence. I thought that Craig probably just scared it while he was mowing. So I let Lincoln out to do his business, and the next thing you know I see him rifling through the grass, and the bunny hopped, but not fast enough. I don't think he saw Lincoln or as I said I have a feeling he might have already been hurt. So here is Lincoln with the bunny dangling out of his mouth (the bunny is alot bigger now), and I'm screaming drop it, stay, sit, leave it...He thinks it's a game so gives chase with this poor bunny hanging by it's foot. Now my husband sees what's going on and he joins in while we try to get the bunny away from him. Well my husband finally gets him by the tail, and I have to pry the bunny out of his mouth. It was still alive, and it hopped away slowly, but I saw that the fur was missing from his hind leg, and it looked scathed pretty badly, but not bleeding. More like a burn. The mother was watching the whole time so the baby finally hopped out of our yard and I think the mother went to it. I really don't think it will live though. This whole rabbit thing is never ending... I think this dog has a very high prey drive which worries me a little because he does still chase my cats every now and again. I'm honestly a little worried about it. My cat escaped out the back yard one night, and Lincoln chased it like crazy, but Haku was okay. He does leave it in the house when I say leave it, and he left it alone outside once when Haku got out, but this is nerve wracking. Chasing a bunny is one thing, chasing my beloved Nebelung kitty is another. I can honestly say I'm not sure how Lincoln graduated intermediate training when he doesn't listen to a thing I say. He's been so misbehaved again lately inside and out...sigh...