It's one thing to kill a fly, but now a bunny?!

[Melissa & Porter]

Porter tried to come inside this afternoon with a mangled bloody rabbit dangling from his mouth.  It was so gross.  I brought him in, fed him some water, and went outside to dispose of the bunny.  Now, DH is saying I should have let him keep it because he earned it!  Someone please talk me down from feeling guilty about taking away the mangled bunny.  Also, he just turned two, why is he now so adept at killing things: catching the fly last week and the bunny today specifically.  Could it be the diet?

[Melissa & Porter]

hehehehe, by diet, I meant my attempt to have him lose five lbs :-)  He acts hungry all the time now.

But I think it IS more the prey-drive than the hunger.  He didn't devour the rabbit, just mangle it and probably roll on it.

I AM pretty good at guilt.  Perhaps, it is time to rewrite the resume to reflect my new level of guilt achievement.  :-))

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Porter is a hunter by nature. Labrador Retrievers were not bred to be lap dogs or sheepherders, lol. He has a high prey drive, there is nothing unusual about his "kills" and it is not related in any way to his diet. I don't even know what his diet is, and I can say that with certainty. This is Darwin's theory in action; the rabbit was slower or less intelligent about staying away from dogs, and Porter was instrumental in improving the rabbit gene pool.

Now, as to feeling guilty about taking the rabbit away from him. I'll tell you, Melissa, I come from a long line of women who can find something to feel guilty about in practically every decision related to their pets or kids, but feeling guilty about not allowing your dog to have a bloody, mangled, vermin-infested dead critter inside your home is a new one on me. I feel you have achieved the highest level of "Mother Guilt" in existence, and can now relax and let those of us who have not yet gotten to that lofty peak gaze up at you in admiration and wonder. LOL

 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Ugh! Sorry to hear about this!! It sounds like Porter has a strong prey drive! Maybe it is kicking in more now that he is maturing!

 

I don't know about letting him keep it. Rabbits can have worms and disease. I don't know if they are contagious to a dog or not. I always take birds or mice away from my cat. Too bad if she doesn't like it!! It doesn't seem to keep her from wanting to KILL and KILL again though!! It's instinct and its pretty tough to train out of a dog or cat (impossible).  Unless you are feeding him dead rabbits I doubt if it is diet related!

 

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

You are not alone. I wrote a blog about the time mt two got a squirrel. I felt awful too but I have recovered : )

[Melissa & Porter]

Shoulder and paw bath done.  I walk him with a bunch of other dogs on weekday mornings, so I am anthropomorphizing what went through his head as I washed off the trophy marks.  Surely he had wanted to show them his triumph... Well, he's black and brown--maybe I missed a spot.

Laney, I'm pretty sure he did it.  The only predators in my and my neighbors' shared yards 50x100 ft are him and his GD friend, Brodie, who according to his "mom" was napping on the couch all afternoon.  They've always chased bunnies, but the bunnies got under the fence...

[Laney Owen]

I like bunnies but I guess it's just a dog's nature to kill things like that. Maybe he found it and didn't kill it? I sure hope so. By the way, check out my new blog post, mutt, mayonnaise, menace!

[Laney Owen]

Poor bunny!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I think all animals by nature are hunters be it for animal or plant so this doesn't make Porter bad.  I don't think you should have let him keep it, that is saying that it is o.k.  Taking it away is a signal that it is not o.k. and that you didn't want it.   We have a bunny nest right outside our back lani door and it is hard to keep Rooney out of there, he can smell it but I want him to know that it is no o.k. for him to bother it just like it is not o.k. to chase his brother - the cat.  I would wash the scent off and not make too big a deal about it if it were me. 

[Melissa & Porter]

sheesh I cannot spell today..."been" a bummer.

[Melissa & Porter]

Yeeouch, that must have seen a bummer.  I now realize that I have to bathe Porter later because of this.  He has a crusty patch of blood on his shoulder...I am assuming from rolling all over the corpse.