The killing fields

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

Our backyard has turned into the killing fields of the neighborhood. Last week, the dogs caught a good sized rabbit while I was out. When I came home I could not find Lilo, so went looking for her in the woods. She was hiding behind some shrubs and was licking a very dead rabbit that showed clear signs of dog molestation. Of course she did not want to let go of it, but proudly paraded around just out of my reach. I finally tricked her into dropping the remains so I could dispose of them in a respectful manner. Two nights ago, we woke up around 4 am to loud screams coming from the back. Outside was a very large horned owl in the process of devouring another poor rabbit. And this morning, the dogs caught a squirrel, which did not survive either. So, I'm thinking about opening up a rodent cementary. Maybe I could charge a nominal entrance fee for the neighbor kids to come through and pay their respects to the many rabbits, squirrels, mice, moles, rats and other critters that have lost their lives on our property. I promise I will donate the proceeds to the Humane Society.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I sure hope the Easter bunny doesn't travel through your yard!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We have coyotes and birds of prey in our neighborhood, and remains of squirrels, rabbits, etc. are fairly common sights on our morning walks. I had to ask a neighbor's husband to take what was left of a large rabbit out of my side yard last year. We hear the nighttime screaming occasionally, too. Brrrrr!
But Jackdoodle is the St. Francis of labradoodles. He found a nest of baby rabbits in our yard and only pulled all the nesting materials out and poked at the babies with his nose. Those bunnies actually survived long enough to leave their nest....and then I found them all dead in the nest later that same day. I still have no idea what happened to them. The mortality rate of bunnies is over the top, that must be why there are so many of them. Not the brightest animals in the world, and the females are rotten mothers.
Jack has actually found baby bunnies on our walks, picked them up, and then gently set them back down when I told him to "drop it". He does chase field mice and chipmunks, but has never managed to catch one.
You have to follow the philosophy that any small animal who is stupid enough to hang out in a yard that belongs to two large dogs deserves to be eliminated from the gene pool. Darwin's theory at work!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'm glad I don't live in your area, the tastes might ramp up to neighbors : ) But I guess dogs and horned owls do these things naturally.