What’s Up Doc?
Well, as you know, it’s spring and there are oodles of pregnant wildlife in and around out yard, but the biggest battle of wits is currently between Doc and a very pregnant rabbit that is trying to build a nest in our yard. I can already tell you who is going to win, and it ain’t gonna be Doc.
About two weeks ago, Doc and I were out in the back yard and spotted a place where a hole was being dug down into the ground in preparation for a mama bunny to have her babies. Doc sorta freaked out as she does not want to shoulder the responsibility of making sure all those babies are ok, so she did what she thought would deter the bunny by filling the hole back up and then putting a clay flower pot over the top of the hole. A few days went by as we both monitored the situation and it looked like it worked until about day five, when I alerted Doc to another hole in the ground. So once again, Doc filled the hole and put another clay flower pot on top, securing it with a rock just in case the bunny was extra muscular. I quietly wondered how many flower pot would be covering hoes in the back yard before this was all over.
Later that evening at about 9pm, when Doc let me outside, she spotted that mother bunny in the yard. Now for whatever reason , the rabbits that live around us are not afraid of either Doc or I , so they don’t run away like normal rabbits do. Doc then took the opportunity to give the mother bunny a lecture. Yup, you heard me right, Doc stood out back in her pajamas and told the bunny that her nests were not in a safe place in the middle of the yard and she needed to find somewhere else to have her babies. “Boy oh boy”, I thought, I hope the new neighbors don’t see Doc standing out side in her PJ’S in the dark conversing with a wild bunny, they may have me removed from her care. The strange thing is that the bunny actually acted like it was listening to her. Thinking the matter was settled, Doc gave a sigh of relief.
Me being a dog, I know Mother Nature’s little creatures, do what they need to do to survive. I was not a bit surprised when Doc let me out before work at about 5:15 am, and right beside the the back porch .another hole was being dug. It was still dark out and I didn’t have the heart to tell Doc so early in the morning so I waited until she saw it herself after we got home.
A good story always has a twist and hopefully a happy ending and that is how this story will end today. When Doc finally saw the hole last evening, the mother bunny was sitting right next to it and she noticed it was right beside the rose bush she had planted in honor of her mother. Doc’ s heart melted right then and there and she knew what she needed to do. In a very soft voice she told the bunny to go ahead and build her nest and promised her that we would do our very best job to keep her babies safe.