Legolas loved her bunny. Loved, held, and would-not-let-her-go! Rosie wasn't happy with having to share all of the time. Sometimes with big families things have to get a bit more complicated before they get easier.
Well, Legolas wasn't the only one who wanted a bunny. Arwen had been hoping for one for a while, so I struck a deal: she would take care of the double-hutch and I'd buy them both a rabbit.
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| Alfalfa and Pip, en route home |
All summer long the neighborhood girls would come and play with the bunnies. I bought some fencing for the yard to let them get time out of the hutch to run and eat clover.
Occasionally the bunnies would escape and run (or hop, I guess) around the yard. They are pretty floppy and fluffy, so they were pretty easy to catch. All, that is, except Pip.
Whether he was smarter than the rest or just naughtier, Pip would always head for the hedge at the back of the yard and stay under the thick bushes until a large group of children surrounded him and would finally emerge with him. They would be covered in brambles, but happy to have recovered this most-prized pet. For some unknown reason, Pip is the hands-down favorite. (I actually prefer Coconut, and Zorro is the runner-up (she's our black doe, and Aragorn's rabbit).
So, all of this leads up to the "loss" of Pip.
This past Thursday afternoon his cage was simply found vacant. There was a search party. There were signs made. And then it was time for dinner, and bedtime.
No Pip.
9:15 p.m. I got a phone call from my neighbor's house. I was afraid something was wrong with one of their children (I guess at this point, the bunny had slipped my mind). "Hi Mary, it's Joe: I've found Pip!" Found, but unfortunately, had not caught Pip.
My mind raced to the group efforts that were always required to catch this rascal of a rabbit! My children were all in bed. It was pitch black out. "Um, Honey?" I said to my husband, who was half-asleep on the couch, "We have to go get Pip."
My sainted husband pulled on his shoes, found a flashlight, and followed me across the yard to the neighbor's house. There was Joe, his own flashlight in hand, with a white milk crate upside down. My heart leaped, "Did you catch him?!" "No," I tried, but he bounced off of my leg and ran into the bushes.
There was only one thing to do: I plunged into the bushes. I mean, it was our rabbit, and I had to act like I could catch the thing--or at least try! My hope was to flush the rabbit out toward my husband and Joe and have them catch Pip. The rabbit ran back and forth among the bushes as I blindly groped after him, but Pip did not make a dash for the men-at-the-ready. "Get in these bushes!" I shouted to my husband.
Dutifully, my, yes, sainted I say, husband plunged in. And--oh sweet victory--I was able to scare Pip towards my husband, who nabbed the rabbit!!
Pip is safely home in his hutch. The children were delighted to awake to the news, and the tale of the late-night "rescue". I am wondering what kind of a stew would be best to try with this naughty little trouble-maker of a rabbit! (Just kidding. Even if he deserves it!)
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| This is one length of fence positioned into two halves (to separate boys from girls). Since then I've bought a second fence and we only put one rabbit in each full sized fence. This way they a) won't breed and b) won't fight and c) have more room to hop around. |
Occasionally the bunnies would escape and run (or hop, I guess) around the yard. They are pretty floppy and fluffy, so they were pretty easy to catch. All, that is, except Pip.
Whether he was smarter than the rest or just naughtier, Pip would always head for the hedge at the back of the yard and stay under the thick bushes until a large group of children surrounded him and would finally emerge with him. They would be covered in brambles, but happy to have recovered this most-prized pet. For some unknown reason, Pip is the hands-down favorite. (I actually prefer Coconut, and Zorro is the runner-up (she's our black doe, and Aragorn's rabbit).
So, all of this leads up to the "loss" of Pip.
This past Thursday afternoon his cage was simply found vacant. There was a search party. There were signs made. And then it was time for dinner, and bedtime.
No Pip.
9:15 p.m. I got a phone call from my neighbor's house. I was afraid something was wrong with one of their children (I guess at this point, the bunny had slipped my mind). "Hi Mary, it's Joe: I've found Pip!" Found, but unfortunately, had not caught Pip.
My mind raced to the group efforts that were always required to catch this rascal of a rabbit! My children were all in bed. It was pitch black out. "Um, Honey?" I said to my husband, who was half-asleep on the couch, "We have to go get Pip."
My sainted husband pulled on his shoes, found a flashlight, and followed me across the yard to the neighbor's house. There was Joe, his own flashlight in hand, with a white milk crate upside down. My heart leaped, "Did you catch him?!" "No," I tried, but he bounced off of my leg and ran into the bushes.
There was only one thing to do: I plunged into the bushes. I mean, it was our rabbit, and I had to act like I could catch the thing--or at least try! My hope was to flush the rabbit out toward my husband and Joe and have them catch Pip. The rabbit ran back and forth among the bushes as I blindly groped after him, but Pip did not make a dash for the men-at-the-ready. "Get in these bushes!" I shouted to my husband.
Dutifully, my, yes, sainted I say, husband plunged in. And--oh sweet victory--I was able to scare Pip towards my husband, who nabbed the rabbit!!
Pip is safely home in his hutch. The children were delighted to awake to the news, and the tale of the late-night "rescue". I am wondering what kind of a stew would be best to try with this naughty little trouble-maker of a rabbit! (Just kidding. Even if he deserves it!)
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