Bad Hare Day: I Almost Started a Baby Rabbit on Fire

For some reason, my backyard has been a baby bunny nursery this year. My dog Gloria discovered a nest of cute brown baby bunnies underneath my deck in late spring.

As you can imagine, I was trying to keep the baby bunnies alive just long enough to get big and find a new home. Every time I'd let Gloria out to go to the bathroom, she'd run under the deck and chase out all the cute little bunnies.

I'd have to put Gloria back in the house, and then proceed to the garage to find my gardening gloves, and search for the bunnies all around my house; just so I could put them back under the deck to survive just one more day. (You're welcome, Momma Bunny Rabbit. I know you'd do the same thing for me.)

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BABY BUNNY NURSERY PART TWO

After a few weeks, it seemed as if the bunnies were suddenly gone. I'm hoping that they were big enough to hop away, because there was no sign of them anywhere. I did spot a fox in the neighborhood a few days before they all disappeared, so I can only hope they made it.

I thought my good bunny rabbit rescue deed was done; Until this past Monday, that is.

Monday, Mr. Bean my cat was sniffing around the backyard. I've had the worst year of raking up those darn helicopter leaves from my trees, that I've piled a bunch of it up in my backyard fire pit. Since it's been so dry, I've just been putting off the day when I'll light a fire with the leaves and sticks from the trees in my backyard.

Monday, Gloria started digging in the leaf pile. I'm thinking to myself, “There's no way anything could live in that pile of helicopter leaves without smothering.” I guess I was wrong.

Suddenly I hear a chirping...then Gloria barking...then chirping and barking. I rush to the rescue of a brand new little bunny. It's another baby. A new family of rabbits have moved in to my backyard.

THE GATHERING OF THE PREDATORS

I gather up Gloria and Mr. Bean, my loving indoor predators, put them inside the house, and head to the garage, grab up my garden gloves, and proceed to find the little bunny all curled up in a corner, of my fence, and carefully place him back in the center of the leaf pile. He hopped right in, so I don't think Gloria hurt the little guy. I think she just wanted to play.

At that moment I realize....Oh my goodness. I was going to start this pile of leaves on fire! I was going to just drop a match in it one day and watch it all go up in flames. I was horrified that something could actually be living in there. I almost set a baby bunny on fire. Chills went down my spine. Oh the horror.

Needless to say...I did NOT start any baby bunnies on fire...thanks to my indoor predators Gloria and Mr. Bean. I don't know how many there are this time, and I did find one last night that didn't make it. I was so sad. I'm hoping that the rest of them grow up and leave my yard by the end of summer, or this might turn into Kelly's Baby Bunny Nursery for the rest of my life.