Chapter 37 (Animals I’ve Known and Loved, cont.)

CRAZY FRED, THE RABBIT

Back when Barney and Wendy were at their rabbit chasing peak, they didn’t make distinctions between pet rabbits and wild ones, and I think they broke into August’s friend Eric’s rabbit cage, killing his rabbit. I felt awful about it. The fact wasn’t witnessed, but I knew, so I bought Eric a new rabbit. I always found pet animals irreplaceable, but I was glad that Eric‘s new rabbit satisfied him.

Now August wanted his own rabbit but it would have been impossible with both Wendy and Barney around. So, when the Ashes left, August began badgering me again about getting a rabbit. Somehow he acquired one, called it Fred, and demonstrated that Wendy was not going to hurt it, so the rabbit stayed… well, kind of.

August was my son, so he didn’t want Fred feeling too penned up. So when he could watch the rabbit, he would let him out to roam…to nibble on grasses and clover. Well, or course, August got over-confident that Fred would stick around. But even when the rabbit roamed out of sight, he usually could be easily found. This animal was August’s responsibility, and a good animal upon which to practice that trait. After all, rabbits are fairly harmless, right…?

…The Garber family who lived up the street from us, had a nice female cat… a calm placid thing. I’m not sure if they had her neutered, as there was no need since there were no tomcats around at the time. I’m also not sure if that would have made a difference to August’s kinky male rabbit who was maturing while still expanding his roaming territory to several houses up and down the street. When he saw the Garber’s cat, it was love at first sight. I understand the poor cat was seen fleeing from August’s amorous rabbit.

Fred looked like a very large wild rabbit. The Garber’s knew August had a pet bunny, but thought a crazed wild rabbit was after their cat. Just to be sure--before they were to call the Animal Control Warden--they called us to check. I verified that it was our rabbit, but assured them he was harmless. However they were really concerned, Mrs. Garber, had seen Fred in action and it was a scary sight to see him try to mount their cat. I sent August out to round up his rabbit and to make sure it didn’t go up the street when he let it loose.

Then the neighbors at the foot of Galaxy Drive called. Their house was up for sale, and the rabbit liked burrowing into their lawn. He wasn’t making actual holes, but liked making oval dusty scoops here and there on their otherwise well-groomed lawn. Maybe rabbits take dust baths like chickens, I don’t know, but the real estate agent didn’t want the lawn to make prospective buyers hesitate.

Then there was the rabid rabbit scare. Mr. Graham who lived up one door from the house for sale was out mowing his lawn, and saw this oversized “wild” rabbit coming towards him when he had stopped the mower to rake up the clippings. He first thought it was going to stay near the edge of his back lawn… but now, it was coming right for him. He grabbed the first thing, and threw some grass clippings at him which only encouraged Fred. Finally Mr. Graham ran for the house, convinced that a rabid rabbit was out to get him. He was one of the only houses where they didn’t have children, but he soon found out from someone that the marauding rabbit was only Fred.

All this didn’t discourage August from letting Fred have some freedom, and it was enough so he began to feel his ancient roots and instincts rise to the surface, and finally did become wild, never to be rounded up again from someone‘s complaint.

De’ja‘-vu clicks in… Will I ever learn, and pass that learning to my children? I guess the answer is no, and will always be no. I guess I’d rather lose an animal to nature than to keep it cooped up and bored, as if an innocent in prison, with barely an existence rather than a life, no matter how short-lived.