My dog killed his first rabbit last night

[RetroLounge]

Max saw a rabbit on one side of the yard one day, and saw a squirrel on the other a different day.

Now everytime I let him in the yard, he runs to the same 2 spots. Been doing this for weeks. I usually laugh because he is so loud and not very subtle, that is something were to be in the yard, it would long be gone by the time he got there.

Well, late last night we went into the back yard in the dark, and I heard Max run into the wood fence, and all kinds of scuffling noises, and when I got close, the motion sensor turned the lights on, and there was an small rabbit twitching and bleeding out the nose and mouth. Yuck. Thanks Max.

never thought he would actually catch one...

RL

on edit: picture added of Max. He's now about 9 months old and about 60 pounds.

[Wcross]

1. You are in violation of rule 173-c subsection 4 of D.U. posting rules.

173 (c)-4 - When refering to ones dog or cat one must provide a picture of said animal in order for the rest of us to admire it.

(just kidding!)

Did you let max eat the rabbit? I have six dogs and some "not so bright" rabbit decided that he wanted to live under their dog house! He lasted about a week in there before the dogs dug him out.

[RetroLounge]

4. picture added

:hi:

RL

[StarryNite]

2. Poor bunny

We had a German Shepherd who loved to chase squirrels. One day I stepped outside just in time to see her chase and catch one. I must say she looked a little surprised and as if she didn't quite know what to do with it now that she caught it. I yelled across the yard to her to drop it. Thankfully she did and the squirrel ran off. She was a really good dog and I miss her terribly.

[seemunkee]

3. I'm waiting for the day.

Our little one has caught a few birds but neither one has got a bunny yet. Most of the rabbbits I've seen are larger than our little dog anyway, not sure what would happen in a scuffle between them. The big guy is kind of dim and has missed a few opportunities.
Sorry for the little bunny, but your dog was just being a dog.

[barb162]

5. Uh, I hope the bunny scampered away, hurt but still maybe recoverable?

[RetroLounge]

6. Uhm, bunny died an ugly death...

RL

[barb162]

8. I'm sorry, bunnies are cute.

They eat my plants, but they're still cute little things.

[StarryNite]

7. Ohhhh,

he's so darn cute! Look at those eyes!

[RetroLounge]

9. He eats everything.

last week he chewed the arm off the couch. for real.

RL

[StarryNite]

10. Then he's a sneaky little devil

hiding behind those innocent eyes! He knows he's too cute for you to stay mad at him for long.

[BarenakedLady]

11. I once found

1/2 a rabbit (back end) in Ben's crate. :scared:

[cobalt1999]

12. Congrats to Max!

I'm sure he was proud of himself.

My dogs have a long list of kills. I'm still surprised each time. The biggest take-down (no kill) was a deer. My husky had it by the throat and on the ground before I saw and intervened. The deer ran off seemlingly unharmed.

[Wcross]

13. Beautiful guy!

I don't understand people who don't love dogs. I wouldn't feel right without a couple of good dogs by my side.

[KurtNYC]

14. "first" ? so you plan on having him kill some more?

I'm a let nature takes it course kind of guy but your dog wasn't killing this rabbit for food and you may run into problems if you encourage your dog to kill other animals; problems like human infants for instance.

[RetroLounge]

18. You think?

Where on earth did I encourge him to kill? or why on earth would I do that?

Do you think my dog reads the lounge? :shrug:

But thanks for your input :eyes:

RL

[KurtNYC]

21. I don't know -- rabbits can be nuisance

I don't know your situation and I am not trying to judge you. But you said 'first' and that implies that you expect him to kill more. A dog will do what you expect it to do. Your OP also says that you laughed while your dog chased whatever animal it was chasing so it didn't sound like you have discouraged this behavior.

But again I don't fault you or the dog - his prey drive is triggered strongly by rabbits. And based on your response you don't see this as a desirable behavior so peace to you both.

[Debi]

15. The rabbits will get their revenge

Right now we're in a battle w/nature.

The dog chases the stray cats who chase the birds who fight with the squirrels......never a moments rest at our place. :shrug:

[Elidor]

16. Rabbits are habbit-forming

If he's already getting them this young, he's going to be a finely-tuned wabbit-killing machine in a couple of years.

"What have I done?
Poow widdow bunny..."

My ex's golden killed a rabbit one night after getting loose and running off. But when the dog showed up back on the porch at 3 am, my ex insisted it was just a coincidence that there was a huge, dead rabbit lying 15 feet away without a mark on it. I tried the dog (Daisy) before an imaginary jury and convicted her of the crime. My ex was not a very good defense attorney on her doggie's behalf. Sentenced: to remain on a leash for the rest of her natural life.

[mitchum]

17. Good for Max!

he is a goodlookin' boy

[Guava Jelly]

19. Murder is a crime!!! EYE FOR AN EYE!!

The dog must pay for his sins!!...
Oh nevermind..Lets make Hesenfeffer!!!!!

Hasenfeffer (Sour Rabbit Stew)
SUBMITTED BY: NXNER


"Original German rabbit stew recipe passed down from my great-grandmother who immigrated to US in 1889. This is a lot of work to make but well worth it. It is an acquired taste dish; once hooked, you can't get enough. Serve with fresh mashed potatoes and celery sticks. Use the stock as gravy for mashed potatoes. Always tastes better as leftovers. Hope you enjoy!"

INGREDIENTS
2 3/4 cups red wine vinegar
3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
8 whole cloves
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pickling spice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 (2 1/2 pound) rabbit, cleaned and cut into pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
In a large pot, combine the water, white sugar, whole cloves, onion, celery, lemon, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt, pickling spice and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn off and allow to cool. Place the rabbit pieces into the mixture to marinate. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread flour out onto a parchment or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flour is a light brown color.
Remove the rabbit from the marinade and pat dry. Strain the marinade, and discard the solids. Reserve the liquid for later.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat the chicken with the toasted flour. Place into the hot oil, and cook until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan, and set aside. If there is oil left in the pan, sprinkle enough of the toasted flour over it to absorb the liquid.
In a jar with a lid, mix 1/2 cup of the marinade with 1/4 cup of the remaining toasted flour. Close the lid, and shake vigorously until well blended with no lumps. Heat the pan with the rabbit drippings over low heat. Gradually stir in the marinade mixture, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
Return the rabbit pieces to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until the meat is falling off of the bones. You may remove the bones prior to serving if desired.


NUTRITION INFORMATION
Servings Per Recipe: 5

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 536

Total Fat: 20.7g
Cholesterol: 122mg
Sodium: 1494mg
Total Carbs: 39.7g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7g
Protein: 46.7g
VIEW DETAILED NUTRITION

About: Nutrition Info

Powered by: ESHA Nutrient Database

[dannofoot]

20. My sweet, sweet Zelda...

...Did the same thing about a year ago.

She is a rescued greyhound, however...I let her out he back door, and a rather large male rabbit was about 15 feet away (the bunnies in our yard are fearless, we let them profligate to their biological exponential).

Zelda bounded off the back steps, and in one quick move to the right, grabbed the rabbit by the throat, shook it once, and dropped it's corpse in front of her. And then she walked on to do her usual backyard business without even a backward glance.

Mrs. Dannofoot and I surmised that after years of chasing the damn fake bunny on the track, she finally got one...and now she's over it. I think we were right, as she's never disturbed another rabbit after that incident.