Back from the White Rim, Sugar the Hunter

Jo and I arrived back from the White Rim late Monday night. The trip was a success, everyone had a great time and nobody got hurt. I'll start posting about it as soon as I make some headway on picture editing. Until then, here's something odd that happened today.

This afternoon I was unloading the truck in my driveway. It looked like a tornado had blown through, gear was spread out everywhere. I was working methodically to the lazy amusement of Sugar and Molly when my neighbor walked over from across the street with a concerned look on his face. He said there was a rabbit in his basement and he didn't want to touch it. Instead, he asked if he could borrow a dog to hunt it down.

Sugar was the best choice, her prey drive is strong and finely tuned while Molly is clumsy and apathetic when it comes to chasing animals. I called Sugar and we headed over. Rather than let Sugar kill the rabbit I suggested she just find where it was hiding and I'd catch it with my bare hands. Reconsidering that I grabbed some work gloves just in case the bunny was a biter. He laughed and said he doubted that I would be able to catch it, but we could try.

As Sugar and I cautiously crept down the stairs I couldn't help being reminded of the library scene in the movie Ghostbusters. The door slammed shut behind us, we were sealed in! Sugar immediately picked up the sent and tracked it to pile laundry. I could tell by her intent sniffing it must be near. I moved the pile and she went straight to a corner in the wall. There was a shelf in the way, but I could see signs of torn insulation. Bingo! I held Sugar back and moved the shelf. Behind it, wedged vertically in the corner, was the bunny. Crouching to block his exit, I slowly closed in on him with my hands to make the snatch. He stayed perfectly still until I got about 6 inches away. Realizing his cover was blown he decided to make a move. With no where else to go he jumped out of the corner, landed on my shoulder, and ran down my back. I dove after him, but he was to quick. As I fell face first on the floor Sugar picked up the chase.

I can only imagine what Sugar and I sounded like upstairs as we crashed into boxes, washers, dryers and basement clutter chasing him. The rabbit expertly eluded us with a series of fakeouts and course reversals. It was obviously not the first time he had been chased. He dodged, hucked, and jived with the skill of an NFL running back. That was until he tried to jump on top of the washer. Sugar was closing in, so he decided to go high. He leaped vertically, soaring up to eye level directly in front of me. When he landed on the metal washer he slipped into the pile of clutter next to it. I closed in and pinned him down with 2 hands. The chase was over and the bunny was safe.

I could feel the adrenaline in his body, but he soon surrendered and went limp. It was a good chase. I complimented him with a "Well done sir." and we headed upstairs. My neighbor was in shock that I caught him and curiously scared too. He didn't even want to take a picture of it at first. I changed his mind with a manhood threatening "Dude it's just a bunny rabbit!" After the victory shot I found a nice bush at the end of the road and set him free. Sugar got a bully stick for her hard work.