Lions and Lambs

[David]

So these five little bunnies are living in our flower garden, 3 feet from the back steps:

 

 

 

But here's the really weird thing. The bigger of our two dogs is a Rottweiler/Lab mix, and usually hates little animals. She goes nuts when the mother rabbit comes around, but she hasn't messed with these babies even once. She watches them from the deck, and then walks right by them (within 3 feet) on her way to do her business in the back yard.

[Huzband]

She's just waiting for them to fatten up a bit.

 

Cute little critters aren't they?

[David]

They are cute--when they're outside and I'm not taking care of them!

 

Lucy might very well be waiting for that. She has all sorts of little "squeaky animal toys," and I'm surprised she doesn't think of these in that category. Just one squeak, mind you.

[drzep]

Something about neotenous features that brings out altruistic behavior in a lot of animals. The sociobiologists have long argued that that is one of the driving forces behind the preservation of some species.

 

Just curious David, but is your Rottweiler/Labrador mix a male or female? Females treating the young of other species with maternalistic behavior is pretty common too - even some males.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Around here, the animals are less courteous to each other.

 

A couple of years ago there was a pair of ducks that spent a lot of time hanging around in the grassy area between the lab building and the office building. People walking between the buildings got accustomed to seeing the ducks there, until one day when a hawk swooped down and tore one one of them to shreds as horrified office workers looked on.

 

A few weeks ago on the other side of the lab building, a mama duck decided to nest right next to the sidewalk. People were kind of excited, and signs even went up advising folks to use the other sidewalk so as to not spook mama off the nest. And then one night a fox came in and devoured all the eggs. The guard staff saw it happening and tried to scare off the fox, but eh, what are you gonna do, as soon as you go back inside the fox comes back and finishes the job.

 

Of course, everyone's sad for the ducks, but no one is happy for the hawk or the fox.

[David]

Something about neotenous features that brings out altruistic behavior in a lot of animals. The sociobiologists have long argued that that is one of the driving forces behind the preservation of some species.

 

Just curious David, but is your Rottweiler/Labrador mix a male or female? Females treating the young of other species with maternalistic behavior is pretty common too - even some males.

 

Joe, Lucy is a female. We rescued her right after she had 9 puppies, and she was a very good/patient mother to them, so that's probably an indication of her disposition. She also loves human babies. She'll sit next to them for hours, and when they wake up and start crying, she'll come and get us.

[David]

Reminds me of the koi pond the neighbor has--it's viewed by the blue herons around here as a Shoney's buffet.

[Gregori]

I guess I'm on the other end of the spectrum from Mitch's co-workers... Whenever I see a hawk stooping, I think "Good job, buddy - go get lunch!"

Ditto seeing a fox sneak up on some birds. (I've been lucky enough to see it twice here at the house in the boonies, but my the time I scramble to get a camera, the deed is done, and the little dude is gone with the goods...)

 

Not that I like seeing critters rendered to bits, but I kind of like knowing that the hierarchy of the food chain is intact. And as "cute and fuzzy" as some of the prey are, I can't feel too sympathetic for creatures that seem to exist only for the purpose of turning plants into food. (Meat.)

 

And the wolves can have as many deer as they want, as far as I'm concerned.

 

Think about it for a minute. In general, plant eaters are stupid, and meat eaters are smart. The two most common companion animals are both predators. (Dogs & cats.) Chosen as companions because they're smart enough to be trainable, and they have useful working qualities. (Helping to hunt/guard, or keep the village clear of pests.) You don't see many people keeping goats or sheep as pets - mostly as food.

The few who do keep food animals (ducks, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc) as pets don't generally expect much in the way of self-tending from them...

 

Hmm - all this talk of herbivores, and now I'm hungry. Time to go fire up the grill for lunch!

 

 

 

 

 

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Lucy probably thinks they are part of the family. That will go away when the bunnies get older. Not an unusual condition for a female dog, especially one that has had pups.

 

My crazy Afghan bitch would chase and kill cats all the time, considered it great sport. I had to board a couple of kittens for a friend and warned her about it. No choice on either of our parts. The kittens would use Cleo as a climbing pole and sleeping nest, she never gave more than the occasional lick.

[SeanC]

I dunno, but the parents of those cute little guys are two seriously selfish bunnies.

[russell_bynum]

I dunno, but the parents of those cute little guys are two seriously selfish bunnies.

 

+1

 

 

[SeanC]

Happy Birthday to you too, Russell.

 

[leikam]

There's a young, female Rottweiler next door to us who likes nothing better than playing with our cats. Still, it's "friends" like her that makes me glad that they're indoor cats. The one time they did get together in the fur, the play was very rough and luckily nobody got hurt.

 

If your dog doesn't get them, I wonder who will?

[Huzband]

If your dog doesn't get them, I wonder who will?

 

[leikam]

That hat looks good on you Danny.

[Matts_12GS]

Reminds me of the koi pond the neighbor has--it's viewed by the blue herons around here as a Shoney's buffet.

 

Is it full of fat heron gold wing riders too?

[Gregori]

Reminds me of the koi pond the neighbor has--it's viewed by the blue herons around here as a Shoney's buffet.

 

Is it full of fat heron gold wing riders too?

 

That would be "fat blue-hair on gold wing" riders wouldn't it?

[David]

If your dog doesn't get them, I wonder who will?

 

Probably the fox that comes through every so often.

[BFish]

Something about neotenous features that brings out altruistic behavior in a lot of animals. The sociobiologists have long argued that that is one of the driving forces behind the preservation of some species.

 

Just curious David, but is your Rottweiler/Labrador mix a male or female? Females treating the young of other species with maternalistic behavior is pretty common too - even some males.

 

Joe, Lucy is a female. We rescued her right after she had 9 puppies, and she was a very good/patient mother to them, so that's probably an indication of her disposition. She also loves human babies. She'll sit next to them for hours, and when they wake up and start crying, she'll come and get us.

 

raises an intersting point which we may want to discuss...was lucy being selfish having those pups??? (or even the wabbit for that matter)

[velomoto]

If your dog doesn't get them, I wonder who will?

 

Probably the fox that comes through every so often.

Round here bunnies are more than a little problem. Vehicles in the long term parking at Denver Int'l airport have had their electrical wiring destroyed by rabbits. There's a reason rabbits are classified as rodents!

[Wooster]

"The lion and the lamb will lie down together; but the lamb won't get much sleep." From Without Feathers by Woody Allen.

 

Damn, those bunnies are cute !

 

Wooster