While I might find pleasure in your approval, your disapproval will not deter me. ~Muriel Strode, American poet
I Monkey here.
Guess what I found in my back yard?
A bunny’s nest!!
Mama, of course, had a fit. She says only a stupid Mother Bunny would put her nest in a fenced back yard where a dog lives.
Especially when we have neighbors without fences or dogs, where a nest might be safe.
But I say it’s like Gotcha Day, a chunk of pizza, and some animal crackers all rolled into one!
And who am I to argue with a Mother Bunny when she wants to gift me her kids??
This started the other day, when Mama sent me outside around dinnertime. I didn’t come back immediately, so she looked out the window and saw me staring intently:
What is that??
Then she tapped on the window to get my attention:
Oh hi, Mama. Wha’cha need?
Hmph.
Doesn’t Mama realize backyards are inherently safe. And that means boring.
Who’d fault a wee Monkey for doing whatever it takes to keep things interesting??
So I ignored Mama and crept closer for a better look. And every time she’d let me outside, I’d be staring down that nest:
Watching … and waiting
Do you see that icky white wire fence Mama’s rigged up? That was last year’s response to my persistent attempts to gnaw the trunk of her Redbud tree.
Dumb ole tree. Didn’t taste too good, but it was fun getting Mama’s attention, hee hee.
I’ve told you Mama’s a sneaky one, right? She must not sleep at night.
How’d she know what I was thinking — about playing with the wee ones?
And why would she care? It’s not like they’re her babies!
Anyway, she took a hammer outside and left me watching at the window while she wrapped green fencing around the wire fence.
And I overheard her on the phone telling somebody she didn’t want me to get the baby bunnies, but she had to make it easy for the mother to feed them.
Houston, we have a problem
You see the situation, don’t you? Mama’s more worried about those babies than she is about me. And she keeps telling me the Mother Bunny is watching her nest, making sure I don’t get her babies.
I don’t see her! And I don’t smell her!
That tells me she’s nowhere to be found. Probably dropped the kids off at Monkey’s Spring Camp for Critters and has no plans for returning.
That’s just fine with me. One of these days, those wee ones will be old enough to pop out of that nest and then, Katy bar the door!
Potential playmates?? Or a tasty snack??
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
Oh, my! What fun to have a nest in your yard! On the other hand, “live and let live” is a good motto. What looks like a tasty snack to you is somebody’s baby. You wouldn’t like it if a big ol’ dinosaur wandered through the yard and saw you as a snack — even your mama couldn’t help then!
Aw, Miss Linda, that’s no fun! I Monkey would love to chase ’em until they’re tired, then gobble them up, hee hee. Mama says that’s disgusting though, so she’s doing everything a Warrior Mama would do to save those bunnies’ necks. Drat!
“…she’s nowhere to be found. Probably dropped the kids off at Monkey’s Spring Camp for Critters and has no plans for returning.”
OMG, Monkey, I literally laughed out loud when I read that. You are one hysterical doggie!
What a fun post! And love that final photo of the baby bunnies.
Please tell Mama that I applaud her for her concern and care of the new born bunnies.
Have fun with your new bunny playmates, Monkey!
Remember: “You’re no bunny till some bunny loves you!
Happy Monday to you and Mama! X
Why, Mr. Ron, believe it or not, I Monkey have heard that saying, too. And I’m all for loving those babies real good. It’s just that Mama and I have different notions of what “loving baby bunnies” entails. She thinks somebody’s set her up to guard and protect them from would-be death; I Monkey see them as a snack. A small snack right now, but if Mama has her way, they’ll grow and become nice and chubby! Besides, if I Monkey don’t get ’em, somebody else likely will — somebody like that stray cat or the hawk or an owl.
Uh oh! Sounds like you’ll be on a leash soon. Monkey!
Miss Dawn, have you been talking to Mama?? That’s exactly what she’s been doing with me! How can I enjoy my fenced back yard while being hamstrung on a doggone leash?? No fun, no fun at all. Huh.
I have it on good authority that baby bunnies taste like skunks, Monkey. I think your Mama is trying to protect you.
Skunks, huh? Are you pulling my leg, Mr. John? I Monkey thought they were delicacies. Mama certainly hasn’t served any rabbit up for me in my lifetime. And I’ll bet it’s delicious. Why else would other creatures try to beat me to the table for it?!?
I’m just sayin’
W-e-l-l, I Monkey will consider it. Skunks? Yuck!
My job is done here.
Hello Monkey. My name is Yorkie. I completely agree with you that Mother Bunny dropped the kids off at Monkey’s Spring Camp for Critters and has no plans for returning. So, you now have obligations to become the best surrogate for the kids. It’s a huge responsibility and I’m counting on you to support your new playmates. High paw, Yorkie
Hi Yorkie, pleased to meet you! I Monkey have no intentions of being a playmate to these baby bunnies. At least, not forever. The long-term goal is to catch and eat them. Mama says she feeds me often and well, so I shouldn’t be hungry; but it’s not a case of hunger. It’s more like my prey drive is overactive! And golly, I just can’t wait until this litter is big enough for me to chase around the yard, hee hee!
High paw, Yorkie here. Oh Monkey, I’m familiar with Hyperactive Prey Roid (HPR). Milo Lab-paw bud across the street has this condition too. Possums, birds, critters, you name it in his territory; they are all just snacks! Last year’s possum catch sent his momma out of her good thoughts. What’s important is this: Milo Lab-paw is in confinement in their big doggie house.
The chase is the fun, Monkey! I Yorkie chase birds off my grass and protect my territory from scaredy-cats. When I smell possum I show mom where then I go hide inside. They have teeth bigger than me. Do you, Monkey, know how big bunny teeth might be?
Monkey, I’m concerned what your momma will do if those kids you are watching get big enough to hop? Bye paw Yorkie
Oh Yorkie, that’s terrible — being confined to the house would be awful! I Monkey do love to chase birds and squirrels in the back yard (it’s fenced), but Mama won’t let me when we’re on walks (she’s probably afraid I’ll yank her arm out of the socket!). I’ve never met a possum. They sound scary! Mama says bunnies are more afraid of me because I’m bigger, and that’s why I have to be nice to them. I still say they shouldn’t go putting their nests in MY yard — gee, can’t they smell “dog”??
Not exactly the best spot to build a nest, Ms. Bun! It’ll be interesting to see how this advances… keep us posted. 🙂
Miss Eliza, that’s exactly what Mama thinks. Mother Bunny must’ve left her common sense at the gate when she entered my yard and dropped her litter. Now the kids are on MY turf, and I’m waiting and watching their growth. If Mr. Hawk doesn’t get them (or maybe that Black Cat), they’re mine!!
Goodness, I hope they run faster than you do, Monkey!
Mama hopes so, too — in fact, she’s not letting me even peek at them!
Well, Monkey, I see you will remain undeterred in your investigation of the baby bunnies with the not-so-smart mother. Sigh. Kudos to Mama for making an effort to keep them safe from your intense curiosity! I hope as they grow up before your eyes you come to view them as potential playmates rather than tasty snacks…
Aw, gee, Miss Barbara, you must’ve been talking to Mama. I know her online buddies are all taking her side in this. I think Mama should’ve gotten a stuffed dog … something that wouldn’t chase yard critters. Then she wouldn’t be such a wet blanket!
(Debbie here. In my defense, I didn’t ask for bunnies to be deposited in my yard, but I can’t bear the thought of Monkey worrying them to death and then consuming them. Now if something like a hawk or stray cat gets them, I can’t do much about that, Nature sometimes being cruel and all).
We’ve had bunnies make their nests in the middle of our yard too, Monkey, and our dog Finn is also very interested when they do. He considers small animals “a happy combination of sport and nourishment,” to quote Peter Mayle’s dog, Boy. Unfortunately for Finn, I do the same thing your mom does: protect the babies as best I can!
Oh Miss Ann, I Monkey am crushed that poor Finn has to take second place to a nest of bunnies like I do. Mama even takes a tin can filled with noisy pennies outside and shakes it LOUDLY every time I get near that nest. Grrr.
Oh dear, Monkey, please make friends with the bunnies and remember that all the best snacks come out of packets! Tell your Mama I’ve never heard of bunnies’ nesting on the ground before – I thought they dug burrows! I just googled and I’m not sure, but I think it might only be American bunnies that nest.
Miss FF, it was just a dumb Mother Bunny, I think. I mean, who drops their kids off like that, just teasing this poor Monkey??
Oh, my. 😱 I’m not sure if I should laugh or be horrified! I probably shouldn’t let you talk to any of my dogs about bunnies, Monkey. Your Mama might not approve of what they’d tell you…. but I’m pretty sure if Mother Bunny doesn’t return, they’re doomed anyway. Just don’t let her know if you play any part in it!
Ah, Miss Kelly, I Monkey am just being a dog, right? Mama tends to think I’m supposed to be a gentleman in a fur coat! Thanks for your thoughts. If I don’t get these babies, I know the stray cats or hawks will — they love a good chase, too, ha!
Cute blog. I loved the photo of Monkey looking right at you. What a beautiful dog!
Thanks so much, Pat. Yes, he’s a beauty, that’s for sure!