The Great Rabbit Caper

Chica showed up in my yard this evening.  I took the trash out, and there she was.  She has black ears and a black and white body. Oh, she is a bunny and obviously, someone's pet. At first, I was not fast enough to get to her, but after a bit, I was able to pet her before she got away.  Well, I am not interested in adding a pet, so I decided to canvas the neighborhood to find a missing owner.  I made flyers, and started knocking on doors.  Where there was no answer, I left  a flyer.  I decided to do my side of the street, and the side of the street directly behind me.  People were very nice.  No one was bothered or disturbed by my inquiry (I live in a nice neighborhood.)  One neighbor offered to post this on the Facebook lost pets page (who knew, I did not.)  I was visiting a friend at the far end of the street from my house, when I received a phone call. It was from Chica's family who were at a T-ball game. Their neighbor called them and told them Chica was in my yard.  I told them I would go home and see if she was still there, and get back to them.  She was still there, and I gave them my address so they could come by after T-ball and get Chica. I had thought also to contact Animal Control in the morning, and the local elementary school, because a neighborhood child might tell a teacher about a missing rabbit. We also have a YWCA facility in the neighborhood, and I thought I would leave a message with them.  I am so glad Chica's family contacted me.

So, it turns out that Chica's family has two rabbits, and Bonnie is the escape artist. This is the second time she got out this week, so I wonder if she is feeling randy.  It took a while for us to capture Bonnie, but we did very gently and she went home to her family.  She looks clean, well fed and without any pests or skin disorders, so I think her family takes care of her. She is about 8 months old, so probably is experiencing her first fertility period, per rabbit sites on the Web http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690E/t1690e05.htm. I know that when pet dogs and cats experience fertility periods, they get randy and feel the need to breed and get out of their confines to accomplish the fact. 

At least, now I know who in the neighborhood has rabbits and can contact them if Chica or Bonnie escape again.