We had bedded down for the night and Mark was sleeping soundly. Around 1:00 a.m., Oscar, our ever vigilant protector, apparently heard a noise, woofed, and ran to the patio door to growl at any would-be intruders. Then apparently satisfied that he had struck fear in the heart of any man or beast that would trespass in the night, I heard him get a drink of water and expected that he'd go back to sleep.
But THEN, I heard scurrying, canine panic, and a pursuit! Clearly Oscar had the scent of something. I hoped (& expected) that whatever it was, it was outside on the patio. Mark awoke as Oscar was hunting for "IT" through the kitchen, dining room, living room, guest room, and back again; and I was trailing Oscar trying to determine if "IT" was really inside the house.
Then Oscar focused his pursuit on the guest room, clearly convinced that "IT" was under the futon. (Did I mention, he is a good hunter?) Fascinated with the sniffing, snorting, and overall hunting approach, I stayed close enough to watch Oscar. And then, it happened. "IT"-- a small, furry, brown, IT"-- darted out from behind the guest room futon and ran into the living room. And I ran (well, I moved pretty darn fast) to our bedroom. You can probably figure out the next thing--Mark, now fully awake, quarantined Oscar in our room so that he wouldn't get "IT"; I stayed with Oscar (okay, I admit it--I hid out), leaving Mark to evict what I was sure was a rat.
Then as I stood on our bed (just in case it was in our room), I heard Mark say through the closed door: "I don't think it is a rat." Now, I didn't have my glasses on (this was 1 a.m. after all), but unwanted, unexpected, brown, furry, scurrying--that all spelled rat to me. After much reassurance, Mark coaxed me out of the bedroom where I assumed a perch on a dining room chair (again, just in case) in time to view a little bunny cowering under our sofa! (I guess he was looking for the garden--or maybe he wanted cooked carrots!)
Mark caught him under a plastic box, we slid a piece of cardboard under, and then set him free under the moonlight. I figure he told his friends and family that he was trapped and cornered by a vicious dog (which to him may have looked like a Great Dane); I'm sure he was relieved when his captivity came to an end.
As to how he got in, only the bunny knows for sure. We surmise that earlier in the day, Oscar flushed him out of the garden and, with few options open to him, he darted into an open door.
Mark & I settled down after the adventure and went back to bed. Oscar was confined during the capture and didn't witness the bunny's being pardoned. Convinced he was still in the house, Oscar continued to hunt until well after 3 a.m.
Oscar has slept most of today.....
What a cute bunny. I am not sure I would want it in the house though!
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