Jack Rabbit

I was driving through an industrial area tonight on the way to my favourite tool store and a rabbit ran across the road just in front of me. To be accurate, it was a white tailed jack rabbit and this is not one of your cute, fluffy, cuddle friendly bunnies. This guy would likely be “mobbed” up and others of the animal world probably cross the street when he approaches.

Every now and then Buster and I will sneak up on one of these rabbits and it is a frozen moment in time. Every thing just stops! Buster looks at the rabbit wondering what the hell it is. It can’t be another dog; it doesn’t have the right smell. There is no way that is a cat! Way too big for a squirrel or any other kind of rodent. Buster just looks, because the jack rabbit is at least as big as he is. The rabbit doesn’t know whether to run, freeze or shit. He knows Buster is a dog and he also knows that dogs are bad news for rabbits generally speaking, so after that frozen moment, he bolts. I don’t think rabbits are very smart, because they don’t run with a plan; they are all over the place in a panic run. Eventually, it will stop under a bush or in the shade of a tree, thinking that the white fur on brown grass will conceal it.

Buster watches this and still hasn’t a clue what he just saw. Stupid dog!

It has to be a tough time of year for jack rabbits, they are still mostly white and what was good camouflage a month ago is worse than having a bull’s eye painted on your back. The guy I saw tonight was slowly turning browny grey, but even at dusk it is highly visible. I delivered mail in this area a number of years ago and I would see partial rabbit carcasses every now and then. It doesn't help that they are tasty as well as visible I suppose. Poor bugger!

I guess they just live in constant fear. No wonder their little hearts beat as fast as…well… a rabbits. From what I can see, in the rabbit world it is every Jack or Jill for themselves. The ground squirrels always have a sentry that will give a high pitched whistle whenever danger approaches, and anything that approaches is danger for them. I always see the rabbits by themselves, either shivering with fear or running away in terror. Nice life.

If and when civilization crumbles, I suspect I will be the human equivalent of the jack rabbit. Bigger than some, always living in fear that everyone else will find out that I taste sort of like chicken. I plan to organize all of the other cowards and we will have sentries ready to whistle when danger nears, and danger will always be near.