If this had been a tabloid, the headline would learn: 100-year-old goes on killing spree. The trigger will shock you.

A observe earlier than I start, pricey associates: In case you’re in any respect squeamish about lack of yard wildlife or circle-of-life tales, this one’s not for you. Come again one other time or peruse this outdated, outdated publish about gratitude for my quirky outdated canine.

Cooper turned 13 this summer time. The ladies threw him a celebration, full with particular squeaky toys, treats, and a birthday crown.

As he ages, Cooper’s physique is–in fact–altering.

The primary huge change we seen was his eyesight. Cooper has night time blindness. So, we’re cautious about lighting at night time, particularly when he goes outdoors to go to the toilet earlier than mattress. Once we activate the floodlights, he goes to the toilet throughout the circle of sunshine–despite the fact that which means proper on the sting of the patio/grass the place he usually goes extra on the patio than the grass. We are able to clear the mess. No huge deal. (Or so we thought…)

The second huge change is his listening to. Cooper’s reached the age once I can open a bag of chips within the kitchen and he doesn’t come working. He’s reached the age once I can open the storage door, pull the automobile in, come inside the home, and he’s nonetheless snoozing soundly–and startles when he realizes we’re dwelling.

{Apart: I must revisit this publish, What to Do if Your Canine Is Dropping His Listening to. It’s from approach again in 2016, however I keep in mind Bernard shared some wonderful ideas from elevating a home stuffed with deaf canine.}

The third huge change, and one I wrote about months in the past, is his degenerative disc illness. I want to jot down an up to date publish as a result of additional testing confirmed a attainable/possible completely different prognosis (see: The best way to get a second opinion from a vet), however the gist is that his again hips are failing him. He has a weak hind finish, and this former runner has morphed right into a slow-pick-his-way-er.

Restricted sight. Restricted listening to. Restricted mobility.

Oh, and he has to go to the toilet each single night time–at the very least as soon as–between 1 and three am. Typically twice.

He normally will get up, rings his bells, and we let him out to go to the toilet. Then he comes again in and all of us fall again to sleep.

A pair nights in the past, John let him out simply after 2 AM then went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. By way of the window, he witnessed one thing startling.

Think about our full and utter shock to find that low-vision, no-hearing, slow-walking Cooper caught a child bunny at 2 within the morning. However, he did.

This, from the canine who permits the mama bunny to eat all of the greens in our backyard whereas he meanders close by.

I imply… how?

For actual. How?

Opinions had been various.

Maybe he stepped on the bunny nest by chance then reacted to what popped out as an alternative of truly chasing one down?

Perhaps it was already lifeless and he merely found/investigated the physique?

What if he mistook it for one among his squeaky toys?

No matter occurred occurred, so the subsequent morning I searched the yard for the nest. Certain sufficient, it’s precisely the place the patio and grass meet, precisely the place he goes to the toilet each night time and very first thing within the morning as a result of it’s within the circle of sunshine from our floodlight.

There was a second child no greater than my fist within the nest.

So, I bought some backyard fencing and surrounded the nest, leaving small openings on all sides for the mother to come back and go. For a number of nights, I positioned two sticks in a x-shape over the nest to watch whether or not or not the mother was nonetheless coming. For a number of nights, the sticks had been moved.

Then, the yard man got here to mow. It scared the ever-living pants off the newborn, who truly left the nest and was attempting to bip and bop its approach throughout the yard. We alerted the yard man. John and I gloved up. We caught the newborn and returned him to the nest.

I don’t know if that have addled the bunny’s mind, however… he left the nest once more. In broad daylight. Actually whereas Cooper was going to the toilet, and yeah. It appeared to hop proper for him, and Cooper caught it. I yelled, “DROP IT!” And he did, instantly. However the harm was finished. It seemed like Cooper would possibly’ve damaged the bunny’s little leg, however the bunny wedged himself beneath a cat mint bush. I went and bought my gloves to maneuver him again to his nest, however he by some means slipped away.

John and I seemed in every single place however by no means discovered him, and I believe he both died of his accidents or was predated as a result of he by no means returned to the nest.

I felt terrible. Genuinely horrible.

As a result of the primary one was, I feel, a fluke. The second… sigh. I ought to’ve been extra cautious. I ought to’ve checked to make sure he was both in his nest or gone gone earlier than I let Coop out as a result of that’s the spot the place he all the time goes to the toilet, even blocked by backyard fencing.

Cooper is about 96 human years outdated. How on earth is his terrier gene solely now turning into activated? Though, it’s not. Probably not. The mama bunny nonetheless lives in our yard, nonetheless eats our greens, and he doesn’t trouble her.

Regardless, why is my virtually 100-year-old canine occurring a killing spree for the primary time in his life?

Or is he simply in search of a passion to maintain him busy in retirement…

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