After an hour of nonstop barking I went to the neighbors house

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*sigh* I hate situations like this.

I'd keep her and not say anything.

But then Dad would force me to take her back.

Actually, I couldn't have taken her at all.

Trust me, it kills me.

That being said...

Maybe they'll let you keep her.

Maybe they'll be ticked.

I don't know.

Again..I hate stuff like this.

I'm also going to give a bit of my experience with rabbits:

The police don't give a crap about a rabbit. They hardly care about the dogs, or cats.

I wouldn't say a word.
 
i would not tell because obviously they did not make sure the cage was secure from the dogs and they had the dangerous dogs around them. if you wanted to make a complaint you should have called animal control and took pictures of the area because the neighbors will clean the mess up as if nothing happened.
 
ani-lover wrote:
i would not tell because obviously they did not make sure the cage was secure from the dogs and they had the dangerous dogs around them. if you wanted to make a complaint you should have called animal control and took pictures of the area because the neighbors will clean the mess up as if nothing happened.
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:yeahthat:Like ani-lover said take pictures before the neighbors come home, and call the animal control.
 
bigtommyg, out of curiosity have you ever worked with rabbit confiscations/welfare situations? Depending on the local laws, in many places rabbits are not classified as pets but as livestock and as such are "expected" to have a much lower quality of life. People in authority are also much less likely to act on an animal welfare case when it involves a rabbit than when it involves a dog or a cat. For people that aren't aquainted with the charms of pet rabbits, rabbits do not account for much and are generally considered and treated as a lesser being than cats and dogs. Sometimes it's really hard to get anything done unless a concerned rescue is pushing for help.

Again, this depends on the area, but Missouri isn't exactly on the cutting edge of animal and human rights (no offence).

Keep the bunny. Don't tell the neighbors you have her. But I do recommend reporting the problem to the cops, just don't tell them about the bunny you took.
 
I am a very honest person and would not steal from anyone. I am sort of "known" for this and have gone back into stores to give back money if they gave me too much change or didn't ring up something on the ticket (once it was a DVD).

With that said, I don't know that I would return her. I look at this as there are times when we answer to a 'higher authority' - kinda like the people in Germany who hid the Jews during the Holocaust. What the authorities were doing and allowing was wrong...and they hid the Jews to do the right thing.

She needs protection. Her original owners were not doing that for her. To me - that "voids" their ownership...what if she had made it away from those dogs and into your yard or somewhere else - they might never have seen her again.

I still regret returning a rabbit I rescued before we got Tiny and the other rabbits. That was what got me into rabbits again - we rescued this white rabbit from the street and took care of it for a week or so and stupid me put an ad in the paper. Turns out the people let it free-roam their yard - but it had started to learn to get out. In fact, after I returned it to them - it got out again more than once....but by then, I had Tiny.

So I'd keep her. I wouldn't mention it to the neighbors at all and if they see her sometime in the future....I don't know what to say. Hopefully by then, they won't even remember.

I feel horrible saying all this - but I think you need to consider what is best for her....and you're it.

And yes, the licks means she loves you and is grateful. I bet you're going to have her bonded to YOU in no time - if she isn't already.

Peg
 
I have had this situation before, When (eventually) my neighbours rang the cops to say I stole their rabbit (and to be honest anyone with a heart would have) I lied and told them Ifound him on my property and didn't know who he belonged to! Normally I don't like to lie but this poor little man had front teeth that were out of his mouth and curling like an elephants !!! and was so skinny and dehydrated he could barely move! so I went over there and took him! anyway the cops told me that as he was on my property and there was no way to verify ownership plus he was so obviously uncared for that I could keep him :D. Okay so long way around to my point is maybe you sohuld tell a little lie and say you found him in your yard and didn't know where he belonged so kept him/her?
 
naturestee wrote:
bigtommyg, out of curiosity have you ever worked with rabbit confiscations/welfare situations? Depending on the local laws, in many places rabbits are not classified as pets but as livestock and as such are "expected" to have a much lower quality of life. People in authority are also much less likely to act on an animal welfare case when it involves a rabbit than when it involves a dog or a cat.
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Which is why I pointed out that they're probably violating a law or two by not having those DOGS contained. You're right, animal control probably isn't very interested in what happened to the rabbits per se. They WILL probably be interested that it was caused by dogs running loose.

And once again, my greater concern here is for the poster, because she has stolen this rabbit and trespassed to do it. If the neighbors raised any flags, she would be found at fault. That's really why the best thing to do would be call the authorities regarding the dogs and deal with the rescued bunny as a side issue. I don't think the big issue here is the rabbit confiscation: it's the dogs' running wild.
 
There is no law against dogs running loose on a person's property. As far as people wanting them chained on an owners property - a sidenote:

Has anyone heard of DDB? http://dogsdeservebetter.com/home.htmlI don't agree with it 100%, as new orginazations are popping up around the USA and it can be bothersome, especially when an arguement happens over a dog who is tied out while going potty before returning into the home.

Rabbits here are classified as livestock, not pets and statutes regulate no more than minimum requirements, dinural lighting, shade provided, housing, food and water.

If straying dogs cross the property lines and harass livestock, the owner of the livestock is able to shoot the dogs as long as they are on the livestock owners property line. Naturally, the dogs and rabbits belonged on the same property so there wasn't a lot that could be done.

Most of the rabbits in this area serve two legal purposes, meat and dog training. Manure for gardens is an additional bonus, but there is not much of a market for that. Meat and decoys are always marketable which is why the animals hold value as livestock.

As far as I know the neighbors didn't return last night, as I didn't see any lights on out there but I'm sure when they do return they'll make plenty of noise when they see what happened. This gives me more time to think through the best course of action.



The rabbit this morning, is eating and bounding through the house with no ill effects as far as I can tell at this point.
 
Yeah, chaining/tying dogs is a no-no in these parts.

You can tell your neighbours the truth -- you found the rabbit. (Just fudge if they ask you where).

Had you seen the bunny before? Would you have recognized her if she was somewhere else?

Alternatively, if they say'Hey, that's my rabbit!' tell them you've grown attached and offer then $10. (We'll take up a collection on the forum). ;)

That bunny NEEDS to stay with you. She deserves it, after what she's been through.The only complication may be that if she is for sure a she, and she was hiding in a nest box... you may have more bunnies than you counted on -- again. :shock:

The alternative, going back to a meat breeder, is pretty awful. :(

Please keep us updated.

sas:hug1
 
i agree with DDB, and the chaining and tethering is no good for a dog. They are not talking about chaining a dog for short periods of time, such as pottying or while you run in the house to do something they are talking about long term, day after day.

I have a question who, if anyone , has been coming to the house to feed and water the dogs and "rabbits" while these people are gone for 3 days? isnt that breaking any humane society rules? i would call next time they go away and make reports about the dogs being left alone and barking constantly, and no one being there to care for them.
 
naturestee wrote:
Again, this depends on the area, but Missouri isn't exactly on the cutting edge of animal and human rights (no offence).
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I have found this to be very true :(.

I agree with what Peg said. You are doing what's morally right. And sometimes that just matters more than what's legally acceptable. If I were a betting gal, I'd put my money on these folks coming home, getting mad over what the dogs did, and assuming that the rabbit that you saved ran off or got eaten by the dogs or another predator.

These don't really sound like the kind of people that will care too much (which is just pitiful). They'll never see the bun living in your house. They'll just never know (or care, I'm sure). Whatever you decide, I wish you and this sweet little creature the very best of luck! You were this bun's guardian angel...she knows it, that's why she's handing out all the kisses!:biggrin2:


edit to add: She reminds me of my Carmel, very precious :)
 
I agree with the others. Don't say a word. As Lagadvocate said, they'll likely assume the rabbit ran off or was killed.

Screw the law. Do what is morally right.
 
Honestly if it were me, this would be a no brainer. I would not give them the rabbit back.

I found Mr. Tumnus in the woods and I knew he probably belonged to one of the neighbors. I didnt say a word. I figured if they had wanted him they would have come looking. The poor dear was living out there for a month. I later found out who it was, but never said anything.

The sad thing is that they'll probably just bring a few more home to replace those ones. And they will probably suffer the same fate. Makes me so sick to think about those bunnies' final moments-terrorized and ripped to pieces by the dogs.
 
Haley wrote:
The sad thing is that they'll probably just bring a few more home to replace those ones. And they will probably suffer the same fate. Makes me so sick to think about those bunnies' final moments-terrorized and ripped to pieces by the dogs.
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It's pathetic, isn't it? My wife and I firmly believe that you can judge the state or worthyness of a society by the manner that it treats it's animals.
 
naturestee wrote:
Hey, looks like nearly all of us are neutral or chaotic good! Huzzah!

**end D&D joke**
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Ok, I had to quote you to my Hubby so I would know what you were talking about, LOL. He spent many years gaming.

Back to the subject at hand. The dogs being loose on their own property is not against the law. Letting thedogs randomly kill rabbits that are helpless to defend themselves or even escape, is. I hope. As I believe someone else has said, call the authorities and say when you found the rabbit she had run across into your yard. That way you are not in the wrong, and mabye you can do some good for any other rabbits they may go get. I too am an honest person, and I hate to lie, but in this case it is very likely a life and death situation for the rabbit. I'm sure if the animal authorities did take the rabbit, the shelter would not not object to an obviously concerned person adopting her. I don't know what the laws are like there either, but surely even an animal considered livestock can not be legally tortured, so they ought to be obligated to do something to stop it.
 
I would consider this a rescue (which it is) and I would enjoy your new bun.

A very adorable bunny. :)

These people should have their license to breath revoked!



 
Wabbitdad12 wrote:

These people should have their license to breath revoked!




Wait-you need to have one of those?! I think mine may be out of date!! *panicking and turning blue*

Sorry, I'm not making fun of you, that just gave me funnny mental pics, LOL.




 
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