Doggie Heaven on Earth

I quickly discovered how fanatically obsessed my rescue pup, Nova, is about bunnies. My neighborhood is swarming with little rabbits, hopping about and grazing on pristinely-curated lawns, sporadically placed about the desert landscape.

Nova goes nuts when we see a bunny (or two or three) and eagerly lunges toward them as far as his little leash lets him. For some time, I annoyingly held him back, yanking on his leash while admonishing him for trying to run after a bunny – which for him is the most innate instinct about his canine self.

I grew to love his affection for bunnies, even if he would nearly rip my shoulder out of its socket (I am certain he would have if he were any bigger of a breed). But his dachshund-mix self was controllable. Discipline never deterred his determination to chase down a bunny. His eagerness never dwindled, as if he had seen that same old bunny for the first time every time, never waning in motivation.

At some point in his little puppy life, my senses went by the wayside. Or maybe I just really wanted to entertain my dog’s instinct and let him run wild (given I certainly don’t like being held back from the things I am meant to do). It is obvious that he was bread to hunt bunnies; my love for him deepened to the extent that I couldn’t take that one thing away from him – even if he is supposed to be on a leash.

I could not hesitate in giving him a chance to live unleashed to do what he was born to do. I may have rescued him and given him a domestic home but that didn’t change who he is as a species.

I began the ill-advised practice of letting him loose in order to chase a bunny, never thinking he could actually catch one. Swift as they can be, the bunnies darted left and right, hiding quickly from a miniature beast chasing after them.

I began this tradition with Nova, allowing him to run around from yard to yard on the hunt. I soon realized he could get hurt after a bunny decided to cross the street, leading my sweet dog into harm’s way. Some sense grew in me although let’s be frank – I already knew this was a terrible idea; my love for Nova shot my senses somewhat. I decided to put an end to his hunting habits.

I had terrible guilt for giving him the chance to live unleashed, chasing his wildest dreams, only to take it away from him. Those of us who have chased our dreams know you can never really go back once you get a taste of the sweet life.

One evening as dusk set in, I gave Nova one last hunt in bunny heaven. As I unleashed him onto the bunny, I quickly realized I didn’t give the bunny enough head-start; he had only been about 10 feet from Nova. The bunnies had always gotten away with quite ease so I figured tonight would be no exception.

As Nova dashed into the grass, the bunny hightailed it into the bushes with Nova following in heated pursuit. I lost sight of him after he disappeared into the landscaping. I had always been able to keep track of his whereabouts during our previous escapades, but I had no idea where he was. I began to regret my decision to let him loose one last time.

Nova finally came into sight, trotting toward me. He was a few hundred yards out but even then I could tell his strut was peculiar. As he came closer, I discovered why there was such pep in his step. Dangling from his snout lay a lifeless bunny rabbit. I shrieked in both disbelief and terror (for the bunny's sake). When Nova eagerly approached, I couldn’t tell if the bunny was dead or alive given some animals play dead as a defense mechanism.

When Nova was within earshot, I yelled, “drop it!” We hadn’t really gotten a good grasp on the drop it command at this point, but Nova knew what to do. The poor, unsuspecting bunny fell on the ground in front of me. I was still in such shock, trying to absorb what just happened. And here is my dog, as proud and happy as can be, in his shining moment as a species.

I can’t help but notice how good he must feel even if I were dying inside. I wanted to tell him he had done such a good job, saying “good job, Bear!” But just like any parent whose child has just done something so awful but at the same time funny, making it impossible to discipline them without breaking out in laughter, I was dealing with terror which kept me from saying what my dog expected after doing exactly what he was bred to do.

I grabbed Nova’s collar to attach his leash and we walked home as though something had definitely happened. I went back and forth between praising Nova and shaming myself. As an animal lover, I had to know whether the animal had been carelessly murdered at my hand, or rather my dog’s hand, but I couldn’t bear turning around to see whether Nova’s prey had survived.

In the short distance between the scene of the crime and home, I learned the hard way what happens when you give a dog the chance to be unleashed in the way that fulfills his life's purpose – not just to be my best friend and companion but to chase down a bunny (which I honestly think is all he ever wanted to do).

As any loving parent does, you set aside your own wants to make your kid happy; at the end of the day I think my ill-advised action in unleashing Nova was really how I showed my love for this creature.

Though our tradition of bunny hunting had to end, because God forbid anymore animals died, those days are some of my most fond memories with my best bud. Now that he is free to chase bunnies relentlessly in doggie heaven, I look back without one ounce of regret; for a short time Nova was supremely happy—unleashed to run free on the best days of his short-lived life.