In a previous blog entry, "a heart warming tale" I recounted how the dog walkers I regularly meet in Sefton Park have developed into a great problem solving unit in a time of personal need. Once again they are in action..............
Its about eleven o'clock in the morning on Wednesday last, myself and fellow dog walker Jeff (the hero from the last story) are following our well worn route around the park with seven or so dogs in tow. A few of the lads regularly hunt after the local squirrels in amidst the trees but as I catch sight of them out of the corner of my eye they look like they have managed for the first time to chase one down. On closer inspection the quarry is darker and larger than I'd expected. Then the dark shape flashes clear of the huddle of dogs it becomes clear to me that what I'm looking at, a rabbit. I shout as much to Jeff who follows me the twenty or so foot to were all the action is and we improvise a rescue mission, After some shouts and foot waving at the dogs lasting a couple of minutes I am close enough now to the rabbit to grab it by the scruff of its neck and hoisted it out of harms reach of the curious dogs.
So what now, to date i'd had little to do with rabbits, I've observed them in the wild, cooked and eaten them when bought and prepared by a butcher. None of this helped me now as I cradled the rabbit in my arms. The RSPCA came to mind, so as we walked along pondering how that might happen and were and who could look after him(we had inspected it and agreed its bits looked male) while they came round to collect him we inevitably began meeting up with the rest of the dog walking fraternity. Lots of suggestions followed,
the owner of a sight hound Brenda(she featured in the last story) advises me to keep hold tight to the rabbit as her dog has a neat trick with rabbits necks that is instantly fatal to said rabbits. I take this advice. Jeff has a plan, he is making a phone call to a friend who volunteers at an animal rescue who he believes rescues rabbits. Bingo! she will meet us in fifteen minutes at one of the car parks. The handover takes place in less than that time as she arrives to meet us all in the park proper, by then our gang number about twenty, six people with fifteen dogs in tow. I guess she could see us from a mile off.
So that was the story for that day, all of us pulling together to good effect. Now when I visit the park the next day I am running late as it is the day of the Pets and pals community walk which starts at midday. Jeff is in his car driving away, he stops and winds down his window to tell me that another two rabbits have been rescued from the park since time. I'll no doubt find out more in due course. Lets hope the idiots releasing these poor creatures in the park will wise up before the good people of Sefton park begin to suffer from compassion fatigue and start looking for recipes for rabbit stew
Its about eleven o'clock in the morning on Wednesday last, myself and fellow dog walker Jeff (the hero from the last story) are following our well worn route around the park with seven or so dogs in tow. A few of the lads regularly hunt after the local squirrels in amidst the trees but as I catch sight of them out of the corner of my eye they look like they have managed for the first time to chase one down. On closer inspection the quarry is darker and larger than I'd expected. Then the dark shape flashes clear of the huddle of dogs it becomes clear to me that what I'm looking at, a rabbit. I shout as much to Jeff who follows me the twenty or so foot to were all the action is and we improvise a rescue mission, After some shouts and foot waving at the dogs lasting a couple of minutes I am close enough now to the rabbit to grab it by the scruff of its neck and hoisted it out of harms reach of the curious dogs.
So what now, to date i'd had little to do with rabbits, I've observed them in the wild, cooked and eaten them when bought and prepared by a butcher. None of this helped me now as I cradled the rabbit in my arms. The RSPCA came to mind, so as we walked along pondering how that might happen and were and who could look after him(we had inspected it and agreed its bits looked male) while they came round to collect him we inevitably began meeting up with the rest of the dog walking fraternity. Lots of suggestions followed,
the owner of a sight hound Brenda(she featured in the last story) advises me to keep hold tight to the rabbit as her dog has a neat trick with rabbits necks that is instantly fatal to said rabbits. I take this advice. Jeff has a plan, he is making a phone call to a friend who volunteers at an animal rescue who he believes rescues rabbits. Bingo! she will meet us in fifteen minutes at one of the car parks. The handover takes place in less than that time as she arrives to meet us all in the park proper, by then our gang number about twenty, six people with fifteen dogs in tow. I guess she could see us from a mile off.
So that was the story for that day, all of us pulling together to good effect. Now when I visit the park the next day I am running late as it is the day of the Pets and pals community walk which starts at midday. Jeff is in his car driving away, he stops and winds down his window to tell me that another two rabbits have been rescued from the park since time. I'll no doubt find out more in due course. Lets hope the idiots releasing these poor creatures in the park will wise up before the good people of Sefton park begin to suffer from compassion fatigue and start looking for recipes for rabbit stew