The Object Of William's Affection

Now I think that this morning's  Beyoncé masturbation video divided readers somewhat.... Some thought it mildly amusing, others registered their " dislike" on Youtube or left Going Gently warm embrace with a slightly nauseous look on their face. Suffice to say, I thought it was funny..... Then again......why wouldn't I?
I am getting to that age when I will wear purple and spit in the street.

Nothing much happened today. It was a Wednesday filled with trips to the shops, the animal feed wholesaler, dog groomers and coal merchants but there was one little moment of whimsy that made me pause, just for a moment or two.
Around 11am as I was walking The dogs back home after egg delivery, William suddenly started to pull me towards the field gate rather than allowing himself to be led back to the cottage.
His eagerness made me think that there was a rat afoot, so I let him and George through the gate and off their leads. Out of all the dogs, the two boys are the best ratters.
Immediately William ran up to Mary's hutch and stood there like a statue, sniffing deeply at the door of her sleeping quarters.
He has always been obsessional about the little rabbit,
But I have not seen him so zealous in his behaviour around her for a while now.
I noticed that the rabbit food I had laid out for her remained untouched in it's bowl, so I opened up the top of the hutch with a heavy heart and we both looked inside.
Mary lay still in her hay bed and She looked as though she was gasping her last.
I was surprised as only Yesterday she looked sprightly enough for me to consider releasing her back into the field borders.

There was nothing for me to do, so I left William standing watch over the hutch and pottered around for a while.I watered the sheep, and fed out the broody hens sitting stiffly on their eggs.
William never left the rabbit hutch and he continued his long deep sniffing at the door for over an hour

Finally I walked over and opened the hutch roof. William stood carefully on his hind legs and reached in to get another look at Mary , who had finally stopped breathing.
Dogs have a very human habit of looking for reassurance from their pack leaders when something is amiss and that's exactly what William did when he sniffed the dead rabbit.
He took a long sniff at Mary, then looked at me, then back to Mary again....
His slightly obsessional year's game now over.
I left Mary outside the badger sett in the next field.
This afternoon another broody hen took up residence in the rabbit hutch.
I left her clucking contentedly on ten eggs.



57 comments:

  1. William watched his friend die...he's going to need counselling now!
    Jane x

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  2. Oh! All teary eyed here - what a love that William is.
    And you gave Mary such a good end of her life - she looks so peaceful. xox

    (and btw, I thought your Winifred video was hilarious)

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  3. Aww, I was just thinking how well she had recovered, most unusual for a wild rabbit.
    Isn't it strange how William knew something was wrong, at least he stayed with her until she went to bunny heaven.
    RIP sweet Mary.
    ~Jo

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    1. I don't know much about rabbits jo...you do I remember
      Do rabbits die so easily, who looked so well yesterday?

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    2. My daughter owned bunnies when she was little... from what we know, they can easily scare to death - they can literally snapped their own necks if they are surprised. They also are prone to heat stroke...and John, it may have just have been her time to go. Theres a reason why bunnies can have two litters or more a year - theres a high death rate :)...could you imagine if all the bunnies that were born were to survive more then a few years? yikes!

      Poor Will; I think he has a sixth sense...

      xoxox

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  4. Poor William. Good he was able to say Good Bye; he won't be pacing and searching and looking for her.

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  5. oh man, William you were a good friend to Mary...and John gets an extra star on his halo for making it possible...course that halo is crooked due to the morning video...

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  6. oh no John! poor Mary. at least William was there. Protecting her.

    Am very sad now.

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    1. Well she lived a year longer than she would have done, thanks to Albert

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  7. What a tender friend is William. Mary had some good days because he was there.

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  8. Your blog posts are always varied John, none more so than today - going from Winnie's moves to Beyoncé to William's sixth sense at impending doom - never a dull moment

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  9. :(

    you gave her a good life, john. she was at peace.

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  10. Anonymous9:58 pm

    I liked Mary, and am apologizing belatedly that in one of my comments I called her Megan. Good old William. And you.

    I was just about to watch your last post's video but being given a hint I gave it a miss. I don't like watching anyone (including people) masturbate. Puts me off.

    U

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  11. Anonymous10:23 pm

    And she was doing so well......Poor William won't know what to do with himself now. I like to think she enjoyed this past year or so with you and yours. Goodbye sweet Mary.

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  12. Awwww, that was so touching. Dear sweet William, what a boy.

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  13. Oh no, I'm sorry :-(

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  14. what a pity about poor little mary!
    she probably was hale & hearty yesterday, just as you thought. your description sounds like shock. they can recover from a shock but they can also lay gasping for many hours, it's all so unpredictable and they are very fragile, sometimes just the presence of a potential predator is enough.
    i always thought i was anthropomorphising when i imagined the dog looked to me for reassurance. maybe i knew more than i thought.

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  15. Aww poor little Mary. And good on thoughtful old William to stay with her to the end. Bless!

    Jo in Auckland, NZ

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  16. Aw ...he's going to miss her.

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  17. Aww, Mary. I'm glad you were able to rescue her and give her a good end to her life. Poor William. :(

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  18. Oh balls; the poor sweet thing...but as you said, she lived a life much longer that expected. Still, I'm feeling sad tonight. *sigh*

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  19. Maybe he was planning on having rabbit stew for dinner.

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  20. Anonymous1:14 am

    I'm not telling my son. I always shared the Mary posts with him.

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  21. How can some people think that animals don't have feelings. William stood by his friend. He is quite the man.

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  22. So glad that you provided Mary with a good quality of life for as long as
    you did.

    Hugs to William

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  23. So sad. Poor Mary. :(

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  24. It's all been said. I do hope it wasn't all that Sahara dust that finished her off.

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  25. In earlier years we had bunnies and dogs in the same spot. They played chase.

    William has a big heart like you.

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  26. What a shock. you just can't tell with animals can you? Anyhow she has a good year with you.

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  27. Not the best kind of post for me to read after my own little shattering discovery of yesterday, but commiserations to you anyway - as well as William, of course. I'm sure that through you Mary had more contentment in her little life than many other such creatures experience.

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  28. Don't wish we humans still had that level of "vibe"?

    Of course John, you do now realise people are going to start "donating" bunnies to you too?

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  29. Sorry - that should have read Don't you wish we had the vibe.

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  30. ho no your last blog made me laugh but this one made me cry as my dog sat by my husband bed knowing he was near the end thy know i am sure

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  31. Bye bye sweet Mary x

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  32. Made me cry! Bless you William, and you John for taking care of one poorly rabbit. The badger will get an easy supper anyway!

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  33. Ah, at least she died peacefully with devoted William for company, which is probably a lot better than many wild rabbits I suspect.
    And good for you for recycling her body and her home.

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  34. So my little namesake has gone to bunny heaven. Very sad when it is so quick, but good for her.
    Dear William.

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  35. I just excitedly looked for the Beyonce wanking vid, but cannot find it - no disrespect to Mary, mind you.

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  36. She had a strange life for a wild rabbit, but nice that her doggy friend was there for her last moments. Maybe a linking of minds that we know nothing about.

    After reading 'Fluke' the book about the man that came back as a dog, I have a very open mind about things we don't understand in the animal kingdom.

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  37. I will miss Mary and Williams little stories. How touching that William was there with her at the end.

    cheers, parsnip

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  38. So grateful you rescued her, she had a longer and healthier life under your protection.

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  39. I wish I hadn't read this....I had a soft spot in my heart for that bunny. :(
    So sorry, John and sweet William.

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    1. Sherry.... Think of the chicken sitting on her eggs,..... That rabbit hutch has helped another set of mouths eh?
      And at least Mary had a year extra than expected

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    2. She was lucky to have you, John.

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  40. I'm sorry, John. When my daughter was young we had quite a cemetery at the very back of the yard. Her bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, and mice were all buried there. Thankfully, unlike Stephen King's Pet Sematary, none of the critters came back to life. I think you gave Mary the best "burial" - back to nature.

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  41. I wonder if Mary's brightness yesterday was similar to the rallying that some humans exhibit for a few hours before death? I must admit I feared a bloody end for her if you released her, and the ending she had was preferable to that. You gave her good care.

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  42. Oh John ~ what sad news after all this time. And for William to know and be there. Animals are truly remarkable 'people' aren't they?

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  43. Poor Mary. Peace at last.

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  44. Anonymous2:28 am

    Ah buggar. Rest in peace little wild Mary.

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