saved baby rabbit from dog

Question
QUESTION: I have a large fenced in back yard.  I have one dog and this midmorning i found 2 and a half dead bunnies.  I found him with another one and was able to get it from him in time.  I took him into my neighbors yard because she has a shed thats on blocks and i always see alot of rabbits there from time to time.  Did i do the right thing or will the rabbit come back into my yard even though my dog is outside most of the time.  How can i keep rabbits from nesting in my yard?  I have to let my dog out and its breaking my heart.  Please help asap

ANSWER: I am really sorry that you had to find that, It is always hard when we see something like that especially when a beloved family pet does something that is so gruesome.

Unfortunately there is not much you can do to keep rabbits out of your yard, I would suggest making sure your grass is well mowed and put out humane traps (you can usually get these from your local animal control) and then release the rabbits in the country.

Sadly because you moved the baby rabbit out of where it was found, the mother will probably not be able to find it. Female rabbits spend little time in the care for their young (mostly to keep predators away) so that means that they do not move them (like a cat or dog) so by moving the rabbit to the neighbors shed the mother has less likely of a chance to find him.

However had you left him in your yard only bad things would have happened so I think you did the right thing.  The little one has a chance of being found and is safe for the moment, under the shed.

I suggest you keep letting your dog out, due to what just happened you will probably not have to many issues with rabbits in your yard because your dog has just moved up on the food chain to the rabbit.

I know this is a hard thing, but your dog was not doing anything out of his nature, and your first priority is to your pet.  I wish you luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The shed i put it under is not far from my yard.  The little buger might make it back into the yard.  This happened last summer and i saved one then to.  I released it and i kept finding it in my yard.  I cant believe that they would nest with my dog outside.  What should i do if this happens again?  My dog is playing with them and it kills them.  The baby that was in my dogs mouth was screaming really loud is that what they do?  What do I do if the baby come back?  I have no idea where nest could be and if there were more than 3.

Answer
If the shed is not far from your yard and the babies are managing to get back into your yard what I would suggest is get some humane traps from your local animal control, bait the trap with grass, carrots, etc, then when you do catch either the baby or the mother (or hopefully you can get two traps to set and catch both) call a wild life rehab center in your area and have them take the rabbits OR let them loose into a field outside of your town/city.  

If you find your dog has caught a baby the only thing I could think of is to do exactly what you did, although the baby you saw last year could have been a sibling rather than the same one.  Rabbits generally have anywhere from 1-10 babies at a time so it is possible that there were only three or there could be more.  Also I suggest doing a walk through of your yard and check to see if you can locate the nest and if so move them to the other side of your fence out of the dogs reach.

As for the screaming that is perfectly normal that is what all rabbits young and old do when they are in danger or pain, it is an unpleasant sound, but it does serve their purpose for alerting danger.

I don't know what kind of fence you have but you could try to get some chicken wire and put around the bottom (like if it is a chain link) about 6-8 inches tall to keep the rabbits from having access to your yard.

If you do not have a fence the only thing I can think of would be humane traps, as hard as it sounds even if you can not catch the young ones you may be able to trap the mother or father  which would eliminate your problem.

Also depending on how old the babies are (do they have their eyes open etc)you may be able to relocate them also.  If they are really young, your best bet is to find the nest put it in a humane trap then try to catch the momma and just relocate the whole bunch.

Also check this website for more information, it may have an idea that I don't know about that would work perfectly for you
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/how-to-keep-rabbits-out-of-gardens.htm