The other day as I left for work, I saw a white object next the driveway that wasn't there the day before. I walked over to check it out and it turned out to be a dead rabbit (long story involving the sister of our neighbor releasing several hatches of rabbits in the neighborhood). I was running late and the rabbit was dead so I decided to deal with it later.
Erika called me later in the day upset at the neighbor for letting the rabbits out, saying that she had found a rabbit had frozen outside when she got home from school. As it was 40 degrees and it had only gotten cold enough the night before to have a tiny skin of ice on the dog water bowl, I told Erika that it was not cold enough for the rabbit to freeze. I told her I had seen the dead rabbit but didn't get a chance to dispose of it. What should I do with it? she wanted to know. I told here to put it in the neighbors trash if he had put it out since the next day was garbage day. Shouldn't we bury it? she asked. Do you want to dig a hole? No, Erika replied. Neither do I so put it in our trash or the neighbors trash, I told her.
When I came home later in the day, she told me she had wrapped the bunny in an old shirt and put in in our trash. As we talked about this event a bit more, Erika eventually revealed that she had taken the rabbit inside (what?!?!) and had tried to "thaw" the rabbit with a hair dryer. Erika, I said, the rabbit was dead. Why would you do that? Well, she said, I thought if I thawed it out it would be able to bring it back. I told her it is not possible to bring a frozen animal back: the cells are destroyed when they freeze. And why would you try and warm it up with a hair dryer? It was frozen stiff she insisted. Erika, I replied, haven't you ever heard of rigor mortis??
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