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How long after mistake should I wait?


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There's this girl I know who is a vegetarian and grows much of what she eats in her garden. Last fall, she went on vacation for a week and asked me if I could check on her garden and water it, which I agreed to do. When I was checking up on it, I noticed a family of rabbits living under a shed in her neighbor's yard. I've been told they are troublesome to gardeners, so I borrowed a friend's 22 and over the course of the week, popped all of them. By the time she came back, I had wiped them all out. When I told her about this, she became very angry with me. It was then that I learned she was a vegetarian because she was an animal rights type person who felt it was wrong to kill animals. She knew about the rabbits and enjoyed watching them. Needless to say she was not too happy about me decimating their population. How was I to know?

 

It's been a while now and I was thinking of calling her up. Do you think by now she should be over the bunny thing?

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YOU ASK: "Do you think by now she should be over the bunny thing?"

 

Well, first, it was rather presumptuous to murder innocent rabbits as a preemptive action in case they decided to munch on her veggies. I would have felt it would be cheaper to buy her veggies at a health food store for a few weeks until her garden came back rather than to commit a misdemeanor or felony, depending on your local laws, by killing the rabbits.

 

Even for the most open-minded and forgiving person, it is difficult to comprehend such dramatic action on your part just to protect a garden. Most adults value life of any kind and don't comprehend the "hunter's mentality." Even people who aren't necessarily animal rights finatics would be slow to order the slaughter of rabbits before they caused damage...and once they did, they would opt to trap them and remove them from the area rather than break the law by killing them.

 

To your question. Vegetarians and animal rights people are generally VERY rigid in their thinking on these issues. It's likely she no longer considers the two of you compatible. In other words, even if she feels you did what your heart said was right, that doesn't cut it with her.

 

However, you need to call her and talk to her as soon as possible. See just where you stand. And while you're holding the phone with one hand, use the other to hold a lucky rabbit's foot. You'll need it to slide through this one.

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Did you ever hear the one?: "You Might be a Redneck If..."

 

Look, I don't mean to make light of your plight here, but sometimes this forum just gets so depressing. I don't know what struck me so funny about your post, but I laughed so hard I almost wet my pants. I think it was something about your closing: "Do you think she's over the bunny thing yet?"

 

So you are either pulling our legs, or you are the most unluckiest 'son-of-a-hillbilly' I ever met! (still laughing)

 

Anyway, just in case you're NOT joking, here's my advice:

 

Move out of California and get as far away as you can from those pasty, anemic, overly eccentric women and move to West Virginia. There, you can find yourself a nice toothless carnivorous gal with some meat on her bones and a little color in her cheeks. And maybe even a *sense of humor*. OR...if you're really sweet on this one, you can bring her a cute fluffy rabbit for Easter (preferably a LIVE one) and hopefully she'll find it in her heart to forgive you.

 

Good luck with this one, Bub. And thanks for the laugh!

 

 

 

There's this girl I know who is a vegetarian and grows much of what she eats in her garden. Last fall, she went on vacation for a week and asked me if I could check on her garden and water it, which I agreed to do. When I was checking up on it, I noticed a family of rabbits living under a shed in her neighbor's yard. I've been told they are troublesome to gardeners, so I borrowed a friend's 22 and over the course of the week, popped all of them. By the time she came back, I had wiped them all out. When I told her about this, she became very angry with me. It was then that I learned she was a vegetarian because she was an animal rights type person who felt it was wrong to kill animals. She knew about the rabbits and enjoyed watching them. Needless to say she was not too happy about me decimating their population. How was I to know? It's been a while now and I was thinking of calling her up. Do you think by now she should be over the bunny thing?
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Like Tony I think you should talk to her as soon as possible and if she is into Animal rights, my guess is, that she will not be very forgiving.

 

I think your measure was a little harsh myself without asking her about it anyway. In my own eyes the killing of the rabbits to protect a garden is only OK if the damage is really big. To kill the occasional rabbit for the pot on the other hand seems natural to me. But then I am a country girl and a meat-eater.

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  • 6 months later...

I can understand your motivation but I think your methods a little bit over the top at first. Rabbits do eat crops but not usually in any sort of vastly destroy the whole crop way. Had it been groundhogs however, I would have supported you 100% as they not only destroy more crops but also damage property with their vast burrowing. (break horses legs too)

 

I also think that the other pople who posted are being a little bit too tough on you. My advise would be to explain that you did not know her position on such actions. She really cant blame you if she didnt tell you. However, chances are that you two probably might not get along too well anyway (Animal Rights vegitarians vs health conscious vegitarians tend to be a bit less tolerant to divergant views)

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Hey I understand, Don. You had totally good intentions. Next time you come across the situation, you might wanna ask if they know about them, so you don't look like a mean person. Most guys want to solve problems and be the hero...and I know thats why you told her about this too.

 

However, some people don't understand and close themselves off. I am the kind of person who would understand, bc what you did was innocent as far as intentions go. I personally could never kill an animal bc I'm a girl...I STILL feel guilty for having my brother take a dog to the pound for me one time...and that was years ago. But the fact is, everyone has different opinions and values. My Dad is a hunter and so is my brother....but they love animals and they never waste the meat, and do it to help control the population.

 

Some people don't understnad that, and that's fine. Its been my experience that vegatarians who do it for animal rights, are very anal and highly sensative about anything living...which doesn't make much sense to me bc plants are living too. My mom taught a class to some 1st graders and told them how plants are like people...they get sick and need "medicine" sometimes.

 

My mother was a vegan for quite a while (vegans do not eat any type of meat, or animal bi products...including honey in some cases), but she did it for health reasons, and she still kinda is, but she's more liberal with it now.

 

My own personal opinion is, (and I'm somewhat religious) God told us the animals and plants were there for us to eat. I just dont think about them being innocent or whatever, like cows...I mean they dont do anything but eat grass anyway...LOL

 

My point is....whether you believe one way or not, you need to respect the other's feelings and not flaunt or argue them. I would hope others would respect me just the same. And she probably thought you not only did a cruel act, but you flaunted it, and she probably thinks you are a monster. I would call her and appologize and if she gives you the chance, explain that you really didn't mean anything mean by it, you were trying to help. And please don't use the term "Pop them off." LOL that will probably aggravate the situation even MORE.

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  • 2 months later...

Well, you were being thoughtful for getting rid of those damn wabbits! She should be taking that into consideration, afterall, you were trying to save her vegetable garden, right?

 

I wouldn't sweat it, tell her your sorry and didn't realize, then offer to cook her some braised bunny for dinner at your place.

 

Bottom line, you were going out of your way to help a freind, and you can't always read minds, so you made a boo boo, big woop!

She'll eventually get over it, and maybe her views might keep you too from being freinds, but in any case she's acting ungreatful.

 

Next time you see her, ask her if she ever buys her produce from grocery stores, and if she knows that large produce farms DO kill vermit animals to preserve their crops............................

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