Remember Longreads published this story of mine a couple of weeks ago? Heres a little follow-up regarding democracy in the family: For the past month or so I have been teaching our big black rabbit Moose tricks. A rabbit behaviorist--yes, there is such a thing, and her name is Dr. Susan Brown--told me that giving him the illusion of power might help with his aggression issues. I was doubtful at first but dutifully started to assemble an obstacle course in my office. Every night, I spend about 20 minutes training Moose with a sea mammal pointer and a clicker that I bought from Dr. Brown. It occurred to me that the tunnels, boxes, hurdles and hoops are also fitting metaphors for the writers life, by the way. Moose learned fairly quickly. And I did, too. He taught me that the tastier the treat the higher he is willing to jump. After a while, he decided that anything less than seedless grapes arent even worth his efforts. Moose now rules the house with an iron paw, demanding to be fed at 5 am. (He throws his bowl around until we get up and capitulate to his new rules.) My husband complains when Moose doesnt get his allotted 20 minutes of training per day. I think this all proves that democracy ultimately leads to dictatorship--or something. At least when rabbits (and husbands) are involved. Oh, and did I mention that Mooses aggression issues have disappeared completely? Still working on Giovannis...
Posted on: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 17:57:32 +0000
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