The Varmint

So, about a week ago, during the bitter cold few days that we had, your dad heard a strange scratching noise while in his office that seemed to come from the garage or basement.  It was confirmed that he was not going crazy when the dogs became totally frantic by the noise.  It took us a few days to learn where it was coming from and then another day or so to determine what it was.

The story goes that a rabbit (of which we have TONS in our neighborhood) was camping out on our front porch when our sub-floor ventilation system turned on.  The rabbit decided that it seemed rather warm and cozy inside the vent and hopped right on in.  He then got himself stuck in the duct work and did not make it all the way down to our basement floor.  We figured he spent about 5 days trying to hop himself back out but with no luck.  We thought for sure that he died when the noises became less and less frequent.

Your dad gave in and eventually called Pest Control to retrieve the little Varmint but not after he self built the following MacGyver like contraptions:

That's my cell phone taped to a stick, flashlight and mirror

A mirror taped to a stick and movable with a string

Needless to say, the little Varmint was rescued alive with only a slightly bloody foot and an empty stomach:

Varmint chomping on some grass