[Dan in Pasadena]

Jim,
I posted my story apparently while you were posting yours. Sounds like two identical stories with two different outcomes. Your Lab accidentall killed the bunny. My Lab carried the infant kitty without hurting it. Sorry to hear about the rabbit, it was very cute.

I think you (the collective "we") can over-intellectualize things. A dog is a pack hunting animal at its origin. The fact that your dog didn't attempt to EAT the bunny (and mine didn't draw blood or try to eat any of the three possums) probably means we've domesticated these animals about as far as we are going to. If a Labrador Retriever isn't among the most domesticated of dogs - and STILL accidentally or on purpose kills small furry things - then I don't know what kind of training you're going to do that would prevent these things from occasionally happening.