Hmmm... that's a tough call. Dachshunds are bred for hunting things in holes, like rabbits. She may accept it like the chicks, or the rodent smell might trigger a different response. I'm sure she knows the difference between a chicken and a rat, but the rabbit is closer to the rat, all things being equal. I know rabbits and dogs can get along just fine, but you'd want to closely monitor the situation. I know what you mean about speed- our dog kills snakes before they can strike at her!

Thanks for taking the time to submit your thoughts, Jay.
It is something I don't take lightly, harming a small creature is not my nature. It's a good thing I don't have to depend on catching what I eat.

We have an odd situation here with the porch kittens. The dog,Clancy, does NOT allow them into HIS yard in the back but if they dash into the house when I open the door to take their dinner out to them he just stands and stares at them. No aggression at all. So in the house is ok with him. In his yard is not.

I know rabbits can be house broken. Maybe if the introduction is started in the house and they become buds then they can go outside easier.

My biggest concern is your wonderful plants. Are there any that will make a rabbit sick if eaten? I do not know what exotics you have there. I know a philodendron has toxic properties. I thought I saw some of them Not sure a rabbit would try them as a snack.

Maybe a kitten for her. But then you have the birds. In your case a kitten would soon learn the birds are off limits. Even our cocatiels and love birds were a threat to the cats and they never even considered them as snacks.

I'm looking online at some rescues that have lots of rabbits available. Some are young animals, but I think to succeed we will need a baby and a really small breed, like the Netherland dwarfs. That means I might have to drive over to towns in Louisiana close to Lafayette or Baton Rouge and get a dark colored rabbit with tan markings. That was the color of the chicks that Dixie adored, and tended like they were her pups, so I have an idea that could help.

What makes me marvel is that DH is all for this, even to having TWO bunnies. Some companionship for the bunnies is a good idea.

Well, that must wait until after Christmas, since I do not have time to deal with it at this time. Perhaps after the garage is finished would be ideal.

When I was a little girl, we had a little dog (mutt) who loved all animals. She mothered the ducklings we got for Easter and they imprinted her as their mother and followed her everywhere.

Why not get your dog a puppy so she can be a real mother?

Marti, your suggestion makes a lot of sense......truthfully, I had not even thought about that as an option. hmmmmm.
I'll wait and see...

ML, take it from me - no, not three!
I cannot say why, but going from two dogs to three was hugely different from going from one to two. It went from "buds" to "pack." We saw it when we took in Casey (the spotted one - how could you not love that face?). DH said that the dog chaos went exponentially higher, "like the Richter Scale." One of the first things we saw is that Megan, our dominant female, had her "duties" double, and that seemed to stress her. Toby, on the other hand, finally had someone else to boss, and he became the cocky little guy he remains today. You should have seen him flip Casey, who was twice his height, onto his back and stand over him - butt in Casey's face! Megan really did get stressed, though. And so did we. Meggie never barked at passersby until Casey joined Toby in his barking. Then we had three barking instesd of one.

After Meggie passed, we got Bina after a year. I think I just want to love a lot of dogs. I should have remembered. Things changed, of course. We just have more chaos. Three different personalities with different needs. Much more awareness needed. As a working couple, we do not have the time and energy. You and your DH are retired and much more active than we are, though. It could work fine for you. I would suggest looking into the phenomenon first, to see if others see a third dog as a much larger responsibility than two.

Oh, we also learned the power of triangulation with Toby, Casey, and Megan. They never caught a squirrel, rabbit, possum, or mature bird as a duo, but add a hunter, and the prey were easily cornered. What a lot of noise and commotion for a 65 x 100 ft lot!

I do wonder if your little girl would see a rabbit baby as a rodent, or as a baby. I have no knowledge or experience to share. My friend had a housebroken rabbit, and really liked it as a pet.

Nancy, once I had three little dachshunds, and it was a real bucket of worms. I don't think we are ready for that!

But I did find the breed of rabbit to get, called a black Tan rabbit. And it is the color of a doberman or in this case, a b&t dachshund. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed

....AND THAT WAS MY PARROT ON THE KEYBOARD~~~~~