Georgia Magazine - July 2018 - 28

Jack the rabbit dog 'crosses over'
BY ALVIN RICHARDSON

n the terminology of loyal sports
fans everywhere, to "cross over"
is to switch sides in the middle
of a battle without reasonable
grounds. It is not an endearing
trait and can be hazardous to one's
reputation, depending on the nature and severity of the "crossing."
Example: My wife "crossed
over" from being a University of
Georgia fan to being a Georgia
Tech backer simply because our
daughter went to Tech. This does
not qualify as a good rationale under the standards of my personal
code. Another illustration: I know
of at least a dozen longtime fans of
other Southeastern Conference
schools who "crossed over" to the
University of Georgia last season
because the Bulldogs came out of
their slumber and got to the national title game. This, too, falls far
short of reasonable thinking, is utterly disloyal and undoubtedly borders on high treason. Anyway, you
get the idea.
"Crossing over" has been going
on for many decades, and it is with
great sadness that I must report on
another "crossing" that took place
several years ago. Prior to his passing, Jack, our beloved rabbit dog,
pulled one of these stunts and
switched sides.
Jack's pedigree could not have
foretold these events. He came from
a renowned bloodline of shortlegged, loud-yapping rabbit-sniffers.
His parents, Kojak and Jackie, were
proud when little Jack came along,
I'm sure. The promise of his DNA
was unassailable, and great things
were predicted for his future.
For many years he happily and resolutely fulfilled that potential. He
could track a rabbit through rain or
snow, through swamps or forests,
28

Jack checks out the
snow at Alvin Richardson's father's
farm with Richardson's sister-in-law,
Kathy, and her dog,
Li'l Bit.

and in the end he always got the job
done. He never gave up. He was undefeated.
Jack even got in a few bonus
rounds when rabbit season wasn't in.
Once, one of our rabbit boxes was
unintentionally left out after the season was over, and we discovered that
a rabbit was inside. We decided that
this would be a good opportunity for
Jack to stretch his legs.
The rabbit box was taken into an
open field, and Jack was summoned.
He immediately sensed that a new
game was afoot when he caught
wind of the box. When we lifted the
lid, the rabbit bolted like the famous
racehorse Secretariat out of a starting
gate. Jack's 4-inch legs went into
action, as did his beautiful highpitched baying. The rabbit was never
in danger of being caught, but in his
panic the creature actually jumped
into our pond and began swimming
toward the other side. When Jack
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saw that, he headed around the
pond to cut him off at the pass.
What a dog!
Alas, old age finally mellowed
our valiant little warrior. I take
some of the blame. I hadn't taken
him hunting enough, and his thrill
of the chase eventually dulled.
I also assign part of the blame
to our next-door neighbor. She
used to feed him all kinds of
scrumptious dog treats, and he
began to stay close to her house
to await the next feast. Unfortunately, she also had pet rabbits,
and his desire to hang out there
forced him into what was at first
an uneasy truce with his former
adversary.
That truce ultimately transformed
into a full-blown love affair, and-to
everyone's amazement-our vaunted
little hound actually began to make
his bed inside the garage right beside
the very creatures he once was sworn
to pursue. Before all was said and
done, I actually saw Jack being
chased around the yard by a large
black bunny. It was a heartbreaking
thing to witness.
I certainly hope that his parents,
poor Kojak and Jackie, never got
word up in doggie heaven that their
beloved son Jack had "crossed over"
and actually took to sleeping with
the enemy.
Alvin Richardson and his wife,
Laura, live in Buckhead ("the real
Buckhead in Morgan County") and
are members of Rayle Electric Membership Corp. He is retired but
formerly was athletic director, head
football coach and assistant principal
at Morgan County High School.
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