Tabitha pinned it to the ground with her oven-mitt paws, hunkered down in the dirt, and chewed while the crowd clapped. The zookeeper whistled and threw her a steak. She crossed the finish line within seconds. Tabitha bolted out, laser focused on the bunny, a spotted blur. ” The zookeeper slid open the cage door, and the bunny took off once again. We counted down in unison: “Five, four, three, two, one. The adults wiped sweat from their foreheads.įinally it was time for Tabitha’s big moment. She released Minnie’s leash, and we all watched a yellow Lab joyfully chase a dirty pink bunny. She signaled to the jeep, and it took off. The zookeeper uncovered Tabitha’s cage and walked Minnie, eager and panting, to the starting line. At the end of the route, just a hundred meters that way, there will be a delicious steak waiting for Tabitha.” Then we’ll count down, I’ll open Tabitha’s cage, and she’ll take off. “Well, Minnie loves to chase this bunny! So first, Minnie will do the Cheetah Run while Tabitha watches to remember how it’s done. A pink stuffed bunny was tied to the tailgate with a fraying rope. The zookeeper motioned toward a parked jeep behind her. Whatever Minnie does, Tabitha wants to do.” We introduced them when Tabitha was a baby cheetah, and we raised Minnie alongside Tabitha to help tame her. “This sweet Labrador is Minnie, Tabitha’s best friend. She began, “Welcome, everybody! You are about to meet our resident cheetah, Tabitha. I don’t know much about animals, but if she tried to convince my kids that this dog was a cheetah, I was getting a Cheetah Run refund.

She held a megaphone and the leash of a yellow Labrador retriever. Our youngest, Amma, hopped up on my wife’s shoulders for a better view.Ī peppy blond zookeeper in a khaki vest appeared. We headed toward the families scouting out their viewing spots and found an empty stretch along the route. As we walked the grounds, we saw a sign advertising the park’s big event: the Cheetah Run. Two summers ago, my wife and I took our daughters to the zoo.

Untamed glennon