“Originally, I thought it was a cat …”
For mechanic Daniel Hazim Tannous at East Dedham Sunoco in Massachusetts, most workdays follow a familiar rhythm. Customers pull in, cars go up on the lift, and the job gets done. But one recent visit threw that routine right out the window.
Raising a customer’s vehicle for what should have been a standard service, Tannous spotted something inside the engine compartment that made him stop cold — something small, furry, and very much alive.
“I was completely caught off guard,” he told The Dodo. “My first thought was that it was a cat. Then I saw the little nose twitching.”
It was not a cat.
Tucked into the vehicle’s undercarriage was a cottontail rabbit, seemingly having hitched a ride in search of warmth or a quiet hiding spot while the car sat parked. Without hesitation, Tannous set the service aside and shifted into rescue mode.
“It turned into a whole mission,” he said. “We pulled off the lower engine cover and he bolted out, completely disoriented.”
After a brief chase around the garage, Tannous managed to scoop the rabbit up and carry him outside to safety.
“He looked totally fine — no cuts, no injuries,” Tannous said. “The second we let him go near the woods, he took off running and jumping like nothing had happened.”
Even local officials took notice. Dedham Animal Control shared a lighthearted post celebrating the rescue, saying the rabbit had been “fueled up and tuned up” and was hopping off to his next adventure.
Tannous has stumbled across small animals tucked inside customer vehicles before, but nothing quite like this.
“Rodents here and there — sure,” he said. “But this? This was on another level. Easily the wildest thing we’ve seen come through here.”