The Dead Rabbit

We have friends who live on a country road in West Virginia (aren't they all?) who swear the following story is true.
Next door lived a family who owned a dog that had, rightfully or otherwise, acquired a bad reputation in the neighborhood.  In the house beyond lived a family who kept a pet rabbit.  One weekend, the rabbit family were away visiting family.  On Saturday night, the dog came home proudly carrying a very dead and very dirty rabbit, clearly identifiable as the one belonging to their neighbors.  Needless to say, they were horrified.  The husband, being practical, said, "Why don't we put it back in its hutch.  Perhaps the owners will assume it died a natural death."
His wife agreed, but added, "First, we have to clean it up."
They proceeded to give the dead rabbit a shampoo, blow-drying it with the wife's hair dryer, until it looked almost as good as new.  That done, they went into the neighbor's garden and put the rabbit back in it's hutch.
A few day's later, after the rabbit's owners had returned, the wives happened to meet over the garden fence.
The rabbit owner's wife said, "I just can't understand this.  Our rabbit died last week, so we buried it at the bottom of the yard,  We got back from our weekend to find it back in it's hutch."