First of all, I would like to thank you for writing so much.
Quite a good anim, 23 frames!
I opened it in ImageReady to look closer, I see maybe a few small problems.
All frames are timed at 0.1", except the first which is at 0: I think that might be a mistake, because it will not be rendered similarly by different browsers or viewers. Also, you might want the anim to start with a longer, still frame, 1" more or less.
Also, this first frame is repeated near the end (frame 20), still at 0: now I think this is clearly a mistake, because it looks (to me) out of synch with the other frames. However, I can't see it in the browser, so...
(Edit: I looked in ImageReady's help about that 0" time-frame, which is in fact common in anims I download: couldn't find no mention of it, is not an option. Well...)
On the artistic side, wouldn't it be fun to have the ears bend forward durink the 'braking'? Not sure actually, I also like them as they are... ;-)
reminds me of the evil rabit of monty pytons holy grail.
It came out pretty well