Wabbit Wednesday

Seven years ago, I walked into a pet store looking for a small pet for my daughter. We lived in an apartment at the time, so I was thinking about a hamster, a gerbil or maybe a guinea pig. But what caught my attention was an older rabbit - one who had been returned by the previous owner because her son was "allergic" to it. This rabbit was about two years old, and she sat in a cage all by herself looking so forlorn it broke my heart. No one was going to buy her, not when there were adorable baby bunnies hopping about in their glass enclosure. So I told my daughter that she was coming home with us. That was the day we got Bunny.

I had never had a houserabbit before - a rabbit you keep inside. When I was younger, we received a bunny one year for Easter. It was the typical white rabbit with pink eyes, and we named her Sniffles. But we kept her in a cage, not realizing that rabbits can be litter trained and kept inside. We never really got to know her - how can you get to know an animal that you only see twice a day to feed them and change their water? So Sniffles was just a blurry memory from my childhood.

As an adult, I knew people who kept their rabbits indoors - who litter trained them and let them be a part of their family. "What a great apartment pet" I thought, and I was right! It took Bunny a while to get used to me and me to her. I had cats and dogs all my life, but rabbits are different. They are prey animals, not predators - they are easily frightened, and they are also very delicate. I had to learn to get on the floor and let her come to me. But eventually we developed a trusting relationship, and I was rewarded by watching her personality blossom. There is nothing more joyful than a rabbit running full speed down a carpeted hallway, nor more peaceful than one who feels so safe that she will fall deeply asleep in an unguarded spot.

Now Bunny lives in a house with three cats for siblings. She is without a doubt the queen of the house and will chase any of the cats off her favorite rug. But she is slowing down - more sitting and snuggling, less running. She is calm and quiet and peaceful. And she has helped me to find that within myself by teaching me to get down on her level. That's what I see in this handsome fellow: Blue is an older rabbit too - he is sweet and adorable and waiting for someone to give him a forever home. To sit and snuggle and enjoy the closeness of just being together. It's a very special place - one I highly recommend.