Farewell to BJC

Today has been one of those days every pet owner dreads. Bunny has been on a long, slow decline these last few months, and I knew the end was inevitable. Still there is no way to truly prepare for these things emotionally.

Bunny has been with me since September 6, 2003. She has moved with me from apartment to apartment, then finally into our house. She has been a companion to my daughter and me for nearly eight years - first as a high energy adolescent, then as a calm mature adult, and finally as a frail elderly rabbit. She started out as an only pet, but she adapted to having five cats in the house and still maintained her position as "alpha".

This past week has been hard as I've watched her "wind down" - reaching the point today where she is simply sleeping. As of this minute, she is still with us, but I expect that she will not be tomorrow. So I have said my goodbyes, as has my daughter. We have gone into her room and talked to her, pet her, and told her how much we love her.  I know she knows we're there because there is just enough movement to indicate that she is still aware of what's happening around her.

I'm sharing this with you so you will understand if I go away for a while. There's really no way to know how I'll handle the mourning process - I may write more, or I may write less - but I will definitely keep writing because Bunny is the reason I blog.

By adopting her, she helped me learn about rabbits and rabbit care. By using her image as my Twitter avatar, she introduced me to a wonderful group of people who care about animals as much as I do. And by setting up a Facebook page for her, I have met hundreds of equally wonderful (and equally crazy) pet people all over the world.

So I will continue blog in her memory. I will continue to update her Facebook page - not as her, but as myself. And I will keep her Twitter account active for Pawpawty and other fundraising events. But on a day-to-day basis, I will be tweeting as myself. I think that's appropriate - I want to remember her for the ways she has helped me, but still respect the fact that she is gone.

Goodbye Bunny - I'll miss you.

note: BJC crossed the Rainbow Bridge on June 7, 2011