Well, it's been quite a (long) while now since my last post. What can I say? I've been busy! Today's post is off-topic, but its been a big part of the reason I've been away for so long (that and, you know, getting married). In all honesty, this post is really more for me...a chance to say goodbye to a beloved pet.
Sophie Bunny
Sophie bunny was born on October 1st, 2003 in Victoria, BC. At about 8 weeks old, Sophie and her sisters (triplets!) were sold to a pet store called Specht's (inside Hillside Mall).
K and I had been thinking about getting a rabbit for quite some time, and after quite a bit of research (excellent homework-procrastination tool!) I had a very specific picture in my head of what I wanted: a female, baby bunny (so we could train her), grey fur, floppy ears, and dwarf-sized.
On December 1st, 2003, I was walking through Hillside Mall when I saw her, sitting alone in her cage at the front of the pet store. My friend Z was with me, and was kind enough to wait as I confirmed with the store owner that she was, in fact, a she. They told me that her sisters had been adopted only days before by a family with two kids, but they didn't think they could keep three rabbits. They decided to leave Sophie behind, and come back for her if they decided they wanted a third. Hearing that she had been left all alone while her sisters found a home broke my heart. This little bunny was perfect! How could anyone leave her behind?
Sensing I was serious about adopting her, they allowed me to hold her and just like that, it was game over. I fell in love with a tiny, grey ball of fur.
Baby Sophie...about 9 weeks old.
I called K right away and told him I'd found our bunny. I expected he would be a bit apprehensive (the timing wasn't great for us, really), but he dropped everything and drove out to meet me right away. After seeing her and talking through the logistics of keeping a rabbit, we decided to go for it. "Packed" into a cardboard box for safe transportation, we walked our fur baby out of the mall and into the car...Sophie bunny was officially ours!
Sophie's early days at home with us (about 3 weeks) were spent (successfully) training her to use a litter box, playing in our living room, and her "sleeping" in a Rubbermaid bin we had set up as her home base. I use the term "sleeping" loosely, as I don't think K or I actually saw her truly sleep for the first few years. Mostly she'd just just kick her legs out to one side and chill as we'd get ready for bed. On more than one occasion we would wake up to find she had hopped out of the bin and decided to explore the bedroom, instead.
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| Sophie chillin' in her bin - about 10 weeks old. |
As she got older (and bigger), we wanted to make sure she had enough space to play, and a chance to practice her litter box habits all day. While she couldn't have run of the whole house (after an incident with our roommates original Nintendo...sorry Z!), we were able to just "pen" her into one section during the day, with more free play when we were home in the evenings. We settled into the routine and Sophie thrived with both run around/cuddle time, and chill out time by herself.
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| Sophie, licking the bars of her pen :) |
As time went by, we got to know each other. Sophie, as it turned out, had her own set of preferences (food dish on the left side of the pen, thank-you-very-much) and quirks (terrified of dust pans...but not vacuums), just like you would expect from a cat or dog. Also like a cat or a dog, Sophie loved to eat...a lot.
Caught sneaking into the food bag while my back was turned.
Pigging out on her 6th birthday...a feast!
I would wash and portion out her daily veggies on Sunday afternoons.
But despite her knack for turning vegetables into poop, Sophie was not a heavy bunny. In part this is thanks to the sizable "condo" she moved into - in which she could hop around and stand up to her heart's content - but also to her general comfort in playing outside. We had a number of adventures over the years, including the incredibly long walks we took to and from the mailbox (about 40 meters from home).
Walks usually started out like this...
...and ended up like this (sleepy bunny)!
Once we got to play in the snow! (This photo is affectionately called "Sno-phie")
But mostly we hung out in the backyard :) This is her washing her ears!
Sophie always surprised us. Did you know she loved having baths? She was always a happy camper when Kirk and I would wash her. Then she'd shake herself out, just like a dog!
Sophie's first bath :)
She loved to cuddle up, too...especially if she was cold.
Inside K's jacket on a snowy day.
What few people know is that Sophie was also very glamorous Her condo consisted of purple carpet and pink accent pieces (food dish, litter box, etc...), and she had an extensive wardrobe (for a rabbit). When I mention her clothes, most people ask "Where do you buy rabbit clothes?!" In fact, some very-small-dog clothes fit her (like, chihuahua size)...but I also hand sewed some for her, like the ballerina tutu and Tinkerbell Halloween costumes, below.
She also loved the camera :)
On October 1st, 2013, Sophie turned 9 years old. I was so excited to make her usual feast of special veggies and fruit (banana was her favorite), and everything looked fine as she happily chomped away.
Two days later, I let Sophie out of her condo and as she excitedly hopped over to say hello, I noticed she was moving strangely. As I watched her, it looked as if she was tripping over one of her back legs, which appeared to be moving lazily. She seemed happy as could be, and was eating and snuggling as usual. Still...it was weird. The next morning we were off to the vet for a check up.
Though nothing was found to be wrong with her leg, we did discover a bad ear infection which was (presumably) affecting her balance. Home we went with some antibiotics.
Over the next couple of days, Sophie's hopping/walking got worse, so she spent more and more time sitting. She would still hobble over to K and I when we were there, but she looked uncomfortable. We knew the antibiotics would take a while to work, but we were concerned as it also looked like she was struggling to breathe. Back to the vet we went.
After a good examination with the vet, some x-rays, and an ultrasound, we got the diagnosis. Congestive heart failure. There was nothing we could do but ease her pain and keep her comfortable until her time came.
Lots of snuggles...
...lots of tears.
On October 16th, I came home from work and Sophie looked terrible. She had lost weight as she wasn't interested in food, she was struggling to breathe, and worst of all, she looked like she was in pain. K and I made the difficult decision to put her down.
At the vet's office, Sophie was laying in her carrier, and we were spending our last few moments together when she reached her little face up and licked my cheek. I kissed her back, then held her as she passed away.
K and I buried her in her favorite spot in the backyard, and that's how I'll remember her...sunning herself on the lawn, relaxed, healthy, and happy.
Part of me would like to adopt a baby bunny again...but another part knows we would be hoping for the same personality in another rabbit. And the truth is, I don't think another rabbit could live up to her. She was truly one of a kind, and I miss her every day. I hope she feels the same.
Meg
