Scrappy's Little Helper
Mama Doe
Today is the first year anniversary of the day my beloved bunny Scrappy went to the bridge. Funnily enough I'm sure the weather today is exactly the same as it was this last time last year - overcast with intermittent spells of sun and rain. I remember this time last year I was running backwards and forwards to the hospital with food to try and encourage her to eat and toys from home to try and help her settle.
When I first started typing this post I dwelt almost exclusively on her passing. However I think the best tribute to her would be to remember her when she was alive, and these are some of my favourite memories of her.
1) out of the four bunnies I've had she was by far the most sociable around humans. If anyone came round she would run straight up to them and give them very insistent nose bumps, didn't matter if they were a friend, relative or a complete stranger. Whenever she had to stay in at the vets she apparently used to drag her hay to the front of the kennel so she could "people watch" and interact with the nurses, who always made a big fuss of her
2) She's been the only one who ever groomed me. She used to love being kissed on top of the head so we had this routine most mornings where I would give her lots of kisses and she would then groom me all over my face. Sometimes she would nearly poke my eye out or her tongue would stray up my nose :lol:
3) The ongoing battle with the litter tray: I used to use a hutch (open all the time as she was free range as a base for keeping her food, litter tray etc. Plus a sleeping area. Due to the position of the opening I put the litter tray in the right hand corner. This wasn't to her liking and she would often drag it across to the opening and then I'd sit and watch as she'd tip the whole thing over and the full contents of the litter tray - wee, poo galore! - would go flying across the floor :roll: :lol: I should have learnt a lot earlier to just let her have her own way. :lol:
4) I bought her a cardboard castle as a treat for the time she had to go all the way to the RVC for scans for her eye duct problem. It took me about an hour to put it together and she steadfastly ignored it for several weeks. Furthermore, she decided to register her dissatisfaction by re decorating my flat with poo and wee everywhere :roll: I stuck it out though and eventually she woke up one day and decided she did like it after all and after that I couldn't get her out of it.
5) Speaking of the RVC appointment, when I went to pick her up, the vet said to me "She'll be really pleased to see you again". She was not! When I poked my head in the carrier to say hello she gave me an evil glare - enough to curdle blood - and then proceeded to turn her back on me. Even the vet remarked on how peed off she was with me! :lol:
I still miss her dreadfully and I often think about her and have a little cry. I don't mind that now as I think she was such a special bunny that she deserved to be remembered and grieved for. Scrappy taught me a lot about bunny ownership. The most important one is not to take bunnies for granted. They're such delicate little creatures that we can never know for certain how long they'll be able to stay with us. For me the best way of dealing with that is to focus on quality of life and try and give them the best of everything: lots of space (hence why they're free range), a bunny friend and the best food (which is why I'm out foraging in all weathers! :lol: )
One of the things I will always be grateful for is that Scrappy had always known a loving home. Her previous owners adored her and she came straight to me from them.
When I first started typing this post I dwelt almost exclusively on her passing. However I think the best tribute to her would be to remember her when she was alive, and these are some of my favourite memories of her.
1) out of the four bunnies I've had she was by far the most sociable around humans. If anyone came round she would run straight up to them and give them very insistent nose bumps, didn't matter if they were a friend, relative or a complete stranger. Whenever she had to stay in at the vets she apparently used to drag her hay to the front of the kennel so she could "people watch" and interact with the nurses, who always made a big fuss of her
2) She's been the only one who ever groomed me. She used to love being kissed on top of the head so we had this routine most mornings where I would give her lots of kisses and she would then groom me all over my face. Sometimes she would nearly poke my eye out or her tongue would stray up my nose :lol:
3) The ongoing battle with the litter tray: I used to use a hutch (open all the time as she was free range as a base for keeping her food, litter tray etc. Plus a sleeping area. Due to the position of the opening I put the litter tray in the right hand corner. This wasn't to her liking and she would often drag it across to the opening and then I'd sit and watch as she'd tip the whole thing over and the full contents of the litter tray - wee, poo galore! - would go flying across the floor :roll: :lol: I should have learnt a lot earlier to just let her have her own way. :lol:
4) I bought her a cardboard castle as a treat for the time she had to go all the way to the RVC for scans for her eye duct problem. It took me about an hour to put it together and she steadfastly ignored it for several weeks. Furthermore, she decided to register her dissatisfaction by re decorating my flat with poo and wee everywhere :roll: I stuck it out though and eventually she woke up one day and decided she did like it after all and after that I couldn't get her out of it.
5) Speaking of the RVC appointment, when I went to pick her up, the vet said to me "She'll be really pleased to see you again". She was not! When I poked my head in the carrier to say hello she gave me an evil glare - enough to curdle blood - and then proceeded to turn her back on me. Even the vet remarked on how peed off she was with me! :lol:
I still miss her dreadfully and I often think about her and have a little cry. I don't mind that now as I think she was such a special bunny that she deserved to be remembered and grieved for. Scrappy taught me a lot about bunny ownership. The most important one is not to take bunnies for granted. They're such delicate little creatures that we can never know for certain how long they'll be able to stay with us. For me the best way of dealing with that is to focus on quality of life and try and give them the best of everything: lots of space (hence why they're free range), a bunny friend and the best food (which is why I'm out foraging in all weathers! :lol: )
One of the things I will always be grateful for is that Scrappy had always known a loving home. Her previous owners adored her and she came straight to me from them.
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