I'v had rabbits for 24 years, I never really thought of rabbits as a pet, although I loved all animals my main love was dogs, cats and I wanted a horse.
One winter evening, at around 11pm after a badminton match in the town, I spotted a small wildie lying in the fast lane of the duel carriageway on our way home. I shouted, 'stop the car, there is a baby bunny hurt'. We had driven past it by that time so Mike did a u-turn at the next roundabout, drove back to the next junction so he was heading back home and stopped on the slow lane while I ran across the road. When we got home, we put him in a quiet warm place and hoped he would survive the night. He was still with us the next morning, so off to the vet we went. He had a broken foreleg and a damaged eye. The vet didn't think he would survive and he was estimated to be a couple of months old.
We called him Benji, and was about the first rabbit our vets castrated and was the first one to get the Cylap vaccine for VHD. We bought him an English spot bunny called Daisy as a companion but she died very suddenly soon after arrival. In hindsight, I think she had megacolon as she never produced normal poohs. We then bought 2 dwarf lop girls, called Bramble and Clover, they were not neutered because back then it wasn't a common thing to do. Mike built a huge run, 14ft x 6ft and a big hutch to go into it.
The 3 lived happily and moved from our old house to Halfpenny farm. Sadly we lost the girls at quite a young age, or what would be considered young now, about 6. Bramble had e.cuniculi I suspect and I think Clover had uterine cancer. When they died we got 2 girls from a rescue, by then we knew about then. Benji died soon after aged 9 years old without an ill day, and I suspect it was because I tried to quick bond them and why I only slow bond now.
We then started to foster for a rescue, which included many rabbits....... and the rest is history.