My childhood friend, Erika, had a bunny named Floppy. Floppy was white and lived in a hutch in their garage. I was envious. I thought maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to convince my parents to get me a rabbit. They're quiet, small, and live in a contained area. It was a no-go.
Knowing how crushed I was by the "no dog" rule, my mom told me that when I grew up and got my own house, she would buy me my first dog. She probably thought that this was very clever because there's no way I would remember such a promise. She was wrong-- it was seared into my memory as if she'd made a G-D blood oath. Of course, now I am grown up (sort of), and I have no desire to get a dog anytime soon. With three kids under the age of 5, I don't really have any desire to take on that responsibility. Plus, I think I might be allergic. Maybe it runs in the family.
Over the past several years, Joel and the girls and I have had a fish and three hermit crabs. Our beta fish, Gladys, was a beloved member of our family (for quite awhile, I might add) until his demise. We didn't realize that Gladys was a male beta fish until shortly before his death. I've always wondered if it was his identity crisis that did him in.
Then we thought maybe we'd try our hand at hermit crabs, so we bought Gladys (II), Gertrude, and Gus. Sadly, they are no longer with us. Gladys was the first to go, and I have a theory that the name may be a bit of a black hammer. The other crabs, of course, were too heartbroken to go on without her (or him, I can't be sure).
Not long ago, we started tossing the idea of a bunny around. My fond memories of Floppy resurfaced and I started to think a rabbit may not be such a bad idea. Let's review: small, quiet, contained. I began researching breeds, how to care for rabbits, and so on. I was hoping to adopt from a shelter, but the woman I emailed with was not eager to adopt out to a family with children. I did, however, find a couple farms in Rhode Island that breed Holland Lops, which was just the kind of bunny I was looking for! Holland Lops stay small, make great pets, and are totally adorable.
Hippity Hop Rabbits in Exeter had one Holland baby bun left. On Monday evening, we pulled up to the farm in the cold rain and were greeted by Tracy. A labor and delivery nurse with a passion for natural birth and rescuing animals, Tracy was a pleasure to be around. She showed us all her animals, told us their stories, and even let the girls go into the chicken coop and get an egg that had been laid earlier that day. All of her animals were well-loved and very friendly. The bunny she showed us was just about 8 weeks old, small, black, and very sweet. We decided to take her home.
Since Joel had come straight from work, we had separate cars. Once we were on the road, the girls and I started discussing names. Aislinn suggested "Eloise," which I LOVED. Raia wasn't a fan until I told her that we could call her "Weezy" for short. I dialed Joel's cell and told him we'd decided on a name and that it was Eloise. Silence. Then he said, "That is beyond creepy. When I got into my car, that's the name that I thought of and I haven't been able to come up with anything else." Weird, right?
Eloise is settling in nicely here. She's still a little nervous when we try to take her out of her cage, but once she's out, she loves playing and exploring. She seems particularly fond of Aislinn. We love her very much and hope that she'll be with us for many years to come!
Note: Hippity Hop Rabbits does not breed bunnies for profit. All sales go to sustaining the farm, which is home to many rescued animals.
No comments:
Post a Comment