The Stars of the Bunagerie

The first of our celebrities arrived while I was away on business. Though we had a full house by any standard, I came home after several weeks away to find ANOTHER animal in our already-bulging stable: a small gray bunny rabbit with little white feet. Worse, it wasn't actually IN a stable, a hutch or an outside run: it was running around MY bedroom, completely unattended.

Dads, you know what happened next: "Where did THIS come from??"

You gents out there know what happened next, too, don't you: "Daddy/Dear, this is Arwen, isn't she pretty/neat/lovely/the best thing EVER??" And... wham!, with the multiple pairs of beautiful, pleading, hopeful eyes. It's not fair, is it guys? I steeled myself, got up my courage, and said: "Right. Ok, who's taking care of her?"

And there was much rejoicing.

Fortunately, everyone else had already gone to "bunny school" and read up on all the nifty things Arwen (and her future kin) would need, and they proceeded to educate me. No, Daddy, she's better off inside. Yes, Dear, but actually hay is what she eats, mostly. No, Daddy, look: she uses her litter box! Yes, Daddy, look at her play with this cardboard tube - she's waving it like a sword! No, Dear, the cats mostly are scared of her, and I put plastic covers over the wires in the bedroom just in case she runs out of chew toys... I learned a lot. When Arwen jumped up on the bed to give me bunny-kisses while I was resting one weekend afternoon, I realized I'd learned to love Arwen.

The next was a tiny Rex by the name of Alice with Disney-style Dalmatian coloring and the bearing of Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts. She eventually grew to match Her Majesty in size (well, not quite - she was around 8-10lbs.), and was very much our "Highlander-Bun: There Can Be Only One!" Mostly, we kept Alice to herself, which suited Her Majesty's wishes to a tee.

Next was Ling-Ling, a little white dwarf hotot (say it like "hoe-toe") with black around her eyes and up her short, perky ears. She was very shy, but very sweet once comfortable with her surroundings, and she blossomed when she met our next bun: Percival. He was a handsome, sandy-colored fellow a couple of pounds larger than Ling-Ling, very outgoing, and the two of them bonded almost instantly. Since all our rabbits are fixed, kits (baby buns) aren't an issue, and they lived happily for several years together.

The last two to come into our lives (so far...) have been Luke and Laura, another bonded pair. Luke (small, dark and oh-so handsome with his airplane-style ears and dark chocolate fur) was a true Southern gentleman, always on the look-out for his lady (twice his size, with big white and light brown splotches, soulful eyes, and luxuriously long ears). Percy and Ling-Ling were more the out-going and sociable pair, while Luke and Laura were more secretive and private, preferring each other's company to the rest of society. Unless there was cilantro to be had, of course. :)

The cast is present, the stage is set. "Lights! Camera! Help, they're escaping...!"

- PT

Got a question, concern, or comment? Feel free to ask Pat about his pets, or share your pet stories in the comments below!