On August 2, 1992 Harry entered my world and forever changed my life. He was three months old and soon to be homeless, when his owners decided that a rabbit was not the right pet for them. At least they discovered that early and decided to find him a home rather than abandon him in the wilderness where so many unwanted pets end up. All I knew about him was his age, gender and suspected breed as being Netherland Dwarf (one is never too sure on breed until you see it, and even then pets are often mixed breeds). He sounded perfect, and I agreed to adopt Harry, sight unseen.

Having researched everything I could find on raising house rabbits beforehand, I knew what I was in for and what results I wanted to achieve. Harry was litter trained in three days and fully house broken in six months, at which point I packed up his cage and he started life as a 100% house rabbit. By the time he was a year old he was harness trained, and I took him on outings whenever possible. It was also at that age we had him neutered. Stephen (boyfriend turned husband) dropped him off at the clinic in the morning, I picked him up after it was all over with and he has NEVER forgiven my husband for the whole traumatic ordeal. And who says an animal never holds a grudge?

Right from the start, Harry never considered himself a rabbit. He didn't chin things, nor did he spray (thank goodness). Perhaps it was just his pompous arrogant attitude that led him to believe all things where his and therefore did not need to be 'marked'. However, a few toes and egos where stepped on when Stephen moved in with Harry and me. Whatever chair was Stephen's favourite, was quickly taken over by Harry once it was vacated or vice versa. The side of the bed where Stephen slept, if he wasn't there...Harry was. When we were both in bed, Harry would sleep between us. The war to be King was on.

Harry would do anything I asked of him, yet when asked to do the same things by Stephen, Harry seemed not to understand or hear (selective hearing??). It was obvious: Harry was, and would forever be, a Momma's boy. Harry eventually won the battle to be King, but Stephen thinks different.    

A Companion for Harry

When Harry was four, I thought it might be nice to find him a playmate, someone to keep him company. The truth of the matter was this: (1) Harry was fat and lazy and I thought another rabbit would help him to get more exercise (as the vet said he needed), as well as keep him company while we were away at work. (2) I wanted a rabbit that would respond to Stephen, as Harry still could care less about anything Stephen had to say. (3) Having just bought our first home I could now have pets and not worry about the rental agreements. (4) Stephen and I wanted another pet and a rabbit was less likely to eat Harry. I had given this much time and consideration as to the ramifications. Worst case scenario I needed enough room to house 2 animals separately from each other...which I did. Best case scenario, I got 2 animals that could share a living environment and be friends. A second pet was coming into the home with or without Harry's approval.

I did my homework and learned that Harry's chances of getting along with another rabbit were better if I got a female. The hard part would be to find a female, as pet store bunnies are often too young to accurately sex. So I would wait until a suitable mate was found in the local animal shelters. On several occasions I put Harry in his harness and went to the shelters....so he could help aid in the choosing of the new rabbit. The people at the shelter at first thought I was depositing another unwanted pet, but when I explained I wanted to adopt a new one and needed Harry's approval they thought more people should be so considerate. After several months of looking we still came up empty. All the rabbits in the shelter were males or not suitable in size or fur (I wanted one closer to Harry's size as the larger rabbits intimidated him and due to my allergies I required short fur). Then one day, just by chance, Stephen and I went to the local shelter and there she was, a scrawny opal coloured gem (or so we thought, she sure fooled us). We finally found our female, a 5 month old Netherland cross, whom we adopted right then and there.

  Along comes Beatrice

It wasn't long after getting our new found sweetheart home, in September of 1996, that we realized she was highly aggressive, under fed, had been mistreated and possibly abused as well as exhibiting signs of pregnancy. I called the shelter, and they confirmed that she had been in a cage with a male rabbit just a few days earlier. Oh great! I thought, now we're gonna have grandbabies.

After a month of reading all I could find on expectant does and the care of baby rabbits, we prepared for the birth. We waited...and waited...and waited, no signs of nest building and no kits. Her due date came and went, with not a single kit being born. So off to the vet we went, who confirmed she was not to going to produce a litter. We promptly set up an appointment for her spay. No more bunny scares in this house (at least not from Beatrice). LOL

Its been a long haul with Beatrice, with many months dedicated to teaching her to trust us and that we would not hurt her. She has learned not to kill the first person who makes any move towards her and has come to enjoy, and on occasion request, cuddles and petting. We can safely take her to the park and allow young children to pet her without fear of her eating the child, although she might secretly wish it. She enjoys and demands playtime, where she kills the poor unsuspecting stuffed bunny, it's kind of embarrassing to play tug-o-war with a rabbit (as if she were a dog) and loose. Thankfully, for us, she knows the difference between stuffed animals and hands...she learned well that its ok to kill toys and not people. The secret to our success in her rehabilitation?? Its easy, consistent training, nurturing, loving and a lot of time. She and Harry never did become the friends I was hoping for and must reside in separate bedrooms, but that's alright. She did however, become 'daddy's little girl' and that's alright too, Stephen takes great pride in his 'killer' rabbit and Beatrice will do everything to please him (well almost everything...she has her limits).

Stay tuned.....more to come as the saga continues