When A Heart Is Broken

When a heart is broken, there is a pain that cannot be described.  When a loved one leaves you, the grief can silence the world around you, yet scream inside your soul.  Our family is very sad right now.  We have lost our dear little friend Ella.

This is a picture of Ella and I together.  You see, when Mom and Dad first got her, they tried to bond her to Binky and I, but Miss Binks would not have it.  And little Ella would not have it either.  So for a while, I shared my time with each of them - separately of course - until Mom and Dad adopted Scooter exclusively for Ella.

And so the two of them bonded strong and lived happily, until last Saturday.  Little Ella was not eating with her usual gusto, so Mom and Dad took her to the vet.  An xray revealed a severe kidney infection and they were told that little Ella had weeks, maybe even only days, left to live.  There was no way Mom and Dad could ever have been prepared to hear that news.  Ella was taken to the back room to begin aggressive treatment and Mom and Dad went home, fully intending to return later in the afternoon with Scooter so they could be together.  An hour later, they received a phone call.  As they tried to hook Ella up to the I.V.'s, she went into cardiac arrest.  They tried CPR but could not bring her back.  She was gone.

I can't recall a sadness like this ever being in our house.  Mom and Dad are grieving hard - not having a chance to say goodbye to Ella devastated them.  Mommy is full of "what-if's" and keeps reliving the memory of that morning while Dad does his best to take care of her and deal with his own grief. 

And then there is Scooter.  Mom and Dad made sure he had time with Ella after she passed so that he could try to understand for himself what had happened.  But he is clearly lonely, missing her, looking for her.  At night, he has taken to sitting in the hallway infront of Mom and Dad's bedroom, looking for company perhaps, or maybe just making sure they don't disappear too.  He is getting smothered with extra love and attention from Mom and Dad though and they hope that he is able to understand what has happened to his precious Ella.

 Ella was a firecracker.  A three-legged bunny with attitude to spare.  Ella from the House of Monster was one of her many nicknames.  Mommy called her her Little Star and she and Ella had a very special bond.  Ella filled our lives with love, friendship, humour and top-notch amusement.  She had a devoted following and was loved beyond measure.  We imagine that she is at the Rainbow Bridge, running through the fields of clover - on four legs, not three! - towards the strawberry patch that is always in season.  She is making many new friends and watches over us all while grooming her little angel wings.

I'm a sad bunny.  Not just because Ella is gone, but because one day, I might be left alone too.  I can't imagine not having my Binks with me.  So I send a big hug to my buddy Scooter and to all of the other bunnies out there who are missing somebunny special.

Give all your bunnies extra snorgles today.  Because you just don't know if there will be a chance to tomorrow....

Fluffy

THUMPS for Southwest Airlines!

THUMP!  Well aparently, Southwest Airlines not only doesn't want bunnies as passengers in their airplanes, they don't know SQUAT about bunnies either!

It all started off innocently enough when a Bunspace peep of mine decided to write a letter to Southwest Airlines asking them if they would consider allowing pet rabbits to ride in the cabins of their airplanes, just like they allow dogs and cats.  She created a petition and worked very hard to gather over 500 signatures of people who also wanted to have the option of taking their pet bunnies up into the air with them when they travel.  Here is the letter that was sent....

December 8, 2009

Dear Southwest Airlines, Customer Relations,



I was pleased to see on your website that you are now accepting dogs and cats in-cabin on your airlines. I am writing to request that you consider adding domestic rabbits to the pets that you accept. Domestic rabbits are the third largest pet in the U.S. Bunny owners have had difficulty finding air transportation when travelling with their pets. Continental Airlines and Alaska Airlines saw the need, and they have responded by including rabbits along with dogs and cats as allowable pets in-cabin with their owners.



Domestic rabbits are very well behaved travelling pets. They make little noise, unlike a dog or cat. They are generally litter-trained, and they are comfortable travelling in small confined areas, such as a carry-on pet carrier. They are typically smaller than dogs and cats, and people tend to have fewer allergies to them.



We are a substantially large part of the travelling population, and we have been forced to travel on a select one or two airlines, or travel by car with our pets. I, for one, much prefer Southwest Airlines to most airlines I have travelled on, and would very much appreciate the opportunity to increase my travels with your company.



To educate yourselves on domestic rabbits as pets, I invite you to visit these websites:



www.rabbit.org and www.bunspace.com. You will see that adding rabbits to your acceptable pets would be a rewarding endeavor for you to consider.



Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sounds nice and respectful to me, right?  Well, the response she got was, let's say, not so much....

I don't know about you, but it seems to me this Adrienne lady has her facts all wrong!  Plus, Mom thinks her sarcasm is tactless, not to mention weak at best.  "Hare Jordans"?  "Carrotblanca"?  And where are we supposed to be chewing these wires on an airplane?!  Are they stuffed in the carriers with us?  And Bugs Bunny isn't even real - boy, she's in for some disappointment.

Don't get us wrong - each airline has a right to refuse bunnies if they want, but to take a request that someone worked very hard to compile and turn it in to such a JOKE.......it's just not cool.

The House Rabbit Society has also weighed in.....read here.

Mommy and Daddy will most certainly NOT be flying Southwest Airlines anytime soon.  We hope that all you rabbit-lovers out there who share our same disappointment and disgust will agree.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and send a polite letter or phone call to:

Jim Ruppel
Vice President Customer Relations and Rapid Rewards
P.O. Box 36647
Dallas, TX 75235-1647
Phone: 214-792-4223 during business hours

E-mail: feedback form

You can also go to Southwest's Facebook profile and leave a message for them on their wall.
 
I think bunnies around the world deserve an apology.

As well as First Class accomodations and all-you-can-eat carrots.

Fluffy

Where For Art Thou?

I like to hide.  It's like an adventure.  I feel like Christobun Columbus, exploring and investigating hidden passageways to far-off depths of the basement.  Here is a picture of me hiding behind the dryer.....

"Fluffy!  Git out from behind there!"  Mom screeches.  I look at her, then I look away, like I didn't hear what she just said.  "McFluffersons.......OUT!  It's too dangerous back there!"

No it's not!  It's cool!  There are all these tubes winding in and out of places, huge dust bunnies that float in the air when I walk by, dark, mysterious corners of cold tile and battered drywall.  It's an adventurous bunny's dream come true!  What was that sound?!  The Raisin Box?  Oh no, I'm not falling for that one....I'm staying right here.....

I've found many places to hide in this basement.  When I am not hanging behind the dryer, chances are, if the door has been left open, I am in the storage area, weaving in and out of a maze of Rubbermaid bins, cardboard boxes, Christmas decorations and luggage sets - plenty to chew on!  And it's really dark in there - Mom has to come in with a flashlight to look for me.  Usually I see the beam of light flickering about and that is my cue to bolt it out of there.  One time I bolted so fast past Mom, she got startled and hit her head on the low ceiling.

Then there is the furnace room.  The door is almost always closed but every once in a while, Mom has to go in there to get something and off I go, following right behind her.  *sigh*  "Fluffy......you know you aren't supposed to be in here......"  What's this? "It's a furnace....now git!"  What's this?  "It's the old toy box filled with bunny stuff....."  And this?  "The central vac hose......McFluffersons!  No chewing on that!  Stop it!"  That's when I take off like a shot of lightning and beeline it back to the bunny room and flop out beside Miss Binks, my little tummy rising and falling at a rapid pace.

"Fluffy, your whiskers are dusty....."

"That's because I am a brave Bunny Explorer, conquering new lands and discovering hidden treasures!"

"That's nice..." and with that, she begins to groom my dusty whiskers.....

Fluffy