“Oh Abigail. It’s just one of those human things. It’s Valentine’s Day. Humans have a tradition of celebrating their love for someone special on this day. It’s just been a long time since I’ve had anyone special to call my Valentine,” explained Dad.  

Abigail thought about it for a minute and wondered, “But Dad, I thought I was your special someone. Can I be your Valentine?” Dad smiled and reached out his hand to pet her. Abigail lowered her head for a pet. As he gently stroked her head and ran his fingers through her darling little ears, he whispered, “Yes, of course, Abigail. You are my furry little Valentine! I love you with all my heart!”

Abigail thought, “You’re never alone when you have a furry friend who loves you!”

Dad set her carrier down on the floor, and Abigail hopped in. “OK, let’s go,” said Dad. A short ride later, they arrived at “the magic garden.” Dad gently lifted Abigail out of her carrier and held her in his arms.

Abigail watched with fascination as they walked through the garden. The colors. The smells. It wasn’t what she expected, though. Instead of a garden with plants growing, all the vegetables and fruits were neatly lined up in rows. Dad gave her a tour. “Over here is where they keep your favorite cilantro,” he said. She took a deep breath of the sweet-smelling cilantro. It smelled so good! Abigail saw rows of carrots, lettuce, dandelions, as well as some other vegetables she had never seen before.

“And over here is the apple orchard,” explained Dad. Abigail saw rows and rows of red, yellow, and green apples. Dad held her close so she could smell all the different apples. “They smell so good!” she thought.

Just then, James, the manager of the magic garden came over. “So this is Abigail! Hello Abigail. I’ve heard all about you!” He gave her a little pet and offered her some cilantro. But Abigail was too busy checking things out to eat. “I have to take your picture to show my wife,” he said, “She loves bunnies!” Abigail politely struck her cutest pose for him.

As they continued through the garden, Abigail heard other customers say, “Awwww, so cute!” and they’d stop and give her a pet. She didn’t mind. She was getting more and more used to humans petting her. Just as long as she was in Dad’s arms, she felt safe.

“So, Abigail. What do you think?” asked Dad. Abigail thought about it for a bit and wondered, “Can we have our own magic garden?” Dad smiled. “Well, maybe,” he said. The wheels started turning. 

“You can wait in here for the doctor,” said the vet tech. Dad reached into the carrier and lifted Abigail out and set her down on the examination table. Abigail looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. “Dad, I don’t like this!” she thought. She turned around, stood up on her back feet, and began pawing at Dad’s chest. Dad held out his arms, and Abigail jumped into them and snuggled in. She knew Dad would protect her!

Abigail watched as the strange man shined a bright light in her eye. “What are you doing?” she wondered. But when Dad handed her over to the vet, Abigail began kicking. “No, Dad! I don’t know him!” The vet held her for a bit to examine her, and then gave Abigail back to Dad. Abigail burrowed into the crook of Dad’s arm.

“Let’s put some dye in her eye so I can check her cornea,” said the vet. Abigail watched as he pried open her eye and squirted something into it. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t squirm, knowing she was in Dad’s arms. The man shined a bright light in her eye. “No damage to the cornea. And I don’t’ see any signs of infection. I think she might have just poked her eye with some hay. They do that sometimes. Just keep an eye on it and I’ll check back with you in a couple of days.”

Back home, Dad rinsed out the matted fur around her eye and carefully dried it and combed it out. Abigail didn’t struggle. “Thanks for grooming me,” she thought. Dad smiled. It warmed his heart knowing Abigail felt safe in his arms.   

A few days passed, and Abigail’s eye was back to normal. Dad was relieved it was nothing serious. And Abigail was happy to be more comfortable again.

Dad wasn’t going to let Abigail outside in the yard—too many risks with other animals and fleas—but he thought he could come up with something similar for her to do inside. He decided to provide her with some foraging fun. He went around the house hiding little treats for her to find. He placed a willow wreath in the guest room and a couple of treats over by the window. He filled a small box with some hay, and another box with some dried leaves, and placed them around the dining room.

Abigail was on her morning patrol, when she noticed there was something new in her territory! She had to investigate. She sniffed the wreath and then began snacking on it. After spending quite some time with that, she continued on her patrol route. “What’s this?” she wondered, as she stumbled upon a box of leaves. She gave them a sniff, and then plucked one out to nibble on. They crunched like potato chips. She liked them!

Dad watched with amusement. His plan was working! She was finding new things to keep herself entertained.

Every so often, he would change the locations of the treats or the treats themselves. Sometimes, he would even move the furniture around a little, or place an empty box in the middle of the floor, just to change things up. Being curious, Abigail would have to investigate what was new in her territory.

It was emotional enrichment. A bored bunny is a naughty bunny. But an entertained bunny is a good bunny! 

Dad gave Abigail a pet, and explained, “I’m sorry Abigail, but it’s a very long airplane ride. You’d be stuck in the carrier for many hours. I don’t think you would enjoy it. I think it’s better if you stay here.”

“Who will look after me while you’re gone?” she wondered. “Don’t worry Abigail, I’ve got that covered. Our friend Hana is going to stay here with you. That way, you can stay where you’re comfortable and still have company. She will feed you greens twice a day. I’ll be sure and leave plenty of hay for you, too.” Abigail thought that was great. She didn’t want to be boarded in some strange place with other animals.

Dad was excited to meet Iby and Pancake “in rabbit”. Abigail sent along some willow wreaths and snackers for her bun pals to try. Their mom, Anouk, introduced Dad to them. “Guten tag! How are you?” asked Dad. Like bunnies everywhere, Iby and Pancake were a bit wary of the stranger. Dad held out a willow wreath for them. “This is from your American cousin, Abigail,” he explained. Curious, the two bunnies sniffed the wreath and quickly began devouring it. “Wow, this is good!” they thought.

Anouk took the bunnies out to their fenced-in yard to play. Dad laid down in the grass and watched with curiosity. They hopped around the yard and nibbled on fresh grass, and then occasionally dove into the garden to chew on a plant. Sometimes, they followed each other, but for the most part, they explored on their own. They foraged for food, just like their wild cousins did! That gave Dad an idea. “Perhaps I should hide treats around the house for Abigail to find,” he thought.

Meanwhile, back at home, the days passed slowly for Abigail. She missed Dad playing with her and petting her. She missed the treats! The house was very quiet when he wasn’t home.

One night, she heard some familiar footsteps approaching the front door. “Could it be Dad?” she wondered. Just in case, she hid out of sight. But as the door opened, she heard his familiar voice. “Abigail! I’m home! How are you, baby?” Abigail’s tiny little ears perked up. It was Dad!

Dad came over and laid on the floor and gave her a pet. Abigail was conflicted. She was miffed at him for leaving her, but happy he was back. At first, Abigail gave him the bunny butt. But after awhile, she decided that all that really mattered was that Dad was back. She ran circles around the room and binkied. She was a happy girl again!

Abigail stared at the screen. There were two bunnies hopping around—a tri-colored Lionhead named Pancake, and an orange and white Dutch bunny named Iby. “Meet your new bun pals,” said Dad. “But where are they?” she wondered. She sniffed the tablet and peered around the back. They weren’t there. Dad explained, “They’re in Germany.”  Abigail thought, “Where’s that?” Dad went on, “That’s on the other side of the world. A LONG way away from here.” Abigail wiggled her nose at them and said, “Hi!” Iby wiggled her nose in return and said, “Guten Tag!” (Except it was all in rabbit-speak.)

Anouk, Iby’s mom, waved and said, “Hi Abigail!” Abigail thought, “Oh, so THAT’S who you’ve been talking to!” Abigail sniffed at the tablet but still couldn’t smell anything, so she went back to her hay tunnel for a snack. Meanwhile, Iby and Pancake went back to grazing on the green lawn, and Dad went back to talking with Anouk.

After that, about once a month, they would video-chat. Abigail would ask things like, “Do you eat imported hay?” and they would answer, “No, we don’t have that here. But we have local hay.” Abigail wanted to send Iby and Pancake some American hay, but Dad said something about customs not allowing it. She thought maybe he meant it wasn’t proper for German bunnies to accept hay. So she sent some healthy snackers instead, so they could sample American bunny treats.

Abigail felt so worldly, knowing she had bun pals in Germany.

Dad set her carrier on the floor and opened the door. To his amazement, Abigail hopped right in without any prodding. “Well, I guess that means you want to go!” laughed Dad.

A short car ride later, they arrived at a local pet store where the play date was being hosted by The Rabbit Haven rescue organization. Abigail watched through the bars of her carrier as Dad took her inside. He placed her carrier down in the middle of a large area surrounded by a fence. The floor was covered with fleece blankets. There were many cardboard tubes and boxes and tunnels like the one she had at home. Ray, the man in charge of the bunny park, lifted her out of the carrier and placed her on the floor.

Abigail looked around, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, a bunny hopped over and gave her a sniff. “Hi there! What’s your name?” he asked. Abigail wiggled her nose back at him, “I’m Abigail.” The other rabbit wiggled his nose and said, “My name is Horton. First time?” Abigail wiggled her nose some more and answered, “Yes.” Horton replied, “Welcome to the park!” and he hopped off to play. Abigail began sniffing all the new smells and exploring the many tunnels. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept a watch out for Dad, just to make sure he wasn’t going to leave her there.

Dad sat with all the other bun parents along the fence, watching all the rabbits. It was cuteness overload. Abigail overheard some of the parents talking to Dad, “Oh, is THAT Abigail?  She’s so cute and tiny! I read her blog every week! Mine’s the white lop-eared one over there.”

As time went on, more and more bunnies arrived at the Bunny Hop. So many rabbits! One bunny would jump and five others would scatter in different directions, which would trigger even more bunnies to scatter. There was lots of commotion! This was a bit overwhelming for Abigail, who was used to living by herself. She ran over to the edge of the park and hid under a wheelchair to watch.

Dad peeked under the wheelchair at Abigail. “Are you OK, baby?” he asked. “It’s a bit scary,” thought Abigail. Dad went and bought an extra-small snuggle sack from the nice lady behind a counter. He gently scooped up Abigail and placed her in it. Abigail buried her head under the side of the snuggle sack, trying to disappear. “Oh sweetie. Don’t be scared. It’s OK. I’m here,” whispered Dad as he gently stroked her.

Dad knelt down and placed her on the floor in front of him. A large brown bunny hopped over to check her out. “Are you OK?” asked the bunny. Abigail just hid in the snuggle sack, trying to look invisible. Eventually, Abigail worked up the courage to try exploring again. She made another round through the play area, but then headed back to the fence to watch.

“OK, I think you’ve had enough for today,” observed Dad. Ray explained, “Usually, they do better the second time. The first time, they’re just getting used to it. But they remember.” Dad looked at Abigail. “Did you hear that? We’ll give it another try next month and see what you think.”

Abigail thought, “Well, maybe. We’ll see.” Right now, she just wanted to go back to her quiet home.

Dad looked over at Abigail. He had let her free-roam in the sampler hay box on this special occasion. She heard him say something about hoppy new ears. “Maybe he’s getting uppity ears like mine!” she thought.

Oat hay was her favorite. She rooted through the box to find a piece with lots of oat kernels. She happily munched on the crunchy tips. 

“Happy New Year, Abigail!” said Dad, “We’ve had quite a year together. I’m so glad you came to live with me!” Abigail stopped munching for a moment. “Oh, it’s Happy New YEAR!” she thought. Abigail looked up at Dad. She was grateful for the happy home he had given her.

Dad leaned over towards her to take a selfie of the two of them ringing in the new year together. To his surprise, she hopped out of the hay box and reached up and gave him a nose bump—sort of a bunny New Year kiss. “Hoppy New Year, Dad,” she thought, “I love you.”

Dad smiled. “I love you, too,” he said, softly. He looked forward to sharing another year of adventures with Abigail.

Then he pulled down the purple stocking from the fireplace and placed it on the floor. “Let’s see what presents Santa Bunny brought you,” he said. “Presents? For me?” thought Abigail. Nobody had ever given presents to HER before.

Dad poured the contents on the floor. “Look, Abigail, there are some bags of your favorite Healthy Snackers. Oooh, there’s a holiday chew wreath. Oh, and look, a couple of new twig balls. And some holiday herbal mix! Here’s some dried papaya treats! Lucky you!” Abigail was excited. She sniffed each of the presents. Dad helped her open the snackers. “OK, here’s a treat. But you have to save them. You can’t have them ALL right now,” he laughed.

Abigail nibbled on her snacker while Dad brought over a big box wrapped in shiny paper with a big bow around it. Abigail had noticed it by the tree, but thought it was just part of the decorations. “Let’s open your present!” Dad unwrapped the box and opened it for her. Inside was a wooden bunny castle. It had wood platforms, wood legs, and a couple of mobiles with goodies hanging from two sides.

Finished with her snacker, Abigail hopped over to investigate. She sniffed, and then started chewing on the platform. “Yes, that’s right, Abigail, you can chew on this all you want. It’s bun-safe!” She sniffed the mobile. It smelled like hay and other good things, so she started nibbling on it, too. Then she went over to the cardboard box and started chewing on it. Dad laughed, “Sometimes, the box it comes in is better than the toy itself – even with buns!”

Abigail had been a very good bun this year, and Santa Bunny wanted Abigail to know how special she was. “Merry Christmas, Abigail,” said Dad, “I love you with all my heart.”

Abigail looked up at Dad. She was happy. She knew the best present of all was love.

“It’s our first Christmas together!” announced Dad. “I want to make your first Christmas magical!” Dad went into the kitchen and came back with a soft, fuzzy thing in his hand. “Look Abigail, I made a stocking for you. It even has your name on it!” Dad had written Abigail’s name in glitter on the side of a purple stocking. It was certainly too big for her foot. She wondered, “Am I supposed to sleep in it?” But instead, Dad hung it carefully by the fireplace. “That’s so Santa Bunny will bring you some rabbit presents!” he explained.

This was all new to Abigail. With her previous family, she had spent Christmas in her cage, listening to all the commotion in the other room, but she never actually saw any of it. But now, she was right in the middle of it!

“I got you your own tree,” said Dad, “I picked it out just for you!” Dad placed a small white tree on the floor. “I ordered some pretty blue lights for it, too!” he added. Dad hung some shiny blue balls on the tree and placed a star on top. Abigail hopped over for a closer look. She stood up on her back feet and when she stretched, she could almost see the top of the tree. It was just her size.

“Let’s see how it looks,” suggested Dad. He covered the cord with a white tree skirt, plugged in the tree lights, and turned down the room lights. Suddenly, the room was aglow in a soft blue. “Kinda looks like a winter’s night with snow on the tree and the winter starlight,” observed Dad. “It IS magical,” thought Abigail. It reminded her of when she wished upon a star that she could find a better life.

And magically, she did.   

It had been a stressful day for Abigail, and somehow when she heard the music, it calmed her down a bit.

From then on, late at night, Dad made a habit of playing music while he hung out with her on the floor. “Abigail, what should our song be?” he asked. He played various songs for her, but the lyrics of one song seemed to stand out from all the others — Christina Perri’s “Thousand Years.” Although most people think of it as a wedding song, Dad thought the words described Abigail’s life, her long wait to find her loving forever home, and how they felt about each other:

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

All along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Abigail liked the melody. In fact, after awhile, she recognized the song, and her ears perked up whenever she heard it. Dad collected some of the photos from her life and created a music video so they could watch it.

One evening, he placed the tablet on the floor and turned it towards her. He said, “Abigail, come look! It’s you on the screen!”

Abigail hopped over to the tablet. As the music began to play, she watched it intently. Moments from her life flashed before her eyes. As Dad watched along, he realized how far they had come in such a short time. Not that long ago, she would barely let him pet her. And now, he could pet her almost any time.

Abigail thought, “I like this song, Dad. Especially the title. ‘Thousand Ears.’ It must be about rabbits!” Dad just smiled. They had found THEIR song!

Listen to  Abigail's song here!

Abigail turned one of her ears toward him and looked up at Dad quizzically. “What’s Thanksgiving?” she wondered. Dad chuckled and said, “Thanksgiving is a day when we humans stuff ourselves silly with all kinds of good food. So, I brought you a tray-a-plenty!” Dad set down her orange tray. In addition to the usual goodies, there were some new items. “I got you some Herbal Medley. It has flowers and rose hips, and other tasty treats,” he explained. Abigail sniffed it. She took a nibble. It WAS good! “And there are some snackers for you, too!” he added.

Dad brought out his breakfast and sat down on the floor next to her and began to munch on his apricot and cranberry scone. “You know Abigail, the other thing about Thanksgiving is that we take a moment to be thankful for the goodness in our lives,” continued Dad. “And for me, at the top of the list is YOU! Sweetheart, I am so glad you came into my life. You make me smile so much, just by being the cute little adorable rabbit that you are.”

Abigail stopped eating for a moment and looked up at Dad. She batted her big brown eyes at him. She thought to herself, “I’m thankful for you, too, Dad. You saved me. No more living in a cage. I’m free to run, play, explore, and eat whenever I want. And you give me SO many good things to eat!”

But most of all, Abigail was thankful that she was loved and cherished now. All was right with the world.

Thinking quickly, she ran into the dining room. But Dad had set up the ex-pen and he closed off the door after she entered. “Oh sweetie, don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing.” She tried to run from Dad, but he caught her and gently picked her up in his arms. Abigail struggled to get free. “Easy there,” said Dad, “I’m not going to hurt you.” Abigail wasn’t so sure about spa day.  

Dad carried Abigail over to the couch where he had a towel, nail clippers, a flashlight, and a brush waiting. “I don’t like this!” thought Abigail, as she again struggled to get free. Dad wrapped the towel around her so she couldn’t. “We’re just going to trim your nails,” he said in a soothing voice. “Since you're an indoor bunny, you're not wearing your nails down digging on the carpet.”

Abigail had noticed her nails were starting to bother her when she walked on hard surfaces, and she had been digging more frantically to wear them down. Dad shined the flashlight through her nails to check where the clear quick was, to make sure he didn’t hurt her, and carefully and quickly cut off the tips in front of the quicks on each nail. Abigail wasn’t crazy about being messed with, but she trusted Dad and tolerated it.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked. Next, he unwrapped her from the towel and set her in his lap on top of the towel. He petted her, and while he did, he checked for any lumps or sharp points under her skin. It was important to catch any abnormalities early. Dad knew that rabbits have a way of hiding anything that ails them.

Then, he rolled her over on her back and checked her butt. “Ooops, you’ve got a poopy stuck to your fur. Let me pull it off,” he said. Abigail stared up at him and thought, “Daaaad! This is embarrassing!”

Then Dad checked her teeth to make sure they weren’t overgrown. Dad also knew that rabbit teeth were constantly growing so it was important to make sure they were healthy. Abigail had many things to chew on to keep her teeth whittled down, so her teeth were fine. Dad shined the flashlight in her ears and checked to make sure they were all clean. They were. She had passed her physical!

Finally, he placed her back in his lap, right side up. “Let’s brush some of this loose fur off of you.” He gently began brushing her. At first, Abigail struggled. But after a while, she thought, “This feels kinda nice!” Soon, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

Maybe spa day wasn’t so bad after all!

Two weeks after her head tilt had started, Dad no longer had to chase her down twice a day for medication—which was a relief to both of them. The vet advised, “Whatever good the medication could do has been done. We just have to see if she recovers now.” But after three weeks, there was still no improvement. Dad wondered if her head tilt might be permanent. “Oh Abigail, I don’t want you to have to go through life like this! You’re still so young!”

But then, a miracle happened. As the fourth week began, Dad noticed her head was tilted slightly less than before. It went from the nine o’clock position to the ten o’clock position. As each day passed, it seemed a little better. By the end of the week, her head was almost straight up! “Abigail! I think you’re getting better!” exclaimed Dad. 

Indeed, Abigail felt better. A month and three days after her head tilt began, she no longer had to tilt her head to keep her balance. She was so happy to be back to normal, she did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She ran laps around the couch and dashed through her bolt-to tunnel. “Dad, look! I’m better!” she thought.

Dad was elated. His baby was going to be OK. There had been moments when he wondered if he might lose her, or if she might be physically challenged for the rest of her life. When he held her in his arms, he realized how important she was to him—how irreplaceable she was—and how much he cherished her. He vowed to make every moment count with her.  

Dad picked her up, laid down on the couch and placed her on his chest, thinking she had learned that cuddling was a good thing. But Abigail wanted none of that. She was back to being her normal bunny self and didn’t want to be held. She leapt off the couch and foot-flicked Dad as she hopped away, as if to say “No, Dad! No more hugging! I’m better now.”

Dad laughed. As much as he had enjoyed cuddling her, he was happier to see her back to being her normal, healthy self.

Dad wrapped a towel around her to keep her from struggling. He held her with one hand, and with the other, he put the syringe through the gap between her front teeth and her molars and squirted the medication into her mouth. “Good girl!” he said, as she lapped up the medicine.

Abigail was not eating much, so Dad tried to feed her some Nutri-Recoverythrough a syringe. “I don’t want any food!” thought Abigail. She spit it out. Soon, her chin was coated in it. She hated that. When it dried, it turned into a hard mass in her fur.  

“Oh Abigail,” sighed Dad, “Let’s get you cleaned up.” He wet his fingers with warm water and dissolved the Nutri-Rescue. Slowly and gently, he squeezed each little crumb out of her fur until she was clean, and then dried her off. To his surprise, Abigail didn’t fight him. “Thanks for cleaning me,” she thought, “I can’t do it myself. I can’t reach under my chin.”

Dad worried that Abigail would associate being picked up with something bad. Instead of just setting her down on the floor when they were done, he laid down on the couch and cuddled her in his arms, right side up. At first, Abigail struggled a bit, but then flipped herself into a comfortable position on her side. “Sssshhh. It’s OK, Abigail,” said Dad in a soothing voice as he petted her gently. Abigail felt safe knowing she was in Dad’s arms. She knew he would protect her, so she didn’t need to be on guard. She closed her eyes and dozed off.

The bunny who hated being picked up was now sleeping in the crook of Dad’s arm—for hours at a time! Every so often, Abigail woke up. She felt disoriented and flailed around. Dad hugged her tightly to keep her from hurting herself and whispered in her ear, “Ssshhh, it’s OK. Everything’s fine. I’m right here.” He gave her a kiss on the head and stroked her. Abigail realized where she was and drifted back to sleep. Although Dad had many things to do, comforting Abigail was at the top of his priority list. He quickly learned to do many things with one hand.   

Days went by. Her head was still tilted, but there were small signs of improvement. Much to Dad’s delight, Abigail began eating on her own, so he no longer needed to feed her with a syringe. Much to Abigail’s delight, despite her head tilt, she could now out-run Dad when it was time for medication.

Days turned into weeks, which felt like an eternity. Sometimes, it seemed hopeless. But Dad had read, “If your bunny doesn’t give up, don’t give up on your bunny.” Abigail was definitely not giving up! And neither was Dad. Dad continued to cuddle her in his arms for hours while she slept. “Well, if nothing else, Abigail, I finally get to hold you!” he said. Abigail felt secure. She didn’t mind.

From the beginning, Dad promised he would always take care of her—in sickness and in health. Abigail discovered he was a man of his word. He rarely left her side for long.

Learn more about head tilt here

Abigail shook her head. One of her ears was plugged, and it bothered her. In the darkness of night, her world felt like it was spinning. Whenever she sat up, she lost her balance. If she tilted her head to the right, it helped. She leaned against the wall for support. It was a restless night.

As daylight filled the room, Abigail heard Dad approaching. Seeing her leaning against the wall, Dad asked, “Abigail, are you alright?” “I feel really dizzy,” she thought. Abigail started to walk over to him, but she lost her balance. She stumbled and fell on her side. She flailed around, trying to stand up. This alarmed Dad. “Oh Abigail! What’s wrong, baby?” asked Dad, as he helped her stand up. She hobbled back to the wall and leaned against it, trembling.  

Dad was worried. He had read about a condition known as rabbit head tilt. Head tilt could be the symptom of a serious condition. It could be e-cuniculi, a parasite in her brain, which was often difficult or impossible to treat. It could also be an inner ear infection, causing her to lose her balance. She had to tilt her head to compensate.

Dad grabbed the phone and called her vet. “Yes, bring her in right away!” said the vet. Dad gently picked up Abigail and placed her in her carrier. Normally, she would struggle. But today, she was in no condition to resist. Off to the vet they went.

The vet observed Abigail. “E-cuniculi affects the nervous system. I don’t see signs of that, so I don’t want to throw drugs at her, just in case. It’s probably an inner ear infection,” he speculated. Dad asked, “But how did she get it? She’s indoors all the time. It’s clean. There are no other animals in the house.” The vet explained, “It just happens. There’s bacteria in every rabbit’s nasal cavity. Sometimes, it just travels to the inner ear. Unfortunately, we can’ treat it externally. You’ll have to give her oral medication twice a day.” Dad knew that was not going to go over well with Abigail.

The vet prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication to reduce any swelling in her ear canal, some antibiotics to fight infection, and some anti-nausea medication. He cautioned, “She probably feels nauseous and doesn’t want to eat. The most important thing right now is to make sure she keeps eating. We don’t want her to go into GI-stasis. That can be deadly.”

“How long will this last?” asked Dad. The vet replied, “There’s no telling. It could go away in a few days. It could be permanent. The sooner it is treated, the better the chances are of recovery. If left for a long time, scar tissue can develop and it could become permanent.” Dad did not like the sound of that.

Back home, Dad opened the door to Abigail’s carrier. Abigail stumbled out of her carrier and back to her spot. She laid down and leaned against the wall. “Dad, I don’t feel well,” she thought. She tilted her head so one eye was looking straight up. That helped.

Dad laid on the floor in front of her. “Don’t worry Abigail. Whatever happens, I’ll take care of you. I promise,” he said. But inside, he worried what lay ahead.

Dad looked down at her as he began placing the items in the box. “Well, Abigail, I’m making an emergency kit for you. I call it a Rabbit Response Kit. It’s in case you ever have an emergency,” he explained, “Hopefully, we’ll never need this, but if something happened to you, I might not have time to run around the house looking for all this stuff.”

The first item to go in the box, was a bag of Nutri-Rescue. “This is in case you stop eating and I have to feed you,” he explained. “So your insides don’t slow down too much.”

Next came medical supplies – a roll of gauze, scissors, tweezers, some little sticks for splints, a bottle of styptic powder to stop bleeding, a spray bottle of Vetericyn for cleaning wounds, a package of antibacterial cloth mitts for wiping her coat or his hands, and some paper towels. “This stuff is in case you get hurt,” he said.

Then came the health check items – a stethoscope for checking her heartbeat, a digital thermometer for taking her temperature, some Vaseline for inserting the thermometer where she wouldn’t like it, and some smaller syringes for administering oral medication. Dad had learned from volunteering at a rabbit rescue place that it was important to be able monitor a rabbit’s heartbeat and temperature.

“In case you get cold, I have this pet warming pad which I can heat up in a microwave oven to help keep you warm,” he said, placing a padded disc in the box.

Then came the paperwork – her vet’s name, address, directions, and phone, as well the closest emergency clinic’s name, address, directions, and phone. He listed her basic stats – weight and birthday. And he wrote down typical rabbit vital statistics; respiratory rate – 50 breaths per minute, pulse – 130 beats/minute, temperature –101-104 degrees F, because during emergencies, sometimes it’s hard to remember this stuff.

And, just in case he wasn’t home during the emergency, he listed HIS contact information for the pet sitter for easy reference.

Dad made a big red cross on the lid, using some red electrical tape. He added a couple of rabbit stickers for fun, and then labeled it the “Rabbit Response Kit”. He placed it in the closet. Abigail stood up on her back feet and peered inside. Next to it, she saw her carrier and a cloth bag containing a blanket, a spare litter box, some litter, a towel, a bag of hay, a container of pellets, a water dish, and a bottle of water. She wondered what all that was for. “That’s so if we suddenly have to leave quickly, I can not only save YOU, but I have supplies for you until we can get settled somewhere,” explained Dad.

Abigail was impressed. Dad was prepared! “Were you a boy scout?” she wondered. Dad laughed, “You are the most precious thing in the world to me, Abigail. I just want to know I can take care of you – no matter what happens!”

“Abigail, look at this video,” said Dad, “It’s so funny!” Dad turned the tablet towards her. A human was tossing a pile of leaves at his rabbit. The rabbit jumped into the pile each time he threw it. “Do you want to do that?” he asked. Abigail didn’t know. She had never seen leaves before.

Fall had arrived. Outside, the trees were turning a brilliant warm gold, dotted with bits of red and green. It was apple season, too. The apples were big, ripe, and juicy. Dad collected a box of brightly colored leaves, making sure they were all clean and freshly fallen. Some gold. Some red. Some green. Then he picked a nice, plump apple.

He took them inside and peeled the apple, cutting it into small slices. He tasted one. It was so sweet. He picked a slice for Abigail.

“Abigail, it’s Fall. Time for new tastes and smells!” Dad placed the box of leaves on the floor. Abigail hopped over to investigate. She hopped into the low-sided box. “They smell nice,” she thought. She took a bite of one. “They taste pretty good, too!” she thought, as she crunched on a leaf. She liked the way they rustled under her paws.

“Here. Try this,” said Dad. He held out a small slice of apple. Abigail sniffed and took a bite. “Oh yum! This is good!” She liked apples. So sweet. So juicy. So crunchy. “You can only have a little bit a time,” said Dad. “They have a lot of sugar,” he laughed.

Dad tried tossing some of the leaves at Abigail to see if she would like to play the same game as they saw on the video. But Abigail just stared at him. “What are you doing?” she wondered. She much preferred to just hop through the box of leaves on her own.

The lazy days of Summer were gone, but Abigail decided she liked Fall, too. Each season held new wonders for her, and Dad would bring them in for her to experience.

Meal finished, Abigail began to bathe. It was important to keep her coat clean. She licked her paws and wiped her face and ears. Dad let out an, “Awwwww.” It was cuteness overload. “OMG, I’m just washing,” she thought.

Dad could spend hours just watching Abigail be a rabbit. Eating. Washing. Chewing. Foraging. Running. Binkying. It was all cute. Better than TV. Dad looked at Abigail and said, “You are SO adorable. I bet if you looked in the dictionary under the word ‘adorable’, your picture would be next to it.” An idea popped into his head.  

About a week later, Abigail was having a chew on some Small Pet Select hay when her ears detected footsteps coming to the front door. “Could that be more hay being delivered?” she wondered. Dad opened the door and brought in a package. It wasn’t hay. “It’s here, Abigail! I made something for you.” Abigail wondered what it was.

Dad unwrapped the package and pulled out a sign. He grabbed a hammer and a nail, and hung it right above Abigail’s spot. “It’s SO you!” he chuckled. Abigail hopped over for a closer look. She stood up tippy toes on her back feet, front paws against the wall to balance herself, and stared at the sign. In dictionary font, it read:

                 ador-able

                         adj \ extremely charming \ syn ABIGAIL \ See below.

“Wow,” she thought, “I guess it’s true. I am the definition of adorable!”

“Oh, OK,” said Dad, trying not to take it personally. He sat down with his laptop and went to work. Meanwhile, Abigail made the rounds around the room. She checked behind the couches. She peeked behind the bar. She checked out her bolt-to entrances to make sure they were clear. And then she stopped by her breakfast tray for a little mid-morning snack.

Patrol completed, she loped over to her rest spot and washed her face. Dad watched out of the corner of his eye, trying to resist her cuteness. As any bun parent will tell you, there’s nothing cuter than a bunny washing her ears.

All done, she settled into her loaf position. A few minutes later, Dad heard a chattering sound. He looked over at her. Abigail chattered her teeth at him. He chattered his teeth back at her and waited for a response. Abigail chattered back, “I’m ready for my pet, now!”  

Dad knelt down in front of her, and held out his hand. Abigail sniffed it, and lowered her head, granting him permission to pet. Dad obliged, and began to rub her head. Abigail closed her eyes and relaxed. “Now I’m in the mood!” she thought.

Bunnies – just like humans – have moods. There’s a time and place for everything!    

“Well, Abigail,” explained Dad, “First of all, I always keep your carrier handy with some emergency supplies just in case we have to evacuate quickly. But, if I’m not home, there’s a Small Pet Select sticker on the front window that tells fire fighters that there’s a rabbit in here that needs rescuing. And, you have a microchip implanted in you. The vet put it there while you were asleep. So, if you are rescued, a vet or a shelter can scan you, and they’ll be able to contact me. It’s kind of like a return to sender label.”

Abigail wasn’t sure how all that worked, but she felt better knowing Dad had a plan. But then she wondered, “What if I run out of the house and get lost?” Dad had a plan for that, too. “I have a lot of photos of you, so I could make up flyers and pass them out, and send out notifications with your photo through our neighborhood watch system so people could keep a look out for you.”

Dad continued, “But Abigail, it’s just best if you never go outside. My gosh, any number of things could happen to you. There are cats, dogs, coyotes, and hawks that would all love to chase after you. You’re so tiny, they could easily carry you off!” Abigail shuddered at the thought. She had no desire to go outdoors. Even when the door was wide open when Dad was bringing in food from the magic garden, she never went over to look outside. She was very content in her indoor kingdom.

Dad did wonder about one thing, though. If she was at a shelter with other rabbits, would he be able to pick her out of a lineup? As special as she was to him, she did look like a lot of other chestnut brown Netherland Dwarf rabbits. As he petted her, he studied her markings and drew an image of her in his mind. Of course, his phone was loaded with photos of her, too!

But he wondered, would SHE recognize HIM if he came to find her?

Just then, Abigail hopped over to him, and he just knew – they would both recognize each other right away. They were bonded for life.

Abigail disliked hardwood floors. Carpet was OK. Even the tile entryway was OK. But there was just something about walking on hardwood that she didn’t like. It made her uncomfortable. “No traction,” she thought, “It’s like trying to walk on ice!”

Her territory was surrounded by hardwood floors. On one side was the kitchen. It was completely hardwood floors. She never stepped foot in there. On the other side was the guest room – with the hardwood border. Even though the doors to these rooms were always open, she limited her territory to the carpeted living room and dining room. “This is enough space for me to have to defend,” she thought to herself.

Many months passed by. One day, Abigail was on her morning patrol and came to the edge of her territory. Like many times before, she stared into the guest room, wondering what lay beyond “the great divide.” This morning, curiosity finally got the best of her. She decided to face her fears. She took a running start and hopped right over the hardwood floor onto the carpet in the guest room. “That wasn’t so bad,” she thought. With so many new smells and new sights to explore, she soon forgot all about her fears. She slinked under the bed and began snooping around.

“Abigail, breakfast is ready!” announced Dad as he set down her orange tray of fresh greens. But Abigail was nowhere to be seen. “Oh Abigail,” he called out, “Where are you?” He searched all her usual hiding spots; behind the couch, under the dining table, behind the bar – even her bolt-to tunnel. No Abigail.

“Where could she be?” he wondered. The only space he hadn’t checked was the guest room. Could she be in there? He scanned the guest room but didn’t see her. Then, he knelt down on his hands and knees and peered under the bed. Sure enough, he spotted the familiar silhouette of Abigail’s tiny round body. Abigail paused her investigation and looked up at him nonchalantly and thought, “What?” Dad said, “Why Abigail, aren’t you the brave explorer today?”

Having conquered her fear of crossing “the great divide,” Abigail decided to claim this space as her territory. She left a few little “poop signs” to let everyone know that this was now HER territory. From then on, her morning patrol included the guest room, too.

For some bunnies, it just takes time to work up the courage to explore something new.   

It’s every rabbit’s job to warn the warren whenever they sense danger. In Abigail’s case, the only other member of her warren was Dad. But she still felt the need to warn him, and she liked it when he would run over to her side when she thumped. She felt safer, knowing he was there. He was her protector.

Dad heard her thump resonate through the house. It was amazing how that tiny foot could make such a loud thump. He rushed over to see what was the matter. “What’s up, little one?” he asked. Abigail looked up at him and wondered, “Did you hear the noise?” Dad looked where her ears were facing, and the two of them sat on the floor, staring at the front door.

Dad went over to investigate. Abigail watched as he opened the screen door and looked outside. “He’s so brave,” she thought. He found nothing, and came back to report to her, “It’s OK Abigail, everything’s fine. No need to worry. You’re safe. Besides, I’m right here. I’ll protect you.” Dad laid down next to her and waited until she felt sure the danger had passed, and she went back about her business.

Abigail loved to explore late at night. For her, play time was from 11 PM to 2 AM. But if Dad went to bed early, she would just stay close to her base, where it was safe. She liked it when he stayed up late and laid on the floor near her. She’d explore new spaces and run through the rooms, skipping as she went, carefree, knowing that she was safe because Dad was nearby to protect her. She felt brave!

Together, they were a team. They were a warren!

He remembered reading some advice about what house rabbits like. Rule number one is get down on the floor. Rule number two is get down on the floor. Wise words. Dad seemed to spend half his life on the floor now. Sometimes, it was a little hard on his knees and back, but the carpet made it tolerable. Being on the floor meant he could meet Abigail at her level.

Abigail turned around in the other room and looked back at Dad. Seeing just his face, she thought, “He looks more my size now. Here I come!” She bounded in his direction, hopped right over him, and kept on going. Dad just giggled, “You’re so funny!” Abigail ran back and forth along the window, taunting him. “Bet you can’t catch me!” she thought. She was right. Try as he might, Dad could not tag Abigail as she streaked past. He loved how Abigail’s personality opened up when they played together.

Abigail ran to her "bolt-to" spot and started digging. Dad went over to the other entrance and began scratching the carpet with his fingers, mimicking her digging rhythm. Abigail knew what that meant. “I bet he has a Healthy Snacker for me!” she thought. Sure enough, she peeked around the corner and saw Dad holding a snacker between his teeth. Abigail ran over to Dad, stood up on her back feet, and took the snacker from his mouth.

After munching down her treasure, Abigail flopped down in front of him. Nose to nose, they stared at each other. Dad wiggled his nose to copy her. Abigail looked at him and slowed down her wiggle. Dad slowed his wiggle to match. Then she sped up. Dad did the same. Dad chuckled, “I know we’re communicating, but I don’t know what I’m saying. ”Abigail appreciated the effort.

When Abigail first came to live with Dad, whenever he tried to kiss her on the head, she would grunt and run away. But after months of playing together, she grew to trust him. Dad leaned over her and kissed her on the head. Then, he gently nuzzled her soft ears with his nose. Abigail closed her eyes and relaxed.

Little bunnies. Big personalities.

“Relax Abigail, it’s just Dad,” said the familiar voice. It sounded like Dad. And as he got closer, she recognized him. So she relaxed and went back to her loaf position. 

Humans confused Abigail. They were constantly changing their coats. Sometimes, multiple times in the same day! “Rabbits look the same all the time,” she thought. “If I’m a chestnut brown rabbit today, I’ll be a chestnut brown rabbit tomorrow. Even after I change coats, I still look the same! It’s not like when I change coats, I suddenly become a white rabbit!” 

Abigail changed her coat twice a year. Large clumps of fur would fall out. She hated that time of year. Her nice smooth coat would look all mottled for a few weeks. Dad would laugh at her and say things like, “You look like you’re wearing a tutu.” She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it didn’t sound very flattering. Dad would try to help her out by pulling off the loose clumps of fur, but Abigail would just lunge at him and grunt. “The nerve. It’s MY fur! How dare he steal it.” So, Dad would pet her and gently scoop the loose fur off as he stroked her. Abigail was no dummy and would, without hesitation, give him the stink eye, as if to say, “I KNOW what you’re doing.” 

As time went on, Abigail learned to recognize Dad by his voice and his walk. But Dad would announce his arrival anyway. “Hey Abigail. It’s just Dad.” To which Abigail thought, “It’s not JUST Dad. It’s DAD!” 

After all, she loved him.

Dad chuckled, “Sorry Abigail, but that’s not your new mate. But I think it may be time to get you fixed.” Abigail thought, “Fixed? Why? I’m not broken.” Dad had read that female rabbits had an 80% chance of developing uterine cancer by age 4. Getting her fixed would eliminate that possibility. He certainly wanted Abigail to be around a lot longer than 4 years! And, this would also calm down her frustration to mate.

Dad called up Abigail’s vet to schedule an appointment. Her vet was nice and very experienced with rabbits. Even though this was a routine operation, he still wanted someone experienced whom he could trust.

On the morning of the operation, Abigail sensed something was up. After their usual routine of breakfast, followed by a massage, Dad came straight towards her with a deliberate look on his face. “I’d better hide, just in case,” she thought. She started to run off, but then she felt Dad’s hands wrap around her tiny body as he grabbed her. He never did that! “Put me down!” she shrieked, letting out a blood curdling scream that sounded like a bird screeching. It startled Dad so much so, that he almost dropped her. Quickly, he placed her in the carrier. In a soothing voice, he said, “I’m sorry, baby. I hate to do this, but it’s for your own good. Trust me.” Abigail worried, “Is he was taking me away? I don’t want to leave. I like my home!”

After a short car ride, they arrived at the vet. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll be back for you later today,” he promised. Abigail put on a brave face, as rabbits do, but inside, she was terrified. The vet took her in the back, and put some drops in her nose. Soon, Abigail felt very sleepy. Try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes open, and she dozed off.

A little while later, she woke up and looked around. Nothing looked familiar. She noticed the fur on her tummy was missing. “What happened to me?” she wondered, “I want my Dad!”

Late in the afternoon, the vet came in and announced, “It’s time to go home!” Abigail was excited. She peered through the bars of her carrier and heard Dad’s familiar voice, “Hi sweetie. Are you OK?” She was relieved. Dad had come back for her!

Dad knew that it wasn’t good for a rabbit to stop eating and pooping, so it was important to get her system going as soon as she could. He fixed a tray of her favorite foods and set it down in front of her. Abigail sniffed at it, but she didn’t feel much like eating. She was still a little groggy and sore. She just hunkered down by her home base, happy to be home and safe.

When darkness fell, Abigail watched Dad set up a bed on the floor near her. “I just want to keep an eye on you tonight. I want you to know I’m close by,” he explained. That night, the two of them slept soundly, side by side on the floor.

Sunlight filled the room the next morning. Dad opened his eyes and looked over at Abigail. She was already awake, staring back at him. “Good morning! How are you? Did you sleep OK?” he asked. As he headed to the kitchen to fix breakfast for her, he passed by her bathroom spot and noticed a small pile of poop.

As only a bun parent could understand, he was overjoyed! A pooping bunny is a healthy bunny. It meant her system was working again. She was going to be OK.

Dad turned and flashed a smile at Abigail. Now that she was fixed, they could look forward to many happy years together.

Abigail was a digger. She liked digging. It was good exercise. Her long term project was to widen the entrance to her bolt-to tunnel. Every morning, she would dig for hours on the carpet. It was slow going, but she was in no rush. To her, it was like humans going to the gym to work out. 

Usually, when Dad got up, she’d take a break to eat her breakfast and get her daily massage. Then, she’d go back to digging for awhile before she took her half-nap. 

One day, Dad brought in a grass mat and placed where she dug. Dad explained, “Here Abigail, try this. I read some rabbits like to dig and chew on grass mats.” Abigail looked at the grass mat and thought, “This is just in my way!” She grabbed it with her teeth and moved it aside, and continued to dig on the carpet. Dad just laughed. He didn’t mind that she was ripping up the carpet in that spot. It was hidden from sight anyway.

Whenever something new entered her territory, Abigail had to investigate. It didn’t matter whether it was a box, a piece of furniture, or a book lying on the floor. If it came into her space, she made it her business to know what it was. 

Rabbits also like to chew. Their teeth are constantly growing, so they have to chew to whittle down their teeth. In the wild, there was plenty to chew on. But in a house, there wasn’t. When left with no alternatives, rabbits tend to chew on baseboards, furniture, or their favorite, Apple cords! Fortunately for Abigail, Dad always provided more desirable alternatives, like oat hay in the foraging tunnel, twig balls, mobiles, and towels.

Sometimes, Dad would just lay a towel down by her home base. Bunnies are very particular about such things, so no matter how he arranged it, it was never quite right. Abigail would spend hours rearranging it just so. 

A bored rabbit is a naughty rabbit, so Dad always made sure there was something to keep her entertained. In turn, Abigail was a good bunny, and never destroyed his furniture. 

Want to learn more about setting up your rabbit cage and tying toys to sides for resistance? Watch this!

Although Abigail considered the entire living room her territory, she understood it was shared space with Dad. But there was a space along the window which she reserved only for herself. It was her safe zone. She had marked it with little poop signs, which, to a rabbit, said, “Abigail’s space. Keep out!” Any rabbit would know that, but humans seemed to think that stray poops were the result of poor bathroom habits, rather than signage. Abigail thought, “He must not read rabbit signs. How can I explain it to him?”

Abigail looked around. Running along the wall was a long black “root”. Dad had said something about “covering the cords” with it when he placed it there. Using her teeth, Abigail moved the root about six inches away from the wall, all the way along the window. “I’ll draw a line that he can see!” she thought. When she was done, she looked up at him, and with her eyes, said, “this is my space!” Dad watched her and smiled, “OK, I get it now. Don’t cross that line!” Just like humans, every rabbit likes to have their own personal space – a place where they can go to be alone and feel safe, and not be messed with. Abigail knew her Dad was smart enough to figure it out – and respect it. 

And he did.

When Abigail came into his life, Dad rewrote his will to make sure enough money was set aside to cover her expenses for the rest of her life. He calculated how much she’d need in food, supplies, and medical care every year, and then multiplied it by the life expectancy of a house rabbit – about 12 years. It wasn’t a trivial amount of money, but he wanted to make sure she would have a good life, even if he wasn’t there, and didn’t want her to suffer because her new caregiver couldn’t afford her. 

That was the easy part. The harder part was finding someone who would look after her with the same love and care as he did. “Who of all my friends would be the best guardian for her?” he pondered. He went through the rolodex in his mind of all of his animal-loving friends. Some would probably just put her in a cage, and that wouldn’t do. Some had other animals who might get along with Abigail – or might stress her out. She was so tiny. He didn’t want to take the chance. 

And that’s when Abigail’s Aunt Chelsea popped into his mind. Aunt Chelsea was a gentle soul. She was responsible. And she loved all living beings. In fact, it was Aunt Chelsea who had encouraged Dad to adopt Abigail in the first place. One day, Dad asked Chelsea, “I want to designate someone to take care of Abigail in case anything happens to me. Would you be her godmother?” Chelsea was taken aback for a moment. “Godmother to a rabbit?” she thought. But she adored Abigail, and without any further hesitation, said, “Yes! Yes, of course!” And with that, Dad had peace of mind, knowing Abigail would be in good hands should anything happen to him. 

So Dad wrote her into his will as guardian for Abigail. From then on, he shared all of Abigail’s antics and preferences with Chelsea – what she liked to eat, what she liked to do, how she liked to arrange her territory, what treats she liked, and how she liked to be petted – so that Chelsea would really know Abigail.

Dad looked into Abigail’s eyes as he stroked her little ears and said in a soothing voice, “Don’t worry, Abigail. Aunt Chelsea is your godmother. She will look after you if anything happens to me.” Abigail seemed to understand. She liked Aunt Chelsea. She knew from the moment she met Chelsea that she could trust her. Abigail closed her eyes and relaxed. She had a godmother!

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No matter how busy he was, Dad always made time for this. As he began rubbing her head, he explained, “You know, Abigail, when I was a little boy, my mother would rock me for 10 minutes every morning. No matter how busy she was, she would always make time to do this. And I knew she loved me. So this is our version of that.” 

Abigail had learned she could trust Dad, so now she just relaxed and enjoyed the experience. She closed her eyes and sunk into the soft carpet. Ever so slowly, Dad ran his fingers along her nose and through her darling little ears. Though they were the typical short ears of a dwarf rabbit, Abigail would imagine they were long, silky ears as he slowly ran his fingers all the way to the tips. It felt so good. She couldn’t help it, her teeth chattered with approval. Dad gave the best massages! “You’re lucky I studied massage when I was younger,” laughed Dad.

Next, he’d rub her temples and jaw muscles. With all the chewing she did, it felt good to have her jaw muscles massaged. He worked his way around to her neck. That was a touchy spot for her. After all, that’s where predators would grab her, so it had taken her awhile to overcome her instinct to run. Dad would rub her neck muscles, and then her shoulders. And then he moved to the base of her ears. Those muscles were constantly in use as she rotated her ears like radar antennae. He knew just how hard to rub so it felt good but didn’t hurt. It was magic. He ended with the “1000 hands” technique, using both hands, one after another, down her entire body, so it felt like she was being massaged by 1000 hands. She felt worshipped.  As a rabbit should!

Sometimes, he’d softly repeat the word “love” to her as he massaged her. Sometimes, he’d sing to her. But most of the time, he would say nothing, and only the soft chirping of birds off in the distance would interrupt the morning silence. Abigail would drift off, almost in a trance. No words needed to be spoken. They communed through touch.

“Hot today, isn’t it?” asked Dad, as he breezed through the room, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “Are you OK?” he asked. Abigail looked up at him, forlornly, and with her sad eyes said, “If you think it’s hot, try wearing a fur coat! Can you do something about this?” It seemed to Abigail that Dad was the god of light because he could make the darkness disappear at night, so maybe he was the god of weather, too. 

Dad knew rabbits didn’t handle heat well. But it was late in the day already, so he had to make do with what he had. Opening the doors and windows didn’t help. It was even hotter outside. He grabbed some ice packs from the freezer and wrapped them in a towel in front of a fan, and aimed it at Abigail – homemade air conditioning, so to speak. It might have helped. A little. But Abigail still looked miserable. 

Fortunately, as the evening progressed, the outside air cooled down so Dad could open the windows. On TV, the weatherman announced, “Tomorrow’s forecast is more of the same." Dad looked at Abigail, still flopped on the floor, and vowed, “I’m so sorry, Abigail. I promise, I’ll do something tomorrow.”

Early the next morning, Dad left the house. A few hours later, Abigail heard his footsteps approaching. They were much heavier than usual, though. Dad came in and set a big box down on the living room floor. “I have your answer!” announced Dad. “It’s an electric cold air machine!” Abigail hopped over to investigate. For the next few hours, a curious Abigail watched as her Dad sawed, drilled, and painted. He cut a hole in the wall, built a frame, and placed the big white box in the hole. As he was doing this, the temperature began to climb again. Abigail dreaded another hot day.

Just as the heat was becoming unbearable, Dad announced, “OK, I’m done. Let’s try ‘er out.” He pushed a button and the big white box made a humming noise. Like magic, Abigail felt cool air blowing on her. “Ohhh, this is nice!” she thought, “I was right! Dad must be the god of weather!” She positioned herself on the floor right where the cool air was the strongest. She settled into her loaf position, ears back, and enjoyed the cool breeze. Dad laughed, “Nice, huh?” For the next couple of hours, Abigail parked herself there and didn’t move.   

Later that night, when the evening air had cooled down, she ran through the living room, binkying. It was her way of saying “thank you” to Dad. She was a happy girl!

Just then, the doorbell rang. She had learned that when she heard that sound, it meant some commotion was about to happen. She sat up, ears erect, waiting to see who was there. Dad opened the door and invited in some strangers. Right away, she heard them call out her name, “Hello, Abigail!” She didn’t recognize them, so she stayed at her home base, ready to bolt if anyone came too close. That was one of the nice things about being a free roam bunny, she could run and hide if she wanted to, unlike the old days in her cage where she had no choice.

The guests sat down and talked. She watched them for awhile. They seemed friendly enough, so she decided to venture out and check them out and see if they passed the “sniff test”. Like Goldilocks, she went around to each of them to check them out. The man was wearing some sort of scent. It was so strong, she could smell him from three feet away. “My, my. A bit overpowering,” she thought. She didn’t get too close. “Who knows what he’s hiding?” she thought. 

As she approached the next person, the woman reached down and put out her hand for Abigail to sniff. “My gosh. What did you just touch?” she wondered. The woman’s hand smelled like some kind of food humans ate. She didn’t want that smell rubbed all over her nice clean coat! She backed away. 

Finally, the third person lay down on the floor at her level and spoke to her gently, “Hello, sweetheart,” she said. She reached out her hand, and Abigail sniffed. She seemed OK. The woman placed her hand in front of Abigail’s head and paused for permission. “May I pet you?” she asked. “I like that,” thought Abigail, “This human respects me.” So, Abigail granted her the privilege to pet, and lowered her head. Since she didn’t know the woman very well, Abigail stayed crouched on her feet, ready to run if anything funny happened. The woman gently stroked the top of her head between her darling ears.

Abigail, who had not had much human contact before coming to live with Dad, eventually discovered that sometimes new people could be friends.  Some people besides Dad were worthy of “permission to pet”! 

Just then, Dad came into the room with an interesting-looking contraption. It was a collapsible tube with three legs, and was big enough for her to run through. “I thought you might like a foraging tunnel,” he suggested. He set it on the floor and then opened a big white box. The room filled with the scent of fresh hay. Abigail had never smelled hay like this before. So fresh! So fragrant!

“It’s imported hay!” Dad chuckled, “I got it from Washington!” Abigail wondered, “Is Washington near the magic garden?” “Who knew there were so many kinds of hay?” he asked, “There’s Timothy, Orchard, Oat,and Alfalfa.” She watched as he filled each leg of the tunnel with a different type of hay.

Abigail hopped over to investigate. Being a little wary, she stayed outside of the tunnel and went around to each leg and sniffed. It smelled so good! She pulled out some hay and took a bite. “Yum!” she thought. After sampling all the hays in the hay-buffet, she decided oat hay was her favorite. She liked the crunchy tips. Her second favorite was Alfalfa, followed by Timothy, and finally, Orchard. But they were all good.

“I hid some snackers in the hay,” said Dad, hoping to entice her into the tunnel. “Snackers?” thought Abigail. She loved rabbit snackers! If there was one word she responded to, it was “snacker.” Well, maybe two words. “Treat” was the other one. “Find the snackers!” said Dad, expecting it to take her awhile to find a hay snacker buried in hay. Abigail dove into the tunnel, rooted around, and in less than three seconds, reappeared with a snacker in her mouth. Dad shook his head in disbelief. Abigail rolled her eyes and thought, “It’s not that hard, Dad!” as she sat munching on her treasure.

As time passed, Abigail got used to being inside the tunnel, and sometimes, would sit in there and forage for just the right piece of hay, and munch on it. She loved having a variety of hay to choose from, and it was so much more fun than just eating off a platter! Foraging was fun!

She hopped onto a cushion beside the couch to take a closer look. She was 2 lbs of rabbit, and felt awfully small. He seemed to loom over her. “One wrong step, and he could smoosh me,” she thought to herself. The man looked over at her. Shyly, she turned her back to him, not wanting him to catch her looking. “Really, Abigail?” he asked, “Are you ever going to warm up to me?”

Abigail thought about it for a few minutes. He had a point. She turned around to face him. The man looked over and said, “Well, that’s better.” She hopped up to the edge of the couch and put her front paws up on the couch and stared at him. The man looked down at her and smiled. “Hello there,” he said.

It was now or never. Every hour, every breath of her life had led to this moment. Abigail took a deep breath, screwed up all the courage she could muster, and leapt right onto the couch. It was scary being so far off the ground. But she was a brave and determined girl. The man looked surprised. Abigail cautiously crawled up his arm and gave him a nose bump – the bunny equivalent of stealing a kiss. Nose-to-nose, they looked into each other’s eyes. She felt so vulnerable. With one move, he could easily toss her off the couch. But the man just smiled.

“May I call you Dad?” she asked.

Looking into her eyes, the man replied, “You know Abigail, before I adopted you, I made a commitment.

I promised I’d always take care of you.

I promised I’d make this place your home.

I promised I would make you a priority and spend time with you.

And I promised I would love you. Forever.”

At that moment, she knew she could trust him.

She was right.

Abigail hopped over to investigate. She wasn’t sure what to do. Until now, all she ever ate was hay and pellets. She had never even seen greens before. She sniffed them carefully. They smelled good. She took a little bite. They tasted good, too! Abigail went around the smorgasbord, sampling little bites of each plant. Right away, she discovered that cilantro was her favorite, followed by parsley. She wasn’t sure about the dandelion leaves or the basil, so she decided to come back to those later. But when she took a bite of the apple, she thought, “This is good! I like apples!”

From then on, twice a day, every day, the man brought her the orange tray filled with fresh greens to supplement her hay. Abigail wondered where this endless supply of fresh greens came from. Was there a field full of fresh greens? She looked out the window, but didn’t see anything. One day, the man came through the door with an arm full of greens and announced, “Abigail, I’ve been to the magic garden!” She followed him over to the room where the orange tray came from, and watched as he carefully washed all the greens, cut their stems, and arranged them in a bowl of water like a bouquet of fresh flowers. The aroma was enticing. “Someday,” she thought, “I have to visit this magic garden.”

Every so often, he’d bring her something new to try. “Abigail, try this,” he’d say. He brought her different types of lettuce, kale, beet tops, mustard greens, and bok choy. Some she liked, some she didn’t. But she appreciated being given the choice. Abigail noticed that her chestnut coat grew soft and shiny. Food was interesting and exciting now. She liked poking around here and there throughout the day, picking out the bits she wanted right then. She thought it must be how her wild cousins ate. For the first time, Abigail had favorite foods, and she felt very worldly.

To pretty much anything that moves, a rabbit looks like a good snack. Their only defense is to run and hide. After hundreds of years and countless generations, the rabbits who survived were the ones who were always on guard and ran and hid from their predators. So, the rabbits that are around today are programmed to be cautious. Abigail liked to call it “survival of the skittish”. 

She took a walk-about around the living room, searching for a good hiding place. First, she checked behind the couch. “Nope. Too open,” she thought. Then, she hopped into the dining room and looked behind the bar. “Nope. Only one entrance,” she observed. But as she came back into the living room, she noticed a little gap between the bookcase and the wall, just barely as wide as her head. “Hmmm, I wonder what’s back there?” she pondered. 

She stuck her nose into the crack and sniffed. Not sensing anything threatening, she made herself skinny and squeezed her furry little body into the crevice. It was tight, but she could manage. As she rounded the corner, she could see light at the other end of the tunnel. She pushed on through, and popped her head out the other side. The exit was in the corner of the room, hidden from sight. “This is perfect.” she thought, “Two entrances, completely hidden, and just big enough for a bunny.”

There were a couple of “roots” growing in the way of the entrances, but she could fix that. She set about chewing on the roots to get them out of the way, when the man came over to investigate. “What are you doing, sweetheart?” he asked. “Just clearing the entrance,” thought Abigail, as she paused and looked up at him with her big brown eyes. She continued chewing and tugging at the root. It was very stubborn. “Um, sweetie, you probably shouldn’t chew on those cords,” said the man. Abigail stopped. “Why not?” she wondered.

The man disappeared for a few minutes and came back with some tools. With one tug (he made it look so easy) he lifted the root off the ground and hung it on a nail, so it was no longer in the way. “That works,” thought Abigail. Now she didn’t need to chew the root herself. It didn’t really taste very good anyway.

It was time for a test run. Abigail bolted around the living room to build up speed and then made a beeline for the sliver of an entrance. Without even slowing down, she disappeared into the crevice. The man stood there, dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe she’d fit through the opening, let alone at full speed. She stuck her head out the other side and looked at him. “What do you think?” she asked. “I’m impressed!” said the man. From then on, the man was careful never to block the entrances to her bolt-to spot.

Now, when Abigail played out in the open, she felt more secure, knowing that she had a safe place to hide. 

“Good morning!” said a cheerful voice. It was the man she had met yesterday. This was definitely not a dream. “Did you sleep OK?” he asked. The man opened the lid to her cage and slowly reached in to pet her. He seemed trustworthy so far. She didn’t back away this time, and granted him permission to touch her head. “Welcome to your new home,” he said, “Would you like to explore?” 

He slid open the door to her cage, and backed away. Abigail looked at the open door and was frozen with fear. She was all alone, about to face a new world. Rabbits are curious creatures, and curiosity soon overcame her fear. She hopped out onto the carpet. It felt good on her feet. It gave her good traction in case she needed to run, which made her feel more secure. She scanned the room for danger, but all was still. So, she bravely ventured out into the open. There were so many new sights to behold and smells to investigate!

“This is your new home,” explained the man, “It’s all yours!” Did she hear him right? The entire place was hers? “You never have to go back in the cage if you don’t want to,” he said. Yes, she had heard right! The man left her alone to set up her new space. It was so big! She was used to living in 8 square feet. This was a hundred times bigger! It was like walking out onto a football field.

Abigail explored the living room, and chose a spot by the bottom of a tall window for her home base. Behind her, she had an unobstructed view of the outside world where she could watch squirrels playing in the trees. In front of her, she could keep an eye on everything going on in her territory. The spot was far enough out of the way that she could run for cover if something unfamiliar showed up. It was perfect. She marked that spot with a few little poops to let everyone know that this was now her spot.

Then she chose her bathroom. “No more pooping where I eat and sleep!” she thought. She chose a spot as far away as she could from her napping place, but still close enough that she could make a beeline back to home base if needed. She left a pile of poops and a splash of pee to let the man understand this was her bathroom. He obliged, and put down a piece of cardboard and a towel. She understood, and from then on, faithfully used that as her bathroom. No words were spoken, but they were communicating! This man was listening to her!

Late that night, an excited Abigail ran laps around the dining room table and dashed through the living room. As she ran past her old cage, she thought, “No more. I’m never going back in there!” 

Her wish had come true. At last, she was free!

Abigail wished she could play at night. That’s when she was wide awake. At night, though, the family was asleep and she was locked in her cage. One night, she looked up through the window at the starry sky and wished with all her heart that she could be free to run, play, explore, and rest wherever she liked.

The warm sun made her sleepy, and she started to doze off. Suddenly she was jarred awake by a big commotion. The family burst into the room. “Are they letting me out?” she wondered excitedly. But instead of opening the door, they picked up the entire cage and carried her outside. This had never happened before. Abigail was frightened. Rabbits like to be firmly planted on the ground, not up in the air. “What is happening?” she worried.

Outside, a man peered at her through the bars. She had never met him before. He spoke softly to her, “Well, hello there! Aren’t you cute?” She eyed him with caution. What did he want? The family opened the lid to her cage. She felt very vulnerable. The man reached his hand in to touch her. “Whoa, I don’t know you that well!” she thought. She backed away.  

Rabbits have four levels of defense; run, hide, lunge, and bite. Abigail looked around. There was nowhere to run in her tiny cage. She looked for somewhere to hide. The only place was under the green plastic igloo that she often perched upon for a better view. Abigail dove under the igloo. “Please don’t hurt me,” she begged.

The family lifted the igloo off of her, and just like that, she was again utterly vulnerable. The stranger reached in again to touch her. Time for level three of defense! She lunged at him, but stopped short of biting him. That was reserved as a last resort. “Back off!” she grunted. It worked. The man backed away.

She heard the family apologize and say, “She’s normally not so mean.” Abigail thought, “I’m not mean, I’m scared!” The stranger seemed to understand, and smiled at her and said softly, “Don’t be scared, little one. I won’t hurt you.” Again, she eyed him with caution. The man and the family talked, and then they placed a smaller box with a handle on it near the door to her cage. She hesitated, but it was somewhere to hide, so she hopped inside. The door closed behind her. She was trapped. She thought to herself, “I’m a tough bunny,” and put on a brave face, trying her best to not look weak even though she was terrified. “What’s going to happen to me?” she wondered. 

Although she didn’t understand, the wish she had made long ago was about to come true.