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Mr. Bigglesworth

Mr. Biggles passed away on May 27th, 2006.  Our vet determined it was due to dilated cardiomyopathy, basically he had a bad heart and it finally gave out on him.  I was told that he had not suffered in the weeks leading up to his passing and there was nothing we could have done to stop it and normal physical exams would not detect it.

                                       

Mr. Bigglesworth is our own bunny.  He's a dalmation Lionhead.  Lionheads are generally more independent so if you're looking for a real sucky lap-bun you're better off with one of the more friendly breeds like a Holland Lop.  However, they are affectionate in their own way.  He'll bunny-hop when he's happy.  When we come downstairs in the morning he comes zooming up, shaking his head because he's happy to see us.

He comes running if he hears a bag crinkling in the kitchen and sometimes skids right by if he's come in too fast.  He loves Cheerios and will try to steal them from our son.  He's like a Terminator Bunn, he absolutely will not stop until he's got a treat!

Bunns are funny when it comes to their area.  He'll get upset when we clean his litterbox because that's HIS stuff.  He doesn't like anyone touching his water fountain.  If he doesn't like how the food area is set up, he'll reorganize.   He'll push the food dispensers into the middle of the kitchen.  If we're not tripping over toys from our son, its stuff that the rabbit has left all over!

Bigglesworth often does the bunny flop.  He tilts his head to one side and plops his whole body down on his side.  Graceful, no.  Effective, yes.  Its his favourite sleeping position.  Often its right in the middle of where we have to walk to get to the kitchen but you can walk by him, inches from his face and he doesn't even open an eye.  Sometimes he's looking so relaxed I stop to make sure he's breathing.  He scares me laying there so still!

For some reason, he will not brave the stairs so he has the run of the main floor of the house.  We never cage him because he's really well-behaved.  Except for a couple of calls to cable TV repair, we haven't had much in the way of chewing damage.

Bigglesworth educated me on "thumping".  My rabbits had never thumped.  But one day I was in my office upstairs and I heard THUMP!  I thought Biggles knocked something over.  I head for the stairs and THUMP! THUMP!  I'm thinking its way too loud to be the rabbit or the cat.  I'm afraid someone's trying to get in the house or already in with me and and my son all alone.  I make it downstairs and I hear another THUMP!  I could feel the vibration of the thump through the floor.  Biggles takes off skidding across the hardwood floor, the cat's back is arched, her hair spiked and  I get to the phone, ready to dial 911.  And then I see the little brat standing beside me, THUMP THUMP THUMPing with both feet.  I never thought such a small animal could make a sound that loud.  I got online and found out that its Biggles way of warning us that there is danger ... "in his opinion".

We've moved Biggles upstairs so he can hang out with our son watching TV in his room and with me in my office while I'm working.  Notice the picture of him stretched out under my desk and you'll have some idea of how much help he is!

 

 

 

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

(Our own bunnies that have passed on but are never forgotten.)

How to Explain the Loss of a Pet to Young Children