Saturday, January 31, 2009

Fidgeting About...

Meet Fidget...
"This sure is a nice little house Mom gave me"

She came home Thursday but I have been so swamped helping my dear friend Debbie get the last little pieces of her life here packed up to move to Santa Cruz for good Sunday morning that I have had but a brief chance to take any time with my new baby girl.

She's about 4 months old. Her Mama was a lop. That's all I know.

"I really like all the hay and food and toys she has in here.
Maybe I'll go back in and eat some hay."


She's a wonderfully curious, playful, happy bunny. This morning I had the pleasure of watching a few laps of the Bunny 500 with a couple binkies thrown in for fun!

Lakota is even excited to have her and is no longer moping around the house!

"Nope! I think I'd rather run and play!"

I let her out of her cage for a little bit this morning and could not get her to go back in! Once she's using her litter box with, ahem, regularity, she'll have free roam of the house. It's still pretty much bunny-proofed from Archi Ann's days inside, minus the mess from not being home much but at Debbie's house.

"See ya all later!"

*NOTE: this was all taken with Lakota in the house and pretty non-plussed by the bunny activity... Lakota is back to her bunny loving, protecting self. When I brought Fidget home and was holding her for Lakota to sniff, Lakota gave her face a nice bath!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Monday Bunday

Bye Bye Ri Ri.
I honestly don't understand why you had to go and my heart still breaks every time I think about it, but I do understand why you were here. For a year and a half God granted me the greatest gift in knowing you and having the privilege of being your "Mom" for your time here. I will never NEVER forget you and I will always be grateful that God gave you to me. Thank you, God, for giving me Ri Ri, who changed my life is marvelous and unimaginable ways. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Ri Ri, in your honor, in the spirit of not giving up on rescue, and needing to heal mine and Lakota's broken hearts I say ...

... welcome to the family Fidget!

Saturday I went on my 2nd mission to a shelter to find and rescue a rabbit that needed a home. This one was a wonderful success! I almost immediately was captivated by this little girl, because of her antics as she munched on her yummy hay. But there was another beautiful bun, grey and peach in color, that caught my eye.

I held them both and the decision was made! While the other girl was quite skittish Fidget calmed right down in my arms and rested. Of course my heart melted. I asked Janay, who held them both as well and it was instant for her too. Diane joined us on the outing as well to make sure the bunny I picked would like her since she often takes care of them while I'm away she had some veto power over me getting another snarky Archi Ann that lunges and grunts when you want to feed or pet her! But that was Archi's charm!

I want a bunny that will bond with me and Lakota and be social with us. I think I found that in Fidget.

She's not home yet, as she has to have that surgery... I confess that while I would have left again without a bunny if the right match wasn't made (though I wanted to take them all and rescue them from the shelter) I must say that once I picked her she instantly grew in my heart and the the thought of actually having to leave WITHOUT HER was difficult! But with Mandi and Buddy here it worked out better this way. She doesn't need the extra chaos when she comes home. I now have time to prepare a place for her and be ready for her to come home... hopefully Tuesday.

I'm bursting with joy and anticipation...

Easy Like Sunday Morning ... or...

Here comes the sun...

Tomorrow - my first Monday Bunday post featuring my own bunny in a long time...

But until then...


I've been dog sitting for some friends this weekend, the Great Dane Mandi has been here (she's been here before) and the people that own her also ended up adopting my foster charge Buddy, whom they adore, so it's been like a reunion weekend here! I think it's been great for Lakota and it's definitely been good for my heart!

I look forward to catching up on all your blogs and thanking you all for your kind words of comfort and encouragement at the passing of O'Reilly. I have not gotten over losing him but I am trying to keep moving forward!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Easy Like Sunday Morning

not quite a cleansing post but getting there ...

This is my friend's cat Cooper

Thanks you all who have left loving, kind wonderful messages and encouragement. At some point I'll get to all of you to say thank you. This has been harder than even losing Ollie just before I adopted O'Reilly. I had Ollie for so many wonderful years. But at least I took GOBS of pictures of O'Reilly and have wonderful memories of his fun loving, playful, cuddly attitude.

I love you all - you are great blog friends.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

sigh... saying goodbye again...

O'Reilly died yesterday. Well no, I had to put him down. He was not yet 2 and I have had him for a little over a year.

For the last several months I have been dealing with somewhat unpredictable fits of aggression against other animals. He would "snap" and attack another animal. Sometimes it *seemed* clear in that maybe it was over possession of a toy or bone. But sometimes, like on Tuesday, there was NO REASON. Tuesday, several times over the course of the day he was fence fighting with the neighbor dogs. He's never done that before. In the last fit of fence fighting he got hold of one of the neighbor dogs' nose and would not let go. He was insanely trying to pull her nose thru the chain link fence.

And he wouldn't release. I ended up literally having to pry his jaws open.

I adopted him from Ridgeback Rescue so I contacted them, 2 different coordinators that I spoke to directly and others emailed me suggestions. Janay, the local coordinator that I work with, had been for months helping me troubleshoot his issues. We were working his butt off with training but he always seemed one step ahead of us.

Cesar would not be able to rehabilitate this dog. He needed to be put down...

Then, later Tuesday night, my sweet boy that didn't used to have this aggression showed me why. He spent Tuesday night having seizures.

O'Reilly had a brain disorder. After seeing this, several of the coordinators said "AHA!" Odd, erratic behavior is sometimes a precursor to a brain disorder.

My heart absolutely broke. I'm still broken.

The choice didn't change, he would not get better and all the money in the world might not fix him. And in the process of trying to find a fix he would continue to be an unpredictable dog.

I took him to my vet yesterday morning and said Goodbye.

I am still recovering from my ruptured calf muscle and have not been able to run him. So last week Janay picked him up and took him, with her three pups, to the snow and he got to play in the snow for the first time ever! I have wonderful pictures of the day.

Monday, the day before the fence incident, she took him running with her dogs and he had a blast playing in the settling ponds! He LOVED to swim and splash in the water.

So he's had a great couple of weeks with new experiences.

I loved my guy so much. Even when he took out my bunnies, my snarky Archi Ann! I understood it was part of his sighthound and I accepted that and changed my life to match what he needed. I was happy to do it.

I have changed so much in the last year because of him. I have grown so much in my patience, understanding, dog training ability and social skills from all the trips to dog park for his sake! He had lots of energy and needed exercise and loved to play and had to be playing with lots of dogs. So things like dog park, and long hikes and walks to the settling ponds became a new part of my life.

Because of O'Reilly I am a better person. For that I am so thankful to him.

I miss him terribly.

But I also trust God. I know that He used O'Reilly to mold me more into the person that He desires me to be.

I will move forward. Lakota, his big sister, is still going strong at 7. She's a fantastic dog. I'm going to spend my time growing our relationship and doing things she enjoys!

And ...

I think I'll get a bunny...

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Easy Like Sunday Morning ... or...

O'Reilly has way too much energy for me!!!