Blind date

So I know I've been slacking in keeping up on posts here, but I have got some news that I definitely couldn't put off. I just got a call from my grandfather asking if I still wanted a rabbit. He had apparently forgotten that I already have one, but nevertheless asked if I would like another. The bun in question is a neutered male belonging to my great uncle (actually my step-great uncle, my family is complicated) who for some reason or another can no longer take care of him. I vaguely remember hearing about him last time I visited my grandparents; Roger Rabbit (we will have to change that name I think) is a house rabbit and gets along well with cats.

I told my grandpa I would have to make sure Umbra and Roger got along by introducing them first. He thought that was funny. "How do you introduce rabbits?" he asked. "Do you say.. what was your rabbits name?"

"Umbra."

"What?"

"Umbra."

"Oh Pandora."

"No, it's Umbra." (needless to say he is hard of hearing and its nearly impossible to have a conversation over the phone).

"Oh well whatever, do you say well I'd like you to meet Roger?" He thought he was pretty funny.

Anyway, he said he would give me a call when the rabbit arrived at their house. Fingers crossed that he is in good health and that Umbra doesn't kill him (and that my mom doesn't kill me.. or her dad).

So much going on!

I will do this in chronological order:

1) Tuesday Umbra flopped. Yes flops are cute but its kinda a big deal, because Umbra hasn't flopped when she is petted in over a year. She quit doing it shortly after she was spayed with the exception of the occasional post-dinner/bed-time-flop (contact with human not required).

2) I went to Bloomington to visit my big bro again, leaving Umbra in the care of my mom. Like most holidays, she was simultaneously house/dog sitting for others so Umbra didn't get much attention and she let me know it when I got home.

I, however, did get my bunny fix while on vacation. Tried to convince my brother to adopt a cat as the area human society was having a Free Feline Friday event. He didn't get a cat, but he did decide to volunteer, probably walking dogs since he doesn't have the time or space for a dog of his own right now (side note: quietest dog kennel I have ever been too, those pups got so much attention they were wiped out!). In the meantime I met the resident bunnies, who were all spayed and neutered, although they could use a little more hay. I played with a lovely Silver Fox named Bao, and plucked a patchy Rex named Beatrice. All the buns were friendly and in good shaped, not stressed out and anxious like the ones at Elkhart Humane.

Bao who is incorrectly classified as a Dutch (pics via Petfinder)

Beatrice not looking as shabby as she did in person (pics via Petfinder)

Both of these girls have bond mates and are looking for forever homes, I definitely recommend Bloomington Animal Shelter to anyone in the area looking for a bunny or other animal.

3) Since my return Umbra has been up to mischievous self. This morning she nibbled a cable connected to the T.V. causing the signal to cut out, then I found this just moments ago...

Umbra has never put one of her blankies in the litter box! This one is usually stuffed in her hidey-hole a couple feet away. What's more is she also missed the mark when she peed. I guess this is revenge for leaving.

Just so you know Umbra dear, I do hate leaving you. I miss my bunny terribly and I hate that she gets so upset when I go. If I could I would take her everywhere with me, but I'm sure she wouldn't like that a whole lot either.

Odd Couples on Nature

This episode of Nature aired last fall (on my birthday in fact), but I just happened to not watch it until last night... instead of reading for class, but that is besides the point. The episode featured various animal "odd couples" who shared tight bonds despite being different species.

One peculiar friendship was between a dog and a rabbit, although it wasn't one of the featured relationships. Still a good watch nonetheless. Explores the longstanding belief in science that animals don't have emotions or relationships like humans do. True, animal emotions and bonds differ than humans, but it doesn't make them any less real or strong. I thought it was a little silly that scientists are spending all this time researching, trying to prove something that much of society has experienced. I think the closeness we have with our pets is testament enough to animal friendship; I consider Umbra my friend, and I think she feels the same (although there is some debate over who wears the pants so to speak.. obviously rabbits don't actually wear pants) There is a great quote in the episode: "the plural of anecdote is data". How many of us know of amazing animal friendships whether inter-species or not. I once had a cat and a parakeet that were best of friends. When the bird became suddenly ill and died, my cat sat on top of her cage all night and cried. They used to share bird seed (the cat was a pig and would eat anything but that is another story).

I feel that this is really relevant to rabbits as well. A lot of people think that they can just through two rabbits together and everything will be dandy. But like people, not all animals get along with everyone of the same species; they all have distinct personalities and not all of them are compatible. This goes for other pets as well. Since I have had Umbra I and during my time volunteering at Indy Humane, why people only have to have meet-and-greets with their dogs, but not cats and certainly not rabbits. I give IHS the credit for assessing the personality of the animals. For example and cat might be labeled as needing a single cat home or being good with both cats and dogs, but people didn't need to introduce their current cats to a potential adoptee. When I went to Elkhart Humane, they thought I was crazy that I would want to introduce Umbra to her suitors before adopting (which fell through anyway).

If people didn't underestimate animals so much maybe we would care more about how we treat them and our environment. They have a lot to teach us too.

Humane Society Trip

While out on other errands, I happened to be in the area of the local Humane Society. I have been toying with the idea of finding a friend for Umbra for a while.

So I decided to stop in, but was disappointed. The last time I had been to the the Humane Society "critters had been kept in a separate room, secluded from the dogs and most cats. However now they are in a smaller room across the hall from one of the noisy dog kennels. The few rabbits were clearly distressed by the noise. Also, there was too much pellets available and not enough hay. (they did have plenty of water and thank God they weren't in wire-bottom cage). The rabbits were all unaltered (and the information on their breeds was inaccurate)

Nonetheless, I filled out an application for adoption. The staff member assisting me asked if there was a particular rabbit I was interested. I told her that I would have to introduce my own rabbit to the potential companions, and she gave me a weird look. I explained that rabbits can be very territorial, but the staff still acted as if it were an odd request. I feel that all types of pets should be introduced to the current pets of potential adopters. I know that shelters generally require dogs to be introduced, but other animals, like cats and rabbits can be just as vicious toward strange animals.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I will end up adopting one of these rabbits, but I am considering volunteering at the shelter (I previously volunteered at the shelter in Indy) and helping out with the rabbits, although there are few.