Case Studies

5yrs old, Netherland Dwarf Rabbit, female

10yrs old, Californian, male

I received a call one day to pick up an old bunny that had lived in a garage for years. The place was way out in the country. I arrived and the old woman was standing in the driveway waiting. ‘Come on, he’s in here,’ she said, pointing to a dilapidated, dark, hot, dusty, isolated garage. Inside, was a white bunny that did not move when I approached him. The old woman said, ‘he broke his leg somehow. I don’t know how it happened…’About that time her teenage grandson walked in holding a bat over his shoulder. He looked at the bunny, and then at me, sneered, then laughed and without saying a word walked out of the hot hell hole of a garage. As I picked up Old Bun, I felt his right back leg had been broken a long time back. I could feel where the bat had been swung, broke his leg, and had healed with the imprint of the bat in the bone. ‘He must have fallen or something…’ her voice trailed off again. I took Old Bun to the Sanctuary. His ears were stiff, crusty and bloody with years of ear mites. He sat perfectly still while I carefully cleaned them. He was so grateful! His old eyes looked at me with love and gratitude in them. How could he love and trust ANYONE after the hell he had been through? I prepared a nice home for him in a large cage next door to a large white female bun named Pinky. They ‘talked’. Old Bun’s broken body and sweet spirit, responded to love, good food and to being out on the ground with lots of natural grass and other rabbits around him. He loved his new life. He came in the house and loved being in the kitchen with me. The tile was cool, and there were always carrots and treats in there. He became a huge part of my life-he was so grateful for the smallest things. After the hell that only he had endured, he loved me and loved to be held.

He put his sweet, old face on my shoulder, and let me know that he trusted me…the bond that we had was too deep to even begin to describe. He was able to be loose on our property for a couple of hours a day. He stayed by the back porch and talked with all the bunnies that came up for treats. He stretched out as much as he could [his R back leg permanently bent clearly showing how the bat struck and broke his leg]. Life was good now; Old Bun knew he was safe. His old eyes spoke to me.

He told me he loved me, that he loved Pinky, and that he had never known that a place like the Sanctuary was even possible. Time went by too fast. One day, Old Bun came up to me and sat. Something was wrong. We went to the Vet. Old Bun’s heart was giving out. He died on the table, but the Vet was able to do CPR and brought him back. She said take him home and make him comfortable. He had a bed in the living room, no cage, just his bed and food and water. He wanted to be close to us when his time came. I brought his love, Pinky, in to be with him. She fussed over him and snuggled up to him. He lived that way for 2 months. He loved us and we loved him and told him every day… He ate well, but didn’t run around the room. He was happy just to be comfortable in his bed, and to have Pinky and my husband, daughter and me with him. One day when we were in the kitchen, I heard him thump! The thump was a call of danger -I ran to him. He was dying. I hugged him[very carefully], told him how much I loved him and how he had changed my life…I told him he was going to an even better place than here, that he will love it and that we will meet him there soon.

He looked into my eyes with his sweet old eyes for the last time. He DID tell me that he loved me… Then he passed away in my arms. I couldn’t put him down for hours. The depth of Old Bun’s life and the profound effect he had on everyone he met would have to be witnessed because mere words do not describe how animal lovers were drawn to him. He ‘talked’ to people with his eyes. He LOVED people after all the years of suffering he went through because of a horrible human. He was a gift from God to me. He changed my life. I still love him, and I miss him every day. One day, we will be together again…..

5yrs 2mths old, Albino Dwarf, male