Love Bunny

I'm still waiting to hear from the veterinarian about Walter's blood test results.  The labs won't come back for another two or three days, so I'm being as patient and hopeful as I can.  In the meantime, Walter seems to be as happy as a clam! All evening long yesterday, he was playful and only a tiny bit mischievous. Rabbits, in my experience, can be moody and unpredictable.  I am eternally grateful for days like yesterday when my bunny can be trusted to roam the apartment without an overly watchful eye, entertain himself with rabbit-appropriate toys, and turn to me for a snuggle or two.  Snuggly rabbit days always remind me of an email that I received from Walter's breeder:

"Walter is such a love bunny!  We had an Easter photo shoot today, so there are new pics up."

(I'm working to see if I can retrieve copies of the photo from Walter's Easter glamour shots, since I didn't seem to save them anywhere on my computer.  Once I get them, I'll post them here.)

When we first brought Walter home with us, he spent a lot of time ignoring me and Paul.  He was downright adamant about doing anything but letting us pet him.  I knew that it could take a while for a bunny to bond with its owners, but I was impatient; I was used to owning a dog, which love everyone forever instantly.  During Walter's initial veterinarian exam, the doctor told us that he could tell our rabbit would be docile and sweet once he outgrew his childhood.  At this point, I couldn't believe it.

I'll never forget the first time I realized that our rabbit did bond with us. After spending weeks celebrating the tiniest moments of rabbit affection (seriously - I would get excited because Walter let me run my hand down his back one whole time before hopping away), it was almost like a switch flipped in Walter's bunny brain.  He was, as usual, hanging out underneath the sofa.  I laid down on the floor to check on him and expected him to look at me with apathy.  Instead, he scooted his body just a few inches closer to me, stretched out his neck, and offered his bunny face for a forehead and cheek scratching session.  And that's when I heard (and felt!) him grind his teeth softly: the rabbit equivalent to a kitten's purr.

From then on, we were official friends.  He began following me around the house, "helping" with chores (his favorite is laundry - he likes to hop in the piles of clothes while I sort darks from lights), and laying down next to us while we watch TV, content to receive rubs when he's not in the midst of a cleaning session.

He's still a naughty bunny on some days, but he always redeems himself with his sweet rabbit eyes and a simple snuggle or two.