That's my Fred

who couldn't love a face like that? It still baffles me to no end the idea that someone could have intentionally let him go. Flyer's were posted vets & kennels were called, and still no one claimed this handsome fellow. I've always said "finders keepers." However it makes me incredibly sad with the thought that "what if" I didn't see him when I did that day in our back yard. And what would have come of him then?

Real animal or stuffed animal?

I'm a DOG person!

I grew up with dogs, we had Lacey a dog, I've always been drawn to dogs...never in a million years would I have considered myself to be a rabbit person. Even now when I tell people, "we have a pet rabbit, " I sort of feel kinda weird, because people always give me that quizzical kinda look "really a pet rabbit?". Then I have to go on about what a great pet he really is...and somehow now matter how I try and describe him, I still get the raised eyebrow and a look of confusion. Oh well, so here we are with a pet rabbit that goes by the name of Fred. Some days finding myself trying to defend him to those people who are not necessarily rabbit people..

Pat the Bunny?

Lacey was my first "baby"

How can I even put into words my feelings towards Lacey. I'll start off by saying she was our Belgian Sheepdog that we got after being married for a few years. We had been trying to conceive for several years till John suggested we get a puppy. Once we got her home, I'll never forget thinking "no way can a baby be more work than a 12 week old puppy!!" She was a little black fur ball, we nicknamed Lacey Bear because she looked like a little bear cub. She had her moments for sure, destroyed a couch, carpet, school books, and countless amount of household items. But she was our baby still, that's the wonder of owning pets, you realize you have a greater capacity to love more than you ever thought.

Kids came and she didn't know what was going on, them approaching her was not her favorite thing in the world. Especially when they started to become mobile. That reminds me of another lesson she taught me, how important it was to instill certain values in my kids. That they had to respect her boundaries and how to show affection in a respectful manner. And I'm so proud of them now for what animal lovers they've come to be.

Lacey was incredibly loyal to me and to John. We could be in a room of 100 people and she knew dern well who her mommy & daddy were.. She just tickled me pink every time we would play hide & go seek. Her ears would go up as I yelled to her "where's daddy?" and she'd be off running. Found us every time of course!

She was & we were so emotionally attached that for years we never took a vacation because we knew she'd look for us no matter who we left her with. The thought of this now just breaks my heart. I mean for Pete's sake anytime we went to my moms house God forbid if John had to go to the car for something she would go crazy jumping up trying to look out the window to see where he went. Then, she'd just sit there by the door and cry until his return.

We finally decided when Maddie was 2 1/2 years old that we could venture a vacation to Busch Gardens VA. Under much hesitation we left her with my Brother in-law for a 4 day trip. She didn't eat the whole time she was there and was very distressed. It's hard to rationalize that going on a simple vacation with your family could actually do harm to your pet. And I'm sure she was sick all along, it's just that I can't help the feeling that I failed her in some way...At first I figured OK, she lost some weight from not eating for a few days, she'll be fine.. months went by and she never gained the weight back. It was only a year later that we discovered that Lacey had kidney failure and she only had a few months left to live. "What, she's only 6 years old, this can't be happening, not to MY Lacey?" Boy I never cried so much in my whole life! This is insane, how can I be so distraught over a dog! She's just a dog! A dog whom I loved more than words can say.

His name is Peter Cottontail Fred

Thank goodness it's a boy, because for several day's (before I could muster the courage to "peek") I just called him Fred. Although Maddie had proclaimed on several occasions, "Mommy, we can't call him FRED, we should call him Peter Cottontail."In which I replied, "but, we've been calling him Fred for days, can't we just stick with that?" She finally decided, "OK, mommy, Fred can be his last name".

Now, breaking the news to husband...

that there's a rabbit in the house! Of course picking up my son from summer school was a thrill, excited to tell the news of our new found bunny rabbit. On the other hand, having to let my husband know, not so thrilling. We have a bi-level home so the bedroom downstairs worked well for a place for the new bun to stay. It was this room we were all awaiting the return of darling husband.."where is everyone and why is this door closed?!" "umm, we're all in here honey!" so he enters in which time he does not see the frightened lil bun hiding under a table. The kiddies together exclaim the excitement of a lost rabbit! Husband angrily "What do you mean there's a rabbit in the house!?" Cue the crying child..Darling daughter starts to bawl expressing the fact that WE found the bunny rabbit, he has no home, and SOMEONE has to take care of him! Oh this is not going so well...until, darling husband finally spots the big white rabbit and starts to laugh.

A happy ending after all.

The day Fred hopped into my life..

July 9, 2009. It was a day like any other going to pick up my son from summer school. Well, it was on the way out when me and my daughter spotted him through the sliding glass door window out to our backyard. OK, first thought, yikes, you don't belong out there! He had been the biggest whitest rabbit I've ever seen. So, upstairs I ran, arming myself with some celery. Outside I went with vegetables in hand, thinking please still be there, please still be there... well, he was :) Now, doing a very poor imitation of how a bunny would sound, bending down coaxing him towards me, slowly & cautiously he hopped towards me, I swept him up & he's been mine ever since!