Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water, and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….
(Author unknown)
BUDGIE (2022)
In 2010, my Budgie Bunny was found wandering in a park, fending for himself. A volunteer for LIRRG asked me to foster him until his forever home could be found. Needless to say, I failed at being a foster parent. As a friend once said to me, there are worse things in life to fail at.
Myself and my late life partner, Steve tried to kid ourselves that having Budgie live with us was a temporary situation. We kept him in a cage in our living room. When my cousin’s husband, Allan, walked in and saw the rabbit, he asked if we had given him a name. Steve and I both responded “Budgie” to which Allan replied that we are keeping him. That was twelve years ago.
I was never successful trying to bond Budgie with my other rabbit Snoopy who passed in 2018. They each had their own bunny condos and their run space was separated by pens. Snoopy was older and grumpy and neat as a pin. Budgie was younger and loved to play, never realizing when Snoopy had enough. Budgie was a slob. They were like Oscar and Felix from the show; The Odd Couple. Snoopy and Budgie had a love-hate relationship and would lay side by side with a pen separating them.
I did not feel so alone having Budgie in my house. He would get me out of bed in the morning. If I don’t feed him on his schedule, he would make a racket by pushing around his food bowl. If he wants attention, especially when I try to meditate in another room, he creates a lot of noise by working on a bunny construction project or thumping his hind leg.
Budgie’s antics never failed to make me smile or laugh. One time, I forgot to put his litter box in his pen and he decided to use his food dish as his litter box. Much to my surprise, he didn’t even miss! Budgie was so mischievous! If he wasn’t supposed to be in a particular part of the house, Budgie would make a bee line for that place when I let him out to free roam.
Sadly, in mid-2021, Budgie developed arthritis in his hind legs and was no longer able to hop or move about freely. His mobility was becoming more and more limited and he was incontinent. His hind legs were becoming stiff and gnarled.
As his arthritis progressed, Budgie would still greet me with a head binky in the morning as he could no longer move his arthritic body very much.
Losing Budgie was huge. He was the last connection to my life partner Steve who died by suicide in 2015. Steve and I had both agreed to adopt Snoopy and Budgie and give them their forever homes.
By January 2022, I knew there was no hope for a miracle for Budgie to be cured. Arthritis in rabbits can be quite debilitating and it typically severely impacts their quality of life. I was getting close to having to make the dreaded decision many pet owners fear; euthanasia. It is gut- wrenching as we don’t want our beloved pet to suffer, yet, we also don’t want to let them go.
Having control over the lives of our pets, especially when they trust us so much, is a huge responsibility we must all be cognizant of when we bring a pet into our homes.
Many have told me that our pets will let us know when it is time for us to end their suffering. I never got that from Budgie. In his case, I think he may have sensed how lonely I was and that I needed him. I don’t think he wanted to leave me. Sometimes I believe we don’t give animals enough credit for having feelings we consider to be more human than animal.
Budgie trusted me and many times, I wondered if it was really his time to leave me. He was feisty till the end and he didn’t want to let go, just as I did not want to let go of him. I knew his arthritis was irreversible and that his health was not going to improve. He was losing weight and was starting to feel like just fur and bones. Budgie’s hind legs were so skinny. I tried everything; lined his pen with fleece to ease the pressure on his hind legs, used an Assisi Loop and Metacam for pain and inflammation, took him to the vet for Adequan shots and gave him glucosamine/chondroitin supplements to try to inhibit any further cartilage loss and joint deterioration. I even had a bunny wheelchair made for him, but Budgie wanted no part of that.
Was I being selfish keeping Budgie alive with a poor quality of life because I didn’t want to be lonely without him? One morning I woke up and saw Budgie had not moved much from the spot where I saw him the night before. He was laying on his excrement and urine. At this point, Budgie was still eating (albeit not as much and only if I put the bowl right under his nose) giving me head binkies and still got excited for his treats. However, I decided to make the call to the vet before I could change my mind. Then I started second guessing myself; was I being premature with this irreversible decision? Is it better to wait until he is totally incapacitated and not eating, moving or drinking just so I could have him with me for a few more days? He was deteriorating quickly now and both the vet and I believed his crossing the rainbow bridge was inevitable. One of the co-founders of LIRRG said when rabbits lose mobility like Budgie did, they can’t do the most basic things that rabbits normally do 24×7; like scratch an itch, clean their face or stretch their backs. She went on to say; imagine having a terrible itch and not being able to reach it. In addition to the outward signs of lost quality of life, I knew I must also consider these other factors when assessing Budgie’s quality of life.
Reluctantly, I made the dreaded decision because Budgie’s visible and not so visible quality of life measures were getting worse. I did not want to delay the inevitable until his discomfort was so great.
Budgie’s vet agreed to come to my home to euthanize Budgie so Budgie would be in familiar surroundings when he passed. While getting the first sedative shot, Budgie was struggling and fighting to get away until I was able to soothe him with my voice and by petting him. He trusted me to protect him from danger. I still second guess myself and wonder if I made the right decision.
A few hours before the vet arrived at my home, I wanted to spoil Budgie in his last few hours. I opened up his pen, laid on the floor and petted and hand fed him his favorite treats. I could hear him purring as I petted him. This is the memory I never want to forget.
The bond I had with Budgie is something most people will never understand (unless you have owned a rabbit).
Budgie is with Snoopy and Steve now and I can only hope that someday I will see them all again. Until then, it is just me, coming home to an empty house. May Budgie be at peace now.
SNOOPY (2018)
Snoopy was one of the earlier bunnies rescued by LIRRG as it was starting up so many years ago. I clearly remember the day Steve and I first saw Snoopy. He was a baby, resting on the side of a grassy hill at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford. Steve used to conduct bike/run workouts for his triathlon team every Tuesday night. We would bike the 1 mile loop and we would see Snoopy and a bunch of other domestic rabbits wandering around in the park weekly in the fall of 2006. Steve and I instinctively knew these bunnies were not meant to be outdoors as they stuck out like sore thumbs with their white fur and would make for easy prey. We thought for sure there must be a rescue organization for rabbits that could help these bunnies. So, off to the Internet I went and did a google search. I found LIRRG and connected with Angela DaSilva and Greta Guarton. I was told the same thing I repeated to so many finders over the years as an LIRRG volunteer; there is no shelter, but if one can foster or adopt, LIRRG would provide supplies and education. So, Steve put out the word to the 300+ athletes on the triathlon team asking if anyone could foster or adopt. Two people said yes and we gave LIRRG the go ahead to rescue. Steve and I had fallen in love with Snoopy with his unique heli-lop look, but LIRRG said there was no guarantee they could capture him specifically (there were probably about 8-10 domestic rabbits loose in the park). I guess Steve and I were meant to have Snoopy because he took the banana bait. The two people who said they would foster fell through and Steve and I looked at each other and said, I guess we are bunny owners now. Steve loved both Budgie and Snoopy, but he always said he liked Snoopy best.
The youtube link below was made by Steve. It was Snoopy’s bedtime ritual, something we did every night including the night before Snoopy passed.
In the few weeks leading up to Snoopy’s death, I thought to myself that Snoopy would not be with me for much longer. There was no one sign; he was eating and pooping well and still loving his treats and was as cantankerous as ever. Occasionally, I would see him staring at the floor almost as if he was in a trance. On a Wednesday night, it seemed as if he might be having a bout of stasis coming on and I did my usual; gave him simethicone, massaged his belly and made him walk around. He was his usually cranky self and did not like it when I made him walk. I felt he needed some extra TLC and held him in my lap for an hour that night. Snoopy enjoyed his treat ritual although he had not eaten his dinner pellets (sometimes he would like to munch on them late at night) so I was not concerned. Thursday morning I woke up and his pellets were still there and Snoopy was listless, laying under his hidey box. That is when I first posted his status to the LIRRG Facebook page and took him immediately to the vet. My current vet consulted with Dr. Saver (Snoopy’s vet for 11 years before I moved) and they did all they could to save him. He deteriorated rapidly. When I called for an update at 5pm on Thursday, the vet said he may not make it through the night. Snoopy’s white blood cell count was way off and he was anemic. The vet said he had a massive infection and since antibiotics were not helping, it was probably viral in nature. Older rabbits tend not to do so well with these types of viruses. I immediately left to go to the vet to say goodbye to Snoopy. When they brought him in to me, he looked so sad and defeated and I cuddled and kissed him. It was so hard to leave him there, knowing I may not see him again. Five minutes after I got home, the vet called and said Snoopy had passed. I was so thankful I had a chance to say good bye to him and that I did not have to make the decision to euthanize.
Steve passed away in 2015 and Snoopy followed Steve in 2018. My heart was broken once again and memories of Steve, Snoopy and I washed over me. RIP Snoopy Bunny, may you have crossed the rainbow bridge into Steve’s arms.
AMOS (May 16, 2012)
Amos was only with our rescue group for a few months but worked his way into the hearts of all the volunteers who came into contact with him. He was a sweet, gentle soul who loved attention and head pats.
He wasn’t terribly energetic but loved his time out to explore his exercise pen. We weren’t sure how old he was, so figured he was an older bun just taking it easy. We didn’t know he had a heart condition that would take him so soon.
He and his sister Elke were rescued from a farm on Eastern Long Island where he spent his life in a chicken coop eating only alfalfa pellets, no hay, and sharing a noisy barn with hens and roosters. In his short time with us, he learned the joys of quiet, peaceful time, loving hands, and the taste and texture of salads. He will be missed.
PHOEBE (October 25, 2013)
Phoebe was found abandoned and brought to Animal Care and Control and rescued by LIRRG as her time was about to run out at the shelter. I fell in love with her at LIRRG where I volunteer and brought my male bunny Popeye there to see if it was possible to make a bond for them. It was an immediate attraction as they jumped into one litterbox peacefully and they were living together within two weeks, much much shorter a time than most bondings.
They lived inseparably for about seven years until she left so suddenly. Popeye still looks for her months later and he and our whole family miss her terribly.
RILEY O’HARE (February 16, 2012) BOOBUNNY (June 16, 2012)
Boobunny Chinwhiskers joined Riley just four months to the day after he left us. She fought teeth issues and jaw abscesses for more than five years and finally succumbed to sepsis unexpectedly after just two days of being sick. She was with us for almost nine years and we got her as a baby, so there’s a huge hole in our home where her feisty, opinionated and smart self used to live. Her nickname was Explorer Bunny because she had to examine anything new within her reach and do her best to get out of her area so she could find out what she could get into. I know Riley was waiting for her in a field of sweet flowers where they can stretch out in the sunshine together.
Our beautiful sweet gentleman Riley passed today. He survived neglect for more than three years in a lonely hutch, then shared our home and hearts with his devoted mate Boobunny for seven and a half years.
He taught us that you can forgive past hurts and accept love without fear. He knew hunger and loneliness and unattended sickness and showed us every day how much he appreciated the care and warmth and love we gave him. He was a gentle soul who accepted any necessary medical care and syringe feeding with grace and dignity, and he was inseparable from his feisty opinionated mate. We will miss him terribly.
This photo has them in their usual position, side by side: Boobunny left, sweet Riley on the right. — Kathie, Brian, and Boobunny
REMY (January 23, 2013)
Anyone who met Remy loved her and we got the honor of sharing our home with her for her last eight months. She came into Long Island Rabbit Rescue as part of a large neglect case in Nassau County. She was well over ten years old, just two-and-a-half pounds, and totally blind.
We gave her a consistent, loving home — she knew where everything in her area stayed, and she let me know where she preferred thing kept. She ran from place to place and turned a neat right-angle turn at full speed in order to navigate her area, especially if she thought a salad or some loving was on its way.
She knew she was adored and spent hours every night in my lap while I watched tv, her loving slave. If I needed to get up, she was handed off to her alternate slave, my husband Brian. If I had on a long sleeve shirt, she would box and bite my sleeve until I pushed it up so she could lay against my bare skin and warm her little self. She would turn around until she would cuddle her back against my arm and sometimes stretch out her legs with total trust. She loved to kiss incessantly and then settle in for a nap. I could “feel her” in my arms long after she passed, she was such a special little angel sent to us for too short a time.
How could a critter who was neglected for so many years learn to trust and love so completely in such a short time? How will I ever forget her?
CHAUNCY (July 2009)
Baby Mine,
Oh my Chauncy, I cannot believe that it’s been five months since you left this world. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about you and all of the joy you have brought to my life.
Nine and a half years ago when I saw you sitting alone in that cage, something sparked within me. I knew you were meant to be mine, and I had been sent by God to help one of his creatures. I knew you desperately needed me to give you a chance at life, but I didn’t realize how desperately I needed you, too. I don’t need to tell you how hard life had been for me before you came to me, and at the moment you entered my life, I began to learn a series of life lessons about having love and respect for the animal world and myself. Who would have thought that one bunny would lead to my rescuing over 100 others?
I went to see a psychic medium tonight, and I prayed that you would come through with a message that you’re okay on the other side. The medium said that I don’t need him to validate what I already know, and he was right. Even though I didn’t connect directly with you, I know even in the past five months that we are living in separate worlds, we are still deeply connected by the heart we share. Love knows no boundaries — not even in death — and I know that you have not left my side. I felt you there tonight in that theatre sitting next to me just as I felt you with me at the John Tesh Show that you sent me to the day after you died.
The medium also said that an animal will leave us when they have finished teaching us the lessons we are to learn, but you continued to teach me even after your passing. Your earliest lessons were about earning trust and respect. Through patience and persistence, I was able to bond with you even though you had been horribly mistreated by the pet store. From there, you taught me to help others, even when I thought I had nothing to give. You taught me to sing even though I can’t hold a note (you always tooth purred and hunkered down when I sang your songs to you). You taught me to cuddle with those I love even when I think I have too much to do. You taught me to laugh and be silly – bunny 500s and binkies are fun for humans, too. But your last lesson was the hardest for me. It was never to close my home or my heart to an animal in need. Never allow sadness to stay for too long because, in time, even broken hearts will heal.
My Chauncy, of all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me, you will always remain the greatest. You have helped to make me the woman I am, and I’m proud to know I was your mommy. I miss you so much, my baby girl. I look forward to the day we are reunited at Rainbow Bridge. Wait for me…
Love,
Mommy
ALEXANDER
Shortly after coming into our care, this sweet, beautiful bunny was diagnosed with cancer. He returned whatever attention and love we gave him tenfold, and we felt lucky to be able to give him the comfort, medical care, love and attention that seemed to elude him in the past. He was a bunny who never gave up, and never doubted that his purpose was to love others and be loved.
We’ve set up a fund in his honor to help provide rescued bunnies medical care so they can have a second chance at life; or a chance for a dignified, pain-free and comfortable life until it’s their time to pass over the Bridge. See more about Alexander’s Fund.
CARLA (Fall 2011)
My Sweet Carla…Rescued in May from a park in Carle Place by a couple who saw her and knew she didn’t belong outside. She belonged safe, inside, in a loving home. Carla allowed this couple to just walk over and pick her up. The couple brought her to the Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group where they took her into safety.
Just a few days later, I showed up at the Rescue to clean cages. As soon as I saw Carla, I was drawn to her. “Who is this beautiful bunny?” I asked. I couldn’t stay away from her. I kept going back to her cage, petting and kissing her. The next week I went back and still couldn’t stay away from her. The volunteers all noticed Carla was very shy, quiet, not very active. Carla would pick at her salad and pellets and not move out of her hay box too much. When Carla did get play time, she took full advantage though, binking and running and investigating.
In early June, Carla was brought to the vet to be spayed along with another rescued female. When I called the vet that afternoon to find out how the girls did during surgery, I was told “the one that has cancer needs to stay longer because she isn’t eating on her own yet”. My heart sunk to my stomach. When I asked which one had cancer, the girl didn’t know. I knew in my gut it was Carla. I was later told for sure, it was Carla. After learning her diagnosis and knowing she needed special care after her surgery, I took Carla into my home “just for a few days” in order to give her pain medication. My sweet girl was brought to my home and that is where she stayed…
When Carla first got here, she was shy, scared, very unsure of her surroundings and of me. Carla didn’t really want to be handled, didn’t come near me and DID NOT want to be picked up. I gave her a few days to adjust and gave her a quiet, comfortable place to recover from her surgery. Night after night I would just sit with Carla and allow her to get used to me, my voice, my scent, my touch. Carla started coming out of her shell and week after week she became more and more trusting and adventurous and affectionate…yes, week after week, which meant I was no longer keeping Carla for “a few days”. I just couldn’t give her up. The thought of her spending the rest of her days in a lonely cage in a room with many other rabbits, getting an occasional pat each day, was incomprehensible to me. This sweet girl was thrown out like she was garbage. Obviously not loved and not taken care of. I was determined to let Carla know what it was like to be in a safe home with a family that loved her. She wasn’t garbage.
Carla began to run to the cage door when I entered the room. Her ears would perk up when her name was called and she would come running to me. She was so excited! It was like she was saying, “Me, Me? Are you calling me”? I swore if Carla had a tail that wagged, hers would be wagging! She would stick her nose between the bars as soon as I closed up her pen for “night-night time” and looked so sad because she wanted to keep playing! Carla would run and bink and sprint and loved to investigate new territories.
I can’t forget to tell everyone about how much she loved her apple. Right before we went to sleep at night, Carla would get an apple, her favorite treat. As soon as I entered the room with her little pink dessert dish, Carla knew what was coming. She ran in circles (like a dog chasing its tail) and would climb all the way up the walls of her pen with her little twitching nose right over the top and actually hop in standing!! When I put the bowl down, Carla would take her time with each little piece, savoring every bite. She was so neat, never liked to mess up her pen, so Carla would eat right over the bowl. Once she was done she would lick up all the juice! Carla wasn’t going to miss out any of it!
Carla had a very strong personality. I believe that’s what got her as far as she did. Carla didn’t just let me know when she was unhappy about something. Carla would have to “make a point”. Like the time I gave her pellet mix with dried cranberries in it. I came home to find all the cranberries on the floor around her bowl! She ate the pellets but removed the cranberries. She didn’t just eat around them. She wanted to let me know “I don’t like these. Don’t give them to me again”. As Carla’s cancer progressed, she began to lose more of her appetite. I tried so many different combinations of food and types of food to entice her. I tried oats once. Well, the first time I put the bowl in her cage she turned her nose away and didn’t want any part of it. I figured I would put the bowl down in her pen and when she was ready she would try some. Well, once again, Carla needed to get her point across loud and clear. Carla pushed the bowl away a couple of times with her nose. Then continued to push it clear across her pen to the complete opposite corner, then walked back to the other side and laid down and looked at me as if to say “I told you, I don’t want it.” God I miss her feistiness.
By the end of the summer, Carla was coming up to me for pets and kisses and laying down and falling asleep next to me. One sweet morning, I got my first “Carla Kiss” on my chin. I will never forget the love I felt from her that morning. Then every day after that, I got more and more kisses. Carla had a thing for noses. She loved to be kissed on her nose and she loved to give kisses on my nose! Then one day, I picked Carla up and she just laid in my arms and allowed me to kiss and hug her. I couldn’t believe this was the same bunny that would nip me and run from me if I even attempted to pet or pick her up a few months prior. Carla trusted and loved me and she made sure I knew it. It was like no other feeling in the world.
As strong as she was and as much as a fighter my Sweet Carla was, she couldn’t fight Cancer anymore. Carla had a mass on her lungs and the cancer was traveling through her body. It got harder and harder for my sweet girl to breath. All her playfulness was gone because she didn’t have any more energy and everything she did made her short of breath. The night I saw my sweet girl start breathing from her mouth, I made the hardest decision I ever made. I called my vet and made the decision that it was time for Carla’s suffering to end.
The next morning, my sweet girl comforted me. When she came out of her carrier onto the table at the vet’s office, she walked over to me, placing her two paws on my arm and laid her head down as if to say “its ok. I know it’s time”. My sweet girl just fell asleep in my arms getting kisses. I wanted her to know love in this world. She did. Carla also made sure I knew what it was like to feel love, unconditional love, that only a bunny can give. There is no love like the love of a bunny. It was something very special to have worked for her love and even more special when I finally won it.
Thank you, Carla, for that and for all of the smiles, laughs, kisses and warm cuddles you gave me. I even thank you for your 2:30 a.m. wake up calls because you couldn’t sleep and wanted to play. I will never know what it was about 2:30 a.m. but there are still times I wake up in the middle of the night and wait to hear you digging and playing and pulling on your bars to come out to play.
I want everyone to know who you were Carla. You were a beautiful, sweet, smart, funny, feisty little girl with white mitten hands and long black eyelashes. A little Dutch Mix that loved getting and giving kisses on the nose and slept with your arms stretched out in front of you and your butt in the air! You would drop onto your side and roll over almost completely onto your back in front of me and close your eyes while I pet your belly and kissed you. I miss so much. I will always miss you, Carla. Thank you for coming into my life and showing me your true personality and making me feel loved. In the short 6 months that you were with me Carla, you filled my heart with an eternity of love. Until we meet again sweet girl….xoxoxoxo. I love you so much My Sweet Carla. —Gina
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