Probably not a typical BB thread topic…. I’ve been feeling a bit down about my bunnies…

[Barbie]

Well I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.  And I hate to say it  *hides from stones and pitchforks that might be forthcoming* but I think I might be bored with my bunnies?!?!  I feel like a bad mom for even thinking this way!!!!!!

I know this isn’t a typical topic on here… and I really don’t want to bring anyone down, I’m just feeling a bit blue and need to talk and you all on here are so supportive and kind.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Leroy and Jeannie with all my heart and when I got them, I promised them both that they will have a forever home with me.  I honeslty couldnt imagine ever giving them up, so you don’t have to worry about that!   I just want to be clear that I will NEVER be able to give them away or send them to a shelter. 

That being said… I am and always have been a horse/dog person.  My first pet was a bunny and I loved her, and I love these bunnies for who they are.  However, I’m just absolutely dying for a dog.  I feel like something is missing.  I NEED a running buddy.  My parents have a lab (which they won’t let me bring to my apartment – I asked – and he’s much bigger than my apartment allows) and from the age of 12-18, I had an always-ready-to-go running buddy.  He and I used to go for runs at 12 or 1am sometimes!  I want a pet I can take to the parks with me and to the pet store and to fairs and parades and out and about with me.  Bunnies are too timid and too fragile and too small to be carted around like that.  And they certainly can’t go running with me.  

I need someone that I can grab and rough house with and then wrap my arms around and snuggle with and sometimes even have a nice cry into their soft fur.  A bunny definitely cant roughhouse like that (and I think they’d be insulted if I tried to get them to play more rambunctiously)  and they just don’t quite fit the bill in terms of snuggling.  I’ve tried.  And all my attempts at forced snuggling got me were scracted arms and a bruised ego – it’s like they know JUST how to pour salt into my wounds by running away from me when I’m down.  Hehe.  I knew that bunnies aren’t snugglers when I got them, and I was prepared for that.

Really, a bunny fits much better into my apartment and college lifestye right now than a dog.  But I’m willing to alter my living habits to accomodate a dog’s need to go for a run at 6 am (goodness knows, *I* need to get my butt out of bed and go running!) and to go potty at 11 at night in the pouring rain, and I have the time to accomodate a dog.  I know dogs are more expensive, which means I’ll probably have to cut back on my expenses and frivolities to accomodate additional vet bills and such.  But I’m good with my $ and my budget and I know I can make it work and if it means one less new dress a month or skipping a dinner or two out to make dinner at home, I’m ok with that.

And I know that a dog-bunny household is more complicated since they have to be monitored constantly and the dog has to be well trained.  I’m not scared of that though, I consider myself pretty well versed in clicker training with my bunnies and my parent’s dog, and I know I’m responsible enough to keep the dog and bunnies safely away from each other.

I know that my life is just too complicated right now to get a dog, but that hasn’t stopped me from looking.  I fell in love with this little girl last week (20 lbs, 1 year old). 

I nearly adopted her too – had her on hold so I could think about it and try to convince my parents (even though I’m not living in their house anymore, I still need their approval on some things, lol).  Anyway, my hold ran out, and the next day, someone snapped her up and she’s gone.  I honestly, am devastated.  I went to another local shelter to browse their other dogs tonight, but didn’t find anyone I connected with like that little girl (and the two I had picked out on the shelter’s website earlier, were both adopted just before I got there today!!!)  I suppose that’s a sign that I really shouldn’t get a dog right now.

Sorry for the long post!  I just needed to talk this out.  I already do clicker training with my bunnies, which is pretty fun and does let me bond with them, but they don’t have very long attention spans and take awhile to catch on, lol.  Having read the stories of other bunnies on this site, I’m begining to think that neither has very much personality.  And it’s not that I don’t spend enough time with them! If I’m home (and not sleeping) they’re out in the apartment with me, so I spend AT LEAST 8 hours a day with them.  Yet, I rarely see binkies from either and not much zipping around for some reason.  And I have yet to find a toy they enjoy.  *Sigh* I don’t know why I’m so down on my bunnies, and this only came about recently (so their lack of binkies etc isn’t a result of feeding off of my lame-o, pathetic feeling vibes).

[Barbie]

Since I added two pix of the dog (her name was Lipton but I was already re-naming her, in my mind, until she got adopted by someone else!) I feel like I should add a couple of the buns, to be fair, lol

 

 

[Lunar~Atticus]

all i have to say is that, it doesnt make you a bad bunny mom. some pets fullfill needs and other pets fullfill other needs. dnot look for a dog….browse for one. i looked for a dog for months and couldnt find anything i liked or clicked or bonded with or just had that feeling…then i stopped looking and bam, i found him!

[Barbie]

Thanks BinkyFree. Your point about some pets filling certain needs and other pets filling others is very reassuring, lol.. I didn’t really think about it that way.

The thing about the dog is that I move every summer for an internship and get new roomies, and with a dog, it makes it that much harder to find a clean, responsible, SANE, female roommate who likes dogs but doesn’t have one (since I DEFINITELY wouldn’t want to move my bunnies in with an additional dog that might be poorly trained and may want to eat my buns!)

And as for *which* dog… I already found her – I visited her twice in the shelter for an hour, hour and a half at a time.  And both times, she literally cried when I had to put her back and leave.  It was heart breaking.  Also, an employee and I took her in the cat/bunny room to sniff at the bunnies in their cages, and she was completely non plussed – even got startled by a hissing cat, lol… but she got adopted not even 6 hours after my hold expired. :-/

[Lintini]

I think your rabbits are amazing and that it’s okay if you want a dog! It doesn’t make your bunnies boring, dogs are completely different and fill an entirely different role as a companion. I have 2 dogs, 4 cats, a snake, horse, fish, birds and guinea pigs and they all complete my family in a different way. When you are ready for a dog, you will find the right one.

To share with you how something comes to you, and not you coming to it: I’ve been looking for a new French Horn for about 2 years now. I’ve wanted a professional model, custom built with all the bells and whistles. These go for 10k and take months to make for you. I’ve been in contact with a craftsmen in LA for the past 2 years, thinking about getting one from him, or there is a type from Germany that I was interested in, a Ricco Kuhn. The problem with the German one…well …it’s far away and expensive to ship/insure and It’s not like he can send me 15 horns to try out…that’s very expensive. SO… I’ve been making moves to take out a student loan to buy one from Atkinson/Geyer and low and behold.!! Today, I have a horn lesson at school and my professor tells me she knows a guy who is selling his custom Ricco Kuhn.OH EM GEEEEEEE!! My dad took me to his house tonight, he was only 30min away ( AMAZING) and he is letting me borrow it for a week, with no down payment or deposit. So I walked out of his house with a 10,000 dollar horn in my hand and I played it for hours tonight. I am probably going to end up getting it, my parents agree I sound great on it. Just a great example of great things that are meant to happen come to you very unexpectedly.

[Monkeybun]

I totally understand Barbie. Well, in my case it isn’t wanting a dog, its wanting a kitten Ever since I was little I had cats in the house, and its been weird living without one or 6. lol. They just.. well, as everyone else said, fill different holes in our hearts. I love my 2 babies to death, but would still love a kitten or 2 to grow up with them and love them too. Some day….

[Barbie]

Awww thanks Lintini. Your story about the horn means a lot. I tend to forget about how the things that are meant to happen will happen when I get fixated on something. Would you be willing to make a video or recording of you playing something on the horn to share with us BBers? I hope everything works out with that horn! Congrats!

Actually, today as I was driving home from the shelter, resigning myself to the fact that the dogs I wanted have been adopted and that it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting one right now, I was listening to a local radio station. They have these little daily sound bites of positive thoughts/daily wisdom, and today’s was “Experience is what you gain when you don’t get what you want”. Huh. I’ve heard variations of that before, but at that moment, it hit me, and helped me accept the fact that a dog is not in my near future, but possibly later down the line. That doesn’t mean I’m not still kind of down about not having a dog right now, but it did help – I forgot about it until now.

Thanks MB.  It helps to know that I’m not the only one longing for a different pet despite having bunnies.

[MimzMum]

Barbie, I can’t thank you enough for posting this thread…although I had to admit to some sadness for you reading your post, I totally understand what you’re going through, because I’ve been going through almost the same thing.

Really, the moments when Mimzy, Pip or Fiver have those tricky breakthroughs that make me feel like they are more than just cute, fluffy bunnikins are few and far between…but still -as you said- I understand them for what and who they are and I can’t expect them to cuddle and purr like my cats or go for long walks like my dogs did (although I came real close to getting one of those enclosed cart things to ride them up and down the street with…but…no, just…no…lol!)

When we went to get Jenna, there was a senior husky there…his name is Seamus. He’s 11 years old and not at all what my husband had in mind, but I saw him through the fence and totally connected with him on the spot. Even though he may not have a lot of years left, this was the dog *I* wanted…but we came home with Jenna instead because my daughter wanted a small dog she could keep indoors and in her room. Jenna has supposedly some hostility towards other dogs, so that’s why she was being rehomed. Even if not, hub said ONE dog…so I can’t go back and get the husky I was certain would be a great companion.

And now I face a dilemma…Yorkies being what they are, she was very attached to the older lady we got her from, so naturally, and despite my trying to steer her towards my daughter, she seems to prefer my company above everyone else in the house, with possible exception of my hub, who I think is the farthest north dog whisperer. (He’s always been great with all kidns of animals, and actually worked at a wildlife waystation when he was a young man.)

Granted, I was doing the late night soothing when she was first here, but kept my attention to her at a minimum. I made my daughter feed and walk her, but I was the one losing sleep to keep her in her xpen and quiet at night and then one walk first thing in the morning. (Daughter is never up before noon.) And so she’s started following me about the house. She’s in my lap right now, matter of fact. All this has made my daughter incredibly sad, which kills me, because she wanted a pet who was ‘just hers’. In my opinion, in the last two weeks, I’ve concluded that this dog is definitely a family dog, which was what I had wanted, but with Seamus. Jenna is not shy about going to other members of the family for attention, and my daughter is worried that when her brother comes home from college, he’ll be the next one Jenna is charmed by.

We’d thought Jenna would move out with my daughter when the time came and since that would be in the next few years, perhaps I’d get another shot at a larger dog. For some weird reason, Jenna’s glommed to me. This is something I don’t think my hub is quite aware of yet and he won’t be happy when he does realize it. Since the general consensus is that I ‘stole’ Pip from my daughter (actually, she’d started having trouble caring for her, so I took her to live near Mimzy, whom she was bonding with before I realized how bad it would be to separate them, and then wound up staying in my room with Mimz & Fiver) this dog was supposed to be HER dog. I can’t convince her that if she just spends more time with Jenna that she could conceivably see her as her “Mum”…I am very disappointed.

I’ve learned through all this though, that dogs are a very special and necessary part of my life…maybe because I hadn’t even realized how much of a gap Shadow left in my life when he died and Jenna sees that better than all of us? Perhaps she’s paying more attention to me to help me heal, and oddly enough – though I didn’t want a small dog – I think it really is helping. But I wanted her to be my daughter’s dog first.

Okay, so enough hijacking your thread…but I wanted you to know someone empathizes with you. I so know how you feel…watching the dogs you think should be with you go to other people…it is a hard thing to deal with. And yet, with the bunnies, here is a different kind of love that is great, but still leaves an empty spot. It gets filled with both guilt and longing. (((((((((hugs))))))))))

But your bunnies…Barbie…Leroy and Jeannie are SO full of personality, just looking at those pictures. How precious! But yes…a different kind of precious than a good, loyal companion like a faithful dog. There simply is nothing in the world like it.

Which member do we have here who has the quote about dogs in her siggy? Moonlight Wolf I think? The one about “Dogs get our spare time, love and space and in return give us their all?” How true that is!

So, here we are with a Yorkshire Terrier in the middle of Alaska. 0_o This begs another perspective…. This new responsibility leaves me (currently…I haven’t given up hope that it will change) precious little time for my cats and bunnies. And I feel very bad because cleaning and quality time with the buns is very catch as catch can right now. Jenna is having some trouble with her stomach and is very high maintenance at the moment. It is a tough juggling act with me being a homemaker…I couldn’t imagine having to do this with a school schedule or work on top of it! If somehow you do decide to bring home a dog, please be prepared for how much less time you may have to spend with Jeannie and Leroy. They will rely on each other even more for companionship and may seem more withdrawn from you as a result. Just a thought.

Whatever you decide, we are all here for you. Feel free to bounce as many ideas off my skull personally as you’d like.

[Karla]

I know exactly how you feel, Barbie! I love Karl and Molly and they are great fun, but oh I miss having a pet on my lap or snuggle my head into some fur and just fall asleep. Jack was like a dog/cat because he loved snuggling and would get into my bed or on the couch to do so, and I would love a new rabbit like him, but what are the odds?

A cat or dog is simply another type of pet than a rabbit, and I think it is fair enough to say this out loud. It’s like with friends: you may have friends you love going out with, and others you just prefer sit at home with and drink tea – you can’t live without either of them, and they just fulfill different needs in you.

We’ve been wanting a dog for a long time because of the same reasons you have mentioned. I have felt very guilty about it, but I also know that the bunnies mean a lot to me and a dog won’t change that. So we are getting a dog next month. But in a way, it is also a bit easier for us as we are two, and my boyfriend for sure will be more attached to the dog than he is to Molly and Karl, so the dog won’t take as much time from the bunnies as it probably would in your case.

All in all, I understand you. And whatever you decide to do in the end, I know that the bunnies will still live a happy life with you.

[Elrohwen]

Dogs fill totally different roles as companions, as everyone else said. I’m also dying to get a dog! Doesn’t mean I love my bunnies less though, I just realize that there are some needs the bunnies can’t fulfill.

I would hold off on getting a dog for right now. I find that I get really obsessed with an idea, like getting a dog, and want to act on that idea as soon as possible. But I would recommend waiting at least a month until you can think about it more calmly and you’re not so focused on it. And make sure you get the right dog for you, not just the first one you connect with on Petfinder.

It’s hard! I can’t have a dog until we get a house which is at least 3 years away, but sometimes it’s worth being patient and waiting to have a yard and more room to separate dog and buns.

[Beka27]

My husband and I are itching for a dog. We want one so bad, but we grew up in homes with fenced-in backyards where the dogs could just be “let out”. We don’t have time in our schedules to walk a dog each and every day, a couple times a day… for him/her to do their business. We have to wait until we have our own house, with a back yard. It’s tough going to my parents’ house. They have a gorgeous backyard, fenced in, and my big 12 year old mutt, my sister’s big 7 year old mutt, and my parent’s 1 year old Yorkie. I love going in the backyard with them, they all chase and play in the grass. The Yorkie will chase after and wrestle with the dogs that outweigh him by 70 pounds! I love hanging out with them, but I know we’re not in a position to care for a dog (or two) properly, so I wait patiently. It’s good incentive to finish what I have to do…

[Barbie]

Thanks for making me feel better everyone!

Mimzmum, it’s ok that you hijacked the thread, lol. Thanks for sharing your story. I think you’re right – that Jeanna attached herself to you because you are most like her old owner and because she can sense how you feel after loosing Shadow. Animals are so incredibly intuitive. I think given some time, and with lots of treats, she’ll come around to your daughter. Honestly, if I were you, I would make your daughter keep the dog in her room at night and make your daughter get up in the morning to feed her and walk her. I know you said your daughter has trouble with insomnia and you want her to sleep when she can, but if Jenna is comforted in the night and fed and taken care of first thing in the morning all by your daughter, it’s going to help the two of them bond.

Karla – yes, guilty is the exact word I was looking for as I was typing my initial post! And btw, congrats on your dog! I saw him in the small talk thread!

Elrohwen – I’m exactly like you – I have a very obsessive personality at times, and when I find something I want, I get way ahead of myself and start planning for it with out thinking the whole thing through. Case in point… I was naming the dog and planning which parks I was going to take her to even before I had determined IF it was feasible for me to get a dog right now.

Beka – I’m going to try to spend more time with my parent’s dog – also, he’s 8 already and I don’t know how much time he has left, so it’ll be good for me to spend some time now with him. I’m pretty sure he loves me best anyway – since when I was home, I was always the one taking him running It’s just hard to see him as often as I’d like because my parents live way across town, so I can’t get up there as often as I want. And since he’s not “MY” dog, any training or anything I do with him is soon forgotten because my parents don’t reinforce it and I can’t be there all the time. That’s part of the reason why I want my own dog – I’m going to work with it and train it to be the “perfect” dog, lol.

I’ve decided I’m going to hold off until later this summer or this fall when my living arrangements are more stable (after my internship) or until the right dog finds me. I’m going to try really hard not to even browse the shelters’ websites, lol.   February or so of last year, I decided I HAD to have a rabbit and I started planning and going to the humane society to visit bunnies and all that. But I had to wait all the way until July for the time to be right. And all that waiting made it even more fun when I got Leroy. And I really did find the right one

[Deleted User]

I don’t think now is the time for you to get a dog.

Why don’t you volunteer with a shelter or make a connection with someone needing dog-walking services?

[MarkBun]

One of the problems with people who buy rabbits uninformed expect them to be these lovely cuddle creatures that will be happy to be carried around all day and petted. It is one of the main reasons that they end up at shelters. I never fault anyone for wanting a pet to fit their desires. One of the reasons I love rabbits is that I have a very busy life so they don’t get too worked up if I am not around all that much – since they have each other to keep themselves company.

[Minty]

I think once you have a dog when the time is right you will look back and appreciate the time you had with your buns! I live with several rowdy dogs and work at a job where I see dogs everyday. I have to admit, after a long days work and dealing with my dogs (exercising, feeding, letting out to pee, giving affection) it is nice to sit down and just chill out with my bunny. He doesn’t demand attention like a dog, and doesn’t whine, bark, howl, or make messes. It is nice to just watch his antics and get the occasional nose bump from him when he ventures up to see what’s going on. As for cuddling, my dog likes to sneak on my bed at night and I wake up to all my covers being stolen and a big 95 lb furry thing taking up my entire bed that won’t move! I love my dog but I also think bunnies have things to offer that dogs don’t. And vice versa. When the time is right, I’m sure the right pooch will find you!

[Sarita]

I love that my rabbits don’t require constant attention – I guess that’s how I feel dogs are, they require alot of attention. I think I prefer a more independent animal – guess that’s why I liked having my cat too. Although I have to say that my bird LOVES attention, he just doesn’t get enough :~(

[Deleted User]

Agreed with Sarita. Dogs REQUIRE attention. Even the independent types need your attention in as much as they need stimulation.
I guess, Barbie, that’s what you miss right now, but once you get a dog, you cannot turn it off. Even if you get busy with school and things, your dog needs his daily routines. I’d say it can be done but you must have a secondary care giver for the dog to fill in for you when you are doimg internships and have long days.

[Andi]

I’m on the volunteer with a shelter band wagon, one because you mentioned how you want someone to run with often in your post. Shelter dogs don’t get that, and i am sure they woudl absolutly LOVE it! And you wouldn’t have to take on the responcibility of a full time dog (expences and all) which may be hard when you live in an appartment and are a student.

I have a bunny who NEVER binkies, he doesn’t cuddle, or zoom around. For four years i have tried to get him to interect more thinking he’s unhappy. This week after all these years, i see him playing with the shavings in his cage, binkie around them, and then out of him cage to intereact with another bunny and binkie back into his cage. I almsot cried. So don’t worry if you’r eguys aren’t as nutty as the others we can read about, some bunnies are just laid back and perfectly happy with the way things are (or maybe just lazy lol).

[Barbie]

I’ve thought about volunteering… problem is… I’ll meet a dog there that I can’t part with and either end up brokenhearted because it went to someone else or I’d end up adopting it

Yes, bunnies are definitely different from dogs – and I knew that before I got Leroy. I never expected him or Jeannie to be a like a dog, but now I’ve run into a void that they can’t fill, that’s all.

I’ve thought about the secondary caretaker issue as well, because you all are right, bunnies are much less “needy” than dogs, lol. Right now, I’m pretty flexible, only gone a few hours a day for class, and I do want to point out that I’m not the “typical” college kid – I don’t run off on impromptu trips and spring break vacations, don’t stay out until all hours of the night at parties, don’t waste $ on booze, etc etc etc.   I mean, I consider myself a fun person, and it’s not like I’m holed up in my apartment – I do spend time with friends. I just don’t feel the need to spend my time going out to wild parties every weekend and getting wasted.  Also, my best friend’s mom is willing to dog sit for me over the summer when I’m working full time – she works from home and has experience with dogs (their last one passed last spring though ). Anyway that’s a moot point. I need to stop planning for a non existent dog, lol!

Andi, you have a closet binky-er!  Your story made me think of something though… maybe mine just don’t zoom and binky as often becasue they spend the majority of their day out of their pen, so they don’t have any pent up energy to expend.  And in addition, I do think they’re both lazy bunnies, hehehe.

Thanks everyone! You all are great!

[RabbitPam]

Barbie,
I think many of us understand that different types of pets fill different needs. In fact, I have found I love having bunnies because I work full time, they are fairly independent, and can be left alone all day without my feeling guilt, have food to last in case I am not at home at the stroke of dinner time, and don’t need to be let out to pee! But I have been very tired from work lately, and Sammy doesn’t pay much attention to me after work, and I worry that it’s because I don’t pay enough attention to her, either.

I had a suggestion for you, despite your busy schedule. Would you consider earning money as a dog walker? Your first paragraph makes it sound like you like the companionship when you exercise a lot, so walking the dog is part of what is fulfilling for you, adding a layer of safety to your walks. If you became a dog walker, or a pet sitter for vacationers, you could do that with dogs that don’t live with you, and have a little extra pocket money in the process. You love dogs, they love you, and it may fill a temporary void for you. No risk to your home and bunnies, and it’s healthy for you too.

[Barbie]

Yes, not having to be home right after work to let them out to pee is a definite plus!! I’m sorry to hear that Sammy hasn’t been spending much time with you recently.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have tried to get into dog walking, and it’s an IDEAL part time job for me. However, I can’t find people who need their dogs walked. I do have a car, so I can go to their houses, but I just don’t have the network here to find people who want me to walk their dogs. Since I’m a student, the majority of my friends are students, and either don’t have dogs or walk them themselves (there’s this GREAT huge grassy area on campus that everyone hangs out on in nice weather and people bring their dogs there to play). I’m very wary of posting an ad on Craigslist because you never know who might respond to those and what their real intentions are *shudder* Also, I live in a big town, and there are lots of professional dog walking/sitting businesses that do this full time at fairly competitive rates. And if I were a dog owner, I’d certainly pick the dog walking company that is licensed and bonded than some college kid, lol.  But maybe I’ll look into my apartment’s policy on posting flyers and ads (we do have bulletin boards available, but no one uses them) and see if I can advertise that way.  And as an added bonus, I’d be walking dogs right in my building – easier for everyone involved! 

[TARM]

Why don’t you hook up with one of the professional companies? They cover the cost of bonding/insurance, find you clients, and you can take as few or as many as you want.

[angelicvampyre]

I have a zoo at my house, I have two Bunnies (a third on the way) 4 chickens, 2 Sun Conures, 2 Green Cheeks, 2 Budgies, 2 Dogs and a cat… all of them fill a different need for me and I work full time and am at uni and still manage to find time to fit all their needs in, granted my dogs can go out to my back yard during the day and they go to day care one day a week. But everyone gets a cuddle every day (the only exception is the rabbits as they never seem to want them). it’s up to you and up to what you feel you can fit in. I agree with what another poster says i think you need to stop looking and see if a dog finds you, i stopped looking for a cat as i could not click with any of them and was not sure how one would fit into the house hold and then a week later i am crawling through a swamp to get Miss Kitty out from under a bush. i was going to put her up for adoption but she just fitted so she is staying

[Author]

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