This is so sad. I’m 60 and am still devistaed at loosing my bunny in jan. Dosent matter how old or what. We all feel so heartbroken at loosing these wonderful little animals.

Binky free Buddy

I’m very sorry about the loss of your Buddy.

Bryan, I am right there with ya. 50 years young (I wish). And if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. If anyone would have told me that I would have a rabbit for a pet, I would have laughed. And if they would have told me that not only would I have a rabbit as a pet but that I would be so attached to it that I would be inconsolably crying and sobbing for days when it passed away, I would have laughed harder, wondered what was wrong with them, and looked at them like they were crazy, literally. Can’t put my finger on exactly how, but same thing with me. I work from home so she would always hunt me down for interaction. She would give me nose bumps, lay next to me, shove her head under my feet for foot smash rubs, and we just generally acknowledged each other all day, day in and day out. She sneaked right into the deepest part of my heart and soul before I realized it.

Thanks for being such a good father to him. Nursing him back to health, spending time with him, talking to him, acknowledging he was important. I’m sure he knew who his “buddy” was too. And I’m sure he knew he was loved. Those “big eyes looking right into you”. Wonderful memories. It was both terrible but appropriate that he passed away in your arms. The strong arms of his human daddy.

I know it hurts deep inside. You obviously know it gets better in time. I am so very sorry for your loss.

Binky free {{{Buddy}}}

so sorry to hear of the loss of your wonderful Buddy. So sad reading your story tonight. I recently lost my 10 year old Flakie through gut problems and it was horrible so I really do feel your pain. We fought gut stasis for a year and constant medication but as bunny lovers we will do anything for them.
So glad he had a wonderful life with you and enjoyed his dandelions on earth and now in heaven.

So so sorry
Binky free lovely Buddy

Yes, you are wise. It seems to me that the only common denominator with overcoming such a loss is time. There are things one can do in the interim along the way in route to getting there, such as taking down their things and putting them away. Trying to control the thought processes by having a perspective of gratefulness for what was had and shared for as long as it was as opposed to what was lost and/or stolen as soon as it was. And the ultimate seems to be, in my opinion, staying busy in a productive way so that you are doing and living, albeit somewhat in a fog, until you get to that time in the future (different for everyone) when you are once again yourself, so to speak. But time is the essence.

We immediately took down her area and cleaned it up the same evening. She passed earlier in the day. I was hesitant but Janice was on a mission. In hindsight it was smart. Everything we could do to move forward just sped up getting to that time where it was better. Never perfect. But a loss dealt with. Back to life if you will. Point of fact, Janice dealt with and got over it better and faster than I did. Maybe something with our personalities but I suspect more likely because she left to go to a “job” everyday so she was productively busy and her mind was engaged in usual life. And of course then when she came home she would be in grieve mode. Whereas I worked from home so I existed in deafeningly quiet emptiness with an everpresent awareness of her being “not here anymore forever”. Not under my feet, not in the next room, nowhere. Every time I walked through the house I would automatically look for her where she was supposed to be like I had done a million times. I would see where she was lying when she passed away. All of these reminders, constantly, every day, all day. So I think that made it more difficult for me to move on because I would get stuck in that quagmire of despair and yearning for my little sweetheart. I was in almost nonstop grieve mode. I could and did easily slip into incessant sob sessions (so much wasted time not to mention tissues) because I was allowing my mind to wallow in the agony of her loss or I allowed myself to be in a position for that to happen too easily.

All that to say I think you are “right on” in your mindset. You can’t really avoid grieving. It is necessary and comes rather naturally. It will wax and wane for sure.
But to not allow yourself to be stuck, to avoid things and thoughts that will set you back, and by forcing yourself to be productive and this impromptu business trip are all things that will bring you to that point of “okayness” sooner in your future.

You will always miss Buddy. Of course. That unique relationship and experience will always be missed. I so miss our little Icey. But now it’s mostly smiles with wet eyes as opposed to the other awful extreme. You are still in my thoughts. Wish you and your family the best.

You are certainly not alone Brian. And Gordo’s comments could be written by almost everyone here. Our bunny Timothy came to us unexpectedly. In all our years married, we had never even thought about a pet, let alone a rabbit. And one that lives in the house with us at that. But that little creature got into our hearts and souls like nothing we could have imagined possible. My husband never, ever shows his emotions. He has lost his parents and other close family, but he has always been resilient and perhaps, at most, his voice will break slightly. But loosing Timothy broke him emotionally. He sobbed when he packed Timothy’s things away. It is 8 months and he still gets visibly upset when we talk about Timothy. I read once that angels can come to earth in the form of rabbits and I think that is true because there is something so special about them.

We are in pain when beautiful bunnies pass to the Bridge, but I think we would rather endure that heartbreak than have never known our beloved bunnies at all.

Thinking of you

Xx

You take me back to that time. I was so adamant that this would never happen again, ever. I would not put myself, ourselves, through this agony ever again. Never, never, never I used to repeat over and over. I was almost angry. And in a way things got worse before they got better, for me anyhow.

It seems like the day will never come. Been there. A sort of perpetual emotional hell. I said that phrase, “every fiber of my being” so many times. I know the intense yearning you feel. September knows that yearning. We all do. But keep forging ahead, always grateful for Buddy and the bond you shared. Let yourself grieve. Let yourself go through all the emotions. One day you realize there’s been a slight shift. Things aren’t as bad. Another day you realize you are better still. There may be a few setbacks. Certain things seen, done, spoken about, or thought about may cause this but you will gradually get better with time. And we all know this of course but sometimes it’s good to say it again aloud. It’s still very fresh in my experience. You are getting closer to better all the time whether it feels like it or not.

Hang in there. I feel you. Everything you said hits home. Time is the trick…

I couldn’t say this any different exactly how we all feel, I hate going home anymore, where’s my darling Jasper gone I say everyday, god we love them so much.

Spot on, Bryan. When we get invited and accepted into their world to whatever degree, we are the lucky ones.

I was very proud and honored
my Jasper loved me as much as I loved him, wasn’t one day I didn’t say to him I love you so much. He knew right to the end I would have done anything for him. Its so very very hard to have them taken from you, my life will never be the same again without him. thank god I had him in my life for 8 years, wish with all my heart it was for ever.

I’ve spent the last 8 months trying to rationalise what happened here. Not on how and why Timothy was taken so suddenly, because if I dwell on that I just go to pieces. But why I feel absolutely bereft, like a whole part of me is missing. He was a little bunny, for Gods sake. When my dad died, I grieved but accepted his loss in a relatively short period of time. So did my husband with his parents. It may be that as our human friends and family grow up and get older, they change. We love them still but they become different people and so our relationship with them changes too. And, our feelings towards them. Our bunnies never grow up. They never change. We don’t ever see that they are 12 weeks old or 12 years old, they are our little bunny children and they stay that way. Timothy was nearly 4 when he died, getting on middle aged for a bunny, but he was still the same little character that came to us at 6 months old.

Sometimes I just can’t accept Timothy isn’t here. I can’t accept I won’t see him again. To stroke his ears and pet his head. He loved that. To play our chase game. I visualise his little head popping around the bedroom door first before the rest of him barged in….”I’m here, I shouldn’t be, but I’m just testing the water. Shoo me out if you dare”. It seems surreal.

You are so right with the trust thing, Brian. These are prey animals and, no matter how domestically bred they are, instinct and nature should tell them they should run like the wind to get away from these giant humans. But they accept us, they bond with us, and that is such a privilege. Timothy was very timid to start with and he kept his distance, but then, as time went on, he would follow me everywhere. He would even come and look for me. I miss that more than anything..having him at my feet all the time, tripping over him.

Yes, we have lost our beautiful bunnies, but, oh my gosh, haven’t we been blessed for having them in our lives to begin with.

Xx

Its because we have such a close bond with our bunnies, when my mum died I wasn’t as upset as loosing Jasper, she was I’ll for a long time so had prepared for the worse, with bunnies its different. jasper was never ill till he was suddenly taken away, even now I’m still empty inside, find it hard to carry on, even though I’m supposed to be getting new bunny clover, my heart is not in it, still can’t accept my Jasper has gone.I miss him so much even more now. X