gee, I’m already sniffling and I haven’t even begun writing yet.

I adopted my sweet baby Reese in December 2015, and I loved and cared for her everyday until her untimely passing on September 25th of this year.

I miss her so, so much. She was my best friend and we had a very special bond. She’d give me bunny kisses, run in circles around my feet, and steal my pencils if I was writing nearby. She loved blueberries and the tent in the above photo was her favorite plaything. I named her Reese because her coat reminded me of a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

I can’t say that I know exactly what happened. She was fine all day; she ate all her breakfast that morning, was using her litterbox normally, and greeted me when I got home like she usually did. I was getting ready for bed at around 10 pm when I noticed she was acting strange and moving in an unnatural way.  I think it was a stroke, but I can’t be certain. All I can say for sure is that it was unexpected as death usually is.

We rushed her to the emergency vet, but she unfortunately passed before we made it there. The doctors asked if they should attempt cpr but I declined; with the way she was acting beforehand, I felt she may have sustained neurological damage of some sort. Plus, I couldn’t be 100% certain at what point during the drive she had passed, so it may have been fruitless anyhow.

During the drive, I was petting her head and I had her on my lap. I can only hope that she was at peace and that she passed knowing that I loved her.

I had her cremated, and my parents bought me an engraved urn for her. The animal hospital gave me a condolence card, and I thought it was very kind of them.

Cleaning out Reese’s playpen was hard. I still can’t bring myself to throw out her favorite toys, but I know having them still in the room isn’t healthy. I’m trying my best to keep going everyday, because I know she wouldn’t want me to be sad, but she gave me motivation to get up every morning. She relied on me for breakfast, for dinner, for tidying up her playpen, cleaning her litterbox, and for giving her fresh hay. I couldn’t be lazy because I had my bunny relying on me.

Raising Reese was a learning experience. There was lots of trial and error, I had to adjust her diet so many times. Once, she got a rash and the vet prescribed her a medicine that she must’ve really hated, but she took it anyway like a champ. There was times when she frustrated me, like when she’d steal cardboard from the trash bin or try nibbling on things she shouldn’t. She chewed through about 2 or 3 pairs of my earbuds– one nibble and those puppies were gone haha.

I’d do it all again though, because I loved Reese. I still do. She’ll always be my little bunny butt.

Thank you for reading. Please keep my baby girl in your heart.