Goodbye Scout.

Scout came into my life when I was going through a depression that seemed to have no end. A lot of little things and a few not so little things all piled up and I was wondering what the point of it all was. Here I come home one day to find dogs trying to get at this very silly looking bunny that was trying to hide under my steps. I chased off the dogs and told the bunny she was free. The bunny seemed to think I was the perfect sucker to adopt and let me pick her up and carry her inside when it became apparent this bunny wasn’t going anywhere. The fact I went back out into the pouring rain to go to Petcetra to get a cage and food and everything else bunny related pretty much sums up the relationship that would established for the next three and a half years. There was never a doubt of who was the boss in the relationship, and it was certainly the two pound bunny who just had to curl up under my chin and give me a lick to get whatever she wanted.

As I found other bunnies in various states of health in the area I started investigating and getting animal conservation investigating. Lots of loose bunnies could lead to cougar and coyote problems in residential areas after all. It was revealed Scout came from a home where she was kept in a metal hutch, sheet metal at that, year round. She was fed on kitchen leavings and had a bottle for water that leaked. She was a breeding bunny as a pretty agouti brown ND/Lionhead cross. She was released, or escaped, when she started to attack the male bunnies. This is a trait she kept with her all her life. She was four’ish when she entered my life. I remember getting her exact birthdate, but Laura T. is probably the only one who remembers it. She did celebrate her seventh birthday last year and was approaching her eighth, which is a darn good age for a bunny that had one crappy life for most of her life.

She loved bacon. The only time Scout ever nipped me was when I was standing in the kitchen eating a McD’s egg/bacon McMuffin. I dropped it, she grabbed the bacon and she ran. She also had a thing for Stews and chunky soups. I shared more than one bowel with a sneaky rabbit. Thunk, spoon hits bunny head. The words “Do you have any concept what vegetarian means??” were asked of her more than once. Bunny food, she’d insist, is whatever the bunny wants to eat.

It’s been a darn good weekend. I spent time with a good friend, talked to other good friends, spent time with family, met new people and had a heck of a lot of fun. Maybe my little bunny angel thought I’d be okay with out her. She’s been very sick over the years. Two bouts of stasis.. one where she didn’t eat on her own for close to two weeks. I fed her for ten days, not knowing for the first several the danger in bunny not eating. A plethora of other problems. The latest was a really serious middle ear infection that had her tracking, twitching, her back legs not working and basically not knowing which way was up. She went in to Dr M. and got treatment and his estimates weren’t fantastic, but Scout had surprised us before.

This evening at around 9:30pm I saw her in the cage, lying on her side, half in and half out of their hidey, not really moving. I had brought over some hay and she didn’t even twitch in my direction. I picked her up and she was tracking again. She was trying to get her legs coordinated but they weren’t coordinating. I sat with her on the ground for a while, and she seemed happy to sit in my lap which is unusual. Normally she wants to be cuddled under my chin or just to lie beside me while I pet her. I think the crossed legs make her feel trapped. So, I carried her to the couch and we sat down there. She curled up under my chin and watched some NCIS with me. I think we both really knew the end was soon. Her breathing slowly got shallower and shallower and finally she let out almost a surprised meep and went limp.

Once I was capable of standing I took her over to Sage and Sage thumped and ran to hide in the igloo. Sage has never set paw in that igloo before; it’s Scout’s place. She’s circling the cage, refusing to leave it. She just keeps going in and out of the igloo. Boy, do I know how she feels. The house suddenly feels very empty without my little ferocious furball who kept me well under paw. Sage is going to have some pretty big pawprints to try and fill.. well, metaphorically speaking.

Me, I’m already feeling quite at loose ends.