Rabbits have fur on the bottom of their feet. I suppose that is good for running on grass, but not so great for hardwoods, where they get no traction and tend to slide around a lot.
Thankfully, Theo managed to get moving yesterday.
My parents were over for my father's birthday dinner. Since they have been in town, we have been putting a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep their dog, Hank, away from our rabbit, Theo. Theo normally lives in the living room, but for the duration of my parent's stay (1 month) we have him up in the boys' room.
I was in the kitchen with Dad and my step mother, Adele, when suddenly we heard a big scuffle and barking and claws on a wood floor coming from upstairs. For a split second, we didn't register what was happening, then, simultaneously, we realized, in horror, that we had forgotten to put the baby gate up. Hank had found Theo.
The three of us sprinted towards the stairs, yelling "HANK, NO!" at the top of our lungs. Suddenly, Theo came careening down the stairs, through my legs and into the dining room. Hank was tearing after him. I grabbed a handful of butt fur, while my dad managed to catch him by the collar.
I ran into the dining room to find Theo hiding under the shoe rack, trembling. Gently, gently, I picked him up. Dad kept Hank out of sight in the kitchen while I carried my very shaken bunny upstairs. Once I had him in the boys' room, I shut the door and put him on the bed to check him out. No cuts. No punctures. A tiny tuft of fur missing from his haunch, but no raw skin. The only visible sign of the encounter was a big bump on his nose, which I kissed to make better. We calmed him as best we could, plying him with raisins and bananas. He ate his dinner that night, which reassured us that he was going to be ok.
And this morning he pushed open the door of my bedroom and proceeded to eat my new leather sandal.
Good bunny.
At dinner last night we all said a special prayer of thanks.
Thank you, Beloved, for keeping our friend safe, yesterday.
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