Zooby, 2003-2005Things are a little subdued at 205 Strange right now. On Thursday Shauna and I had to put Zooby down. He had a tumour on the end of his bowel, and it became prolapsed. I won't bother explaining what this means, but it's not pretty, nor is it comfortable. We took him to a vet who specializes in small animal surgeries but he gave it a very slim prognosis for survival, and we decided that the humane thing to do was have him euthanized. We had no idea that the tumour was there until the prolapse, and even if we had I'm not sure what could have been done to fix it.
If you've never met Zooby you might think it's just the death of a minor pet, a momentary sadness with a same-day recovery. Not so. At risk of sounding like the "rabbit people" I've previously made fun of, he was our perfect little man. He had lots of energy and loved to explore and zoom around the living room. Once he knew you, you could stick your nose through his cage and he'd lick it with his tiny tongue, or he'd appropriate you by rubbing his chin on your fingertips. He was also the pinnacle of adorability...if you took all the cute bunnies in Telus ads and combined them into one uber-cute critter, you'd have Zooby.
I bought Zooby for Shauna on a whim in November, 2003. For some reason we were on the north side of Fredericton and decided to get groceries at the Sobey's in Brookside mall. While there we stopped at a pet store, and there he was. We weren't planning on getting a rabbit, and probably should have cleared it with Dave, whom we were living with then (sorry, buddy). But he was just so pathetic in this tiny little cage, and I don't know how anyone could have refused him. The pet store people were clueless about rabbits and we felt compelled to get him out of there and give him a decent home. He lived with us at George, Scully and Strange Streets. I think he had it best here, where we built him a large, two-level cage and let him run around the apartment more or less at will. We adopted Blossom because on his explorations Zooby always seemed to be looking for other bunnies, most likely females. We didn't want to have bunny babies on our hands, but we thought that once he was fixed he might enjoy bonding with a spayed female. Well, they never did bond; Blossom seemed open to the idea, but Zooby never gave up being territorial and fighting with her whenever possible (though he usually got the worst of it, being much smaller). We would have liked them to cozy up to each other more, but in a way I think Zooby liked the fighting and competition for territory. It was just part of his feistyness, and it gave him something to focus on for the last month and a half of his life. He was only two years old, but I think he had a better life than many pet rabbits that live to be seven or eight, as unlike many of these he was always given healthy food to eat, lots of exercise and plenty of attention.
Please forgive me if I'm being a bit sentimental here. Actually, I don't care if you forgive me or not. I miss the cuddles and baby-talk and nose kisses and everything about Zooby-zoo, and I'm not ashamed. He was our perfect little man and I loved him very much.
If you've never met Zooby you might think it's just the death of a minor pet, a momentary sadness with a same-day recovery. Not so. At risk of sounding like the "rabbit people" I've previously made fun of, he was our perfect little man. He had lots of energy and loved to explore and zoom around the living room. Once he knew you, you could stick your nose through his cage and he'd lick it with his tiny tongue, or he'd appropriate you by rubbing his chin on your fingertips. He was also the pinnacle of adorability...if you took all the cute bunnies in Telus ads and combined them into one uber-cute critter, you'd have Zooby.
I bought Zooby for Shauna on a whim in November, 2003. For some reason we were on the north side of Fredericton and decided to get groceries at the Sobey's in Brookside mall. While there we stopped at a pet store, and there he was. We weren't planning on getting a rabbit, and probably should have cleared it with Dave, whom we were living with then (sorry, buddy). But he was just so pathetic in this tiny little cage, and I don't know how anyone could have refused him. The pet store people were clueless about rabbits and we felt compelled to get him out of there and give him a decent home. He lived with us at George, Scully and Strange Streets. I think he had it best here, where we built him a large, two-level cage and let him run around the apartment more or less at will. We adopted Blossom because on his explorations Zooby always seemed to be looking for other bunnies, most likely females. We didn't want to have bunny babies on our hands, but we thought that once he was fixed he might enjoy bonding with a spayed female. Well, they never did bond; Blossom seemed open to the idea, but Zooby never gave up being territorial and fighting with her whenever possible (though he usually got the worst of it, being much smaller). We would have liked them to cozy up to each other more, but in a way I think Zooby liked the fighting and competition for territory. It was just part of his feistyness, and it gave him something to focus on for the last month and a half of his life. He was only two years old, but I think he had a better life than many pet rabbits that live to be seven or eight, as unlike many of these he was always given healthy food to eat, lots of exercise and plenty of attention.
Please forgive me if I'm being a bit sentimental here. Actually, I don't care if you forgive me or not. I miss the cuddles and baby-talk and nose kisses and everything about Zooby-zoo, and I'm not ashamed. He was our perfect little man and I loved him very much.
7 comments:
Wow Ryan,
I am very sorry to here that Zooby has passed away. I will second every word you said to discribe that little critter. He was pretty damn cute and friendly. Molly and I had the luck of being able to hang out with him quite a bit over his life and enjoyed every minute.
He will be truely missed.
R.I.P. Mr. Roboto
Ryan,
I am SO sorry to hear about Zooby!!! Don't you apologize one bit for loving another living creature. I still have dreams about my dog, Patches, who died years ago. Only someone who has never had a pet wouldn't understand. I'll be thinking of you and Shauna.
Hey man,
I'm really sorry to hear about Zooby. It's odd because earlier today, I was thinking that Lady is getting old and how I would handle her passing.
In any event, my condolences to you and Shauna. You're both in my thoughts. Take care.
Zooby was an incredible little fella. I remember the first night we met. I was surprised at how soft and adorable he was, with such big brown eyes and floppy ears. He had more personality in his right paw than most bunnies do in total. And you guys were wonderful parents to him. He led a super fantastic life, even though cut short. These times are never easy, but I hope you and Shauna are doing alright. Take care of each other, eh? And give her a hug for me.
Thanks for the sentiment, guys. Having good friends is important in times like this. And Nancy, wow, thank you so much for the lovely poinsetta. We just got it today---such a nice surprise.
That really sucks, Ryan. I'm really sorry. Rabbits, dogs, cats, whatever...pets are friends, and it is sad to lose a friend. Rain and Perdita also send their condolences--they understand the value of a good nose-licking. We're all hugging our animals a little tighter today.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for sending along the lovely poems--my 'rents have the slowest internet connection EVER so I won't be able to post them until I return to ol'Freddy. Hope your family had a happy holiday!
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