I realized this evening that, though a lot of you have followed me through my journey in getting my beautiful herd, I've never put all their stories in one place.
You'll have to forgive me if I get any dates wrong. I'll be checking over the next day or so to be sure the dates are correct, though.
Our Story:
I think our story starts back in Nov of 03. Danny and I met on a website then called emode.com, and fell in love as quickly as we met. We moved in together, with (now) our beautiful daughter Emily (she was about two at the time), the following month (right around New Year's 04). Danny proposed to me the following March of 04.
The following month, our two kitties, Sunny and Hobbes were born...and we brought them home early the following June (as their mama didn't want to nurse them, and their mama's owner wanted to give them dry food...TOO YOUNG!). So, we brought them home, and made sure they got the proper diet for kitties so young (about one month of age).
It was clear right away that Sunny was the true troublemaker, and made suggestions to Hobbes to do this or that, and then walked away, leaving him to make too much noise and get in trouble. Hehe! We didn't catch it at first, but eventually stopped and waited at the first sound of trouble, and out came Sunny, trotting away from the scene of the crime...this deer-in-headlights look on her face! LOL!
They're both little imps in fur, as I like to call them...but we love them dearly, and they're so wonderfully unique as far as cats go.
We had our kitties for a couple years before we thought of bringing anyone else home. I mostly avoided adding anyone to the family because the kitties' bond was so beautiful, I didn't want to chance it changing with another kitty being added. But, around the end of January of 06, all that changed...with one look at Miss Maisie...
A little girl at Em's then-school had a litter from her two bunnies (I'm quite sure it was accidental, as she was quite the responsible girl), and was selling the litter for $20 each, proceeds going to the spaying of the mama bun. Danny and I came to pick Em up from school, and she came RUNNING over, HUGE eyed look on her face, saying, "MAMA! MAMA!! BUNNIES!! DOMINIQUE HAS BUNNIES FOR SALE!!!!"
Suddenly, the memories of all the years of wishing I could have a little bunny of my own came flooding back...and I realized I had to at least take a look at them. All the buns I'd known in the past were always rather bored-looking, not very active...outside in boring ol' hutches...and I'd always been told they bite...so I'd steered clear as an adult.
But, as I sat down, a little itty bitty gray bunny came running over, leaped into my lap, and gave me a look, as she put her front paws on my chest, and Dominique said, "Pick her up! She wants you to pick her up!" I had to have this little ten year old girl show me how...but once this little baby bun was in my arms, I was smitten...and BEGGED Danny for us to bring her home.
He said no at first, and boy am I glad he did! I came straight home, looked around for a bun site, and found Rabbits Online! I've been here ever since!
We researched like mad, asked a zillion questions, found out that buns are compatible with kitties, can be housed indoors, that their food, etc. wasn't as expensive as I thought, and that with proper care, she could live a nice life!
A few days later, and Miss Maisie came home! And I've been crazy over bunnies ever since!
Next came our sweet Flower girl...around May of 06. A neighbor of ours had her sitting outside in a tiny hamster cage, sitting on a tiny shelf to protect herself from the lake of urine and feces that was on the floor below...poor little baby was skin and bones.
So, I knocked on his door, asked him if he was giving the bun away, or what...and he said, "Why...ya want it?"...and that was it for me. I said a quick "yes", and thought to myself, "If Danny says no, we can always clean her up, rehabilitate her, and take her to a good no-kill shelter." In fact, I think for a couple weeks here on RO, I'd been talking about her, and was going back & forth on keeping her...but finally, she won me over. I honestly don't really think there was any denying it from the start...Flower had a forever place in my heart.
I worked really hard to be sure she got the care she needed, and she's really blossomed into a beautiful, amazing little girl.
Next came diva Trixie girl! She was TrixieRabbit's bun (here on RO)...and around I think it was October of 06, Denise (TrixieRabbit) found out she was pregnant and that her husband was allergic to Trixie's hay all at the same time. And thus, she had to make the difficult decision to rehome her sweet Trixie girl. She and I were already friends...and kept saying, "Gosh...I wish I could take her", and she was saying, "I wish I could rehome her with you..." There was only one problem: Denise lives in NEW YORK! We didn't think it possible to get her Trixie here!
One day, I decided to just bite the bullet, and check it out, and we found out that not only did it not cost that much to fly her here, but it was easy, and would actually be easier on Trixie than trying to drive her here!
So, we scheduled it, and on 28 Jan 07, our little Trixie got her wings! She's such a wonderful addition to our house, too. She's got so much spunkitude, and is our biggest girl, and only true 100% lop!
I just love her to bits!
Then came the lionhead babies. In getting Trixie home, TinysMom (Peg) and I became acquainted, and around I think March of 07, I went venturing over to her site to check out her buns, and whatever litters she had available (never know, right?). While checking it out, I found this cute little broken tort boy that I just LOVED!! So, I inquired about him, and she said that she'd actually found a home for that little one...but would I like to look at pictures of some other broken torts she had? I said, "Sure!" And found my sweet Drew. Shortly after, I also fell in love with her brothers Dusty and Bun Bun...and we had a plan to fly them over later on that year.
Well, plans kept changing...due to the fact that we wanted to wait and fly them home once we'd moved...and it turned out to be a good thing, as our little Drew baby passed away from what we think was congestive heart failure on 21 Oct 07, and Bun Bun passed away we think from the same thing on 16 Dec 07. As I write this, I'm still heartbroken about losing them both...and the fact that, because of them both passing from the same thing, Peg and I thought it best not to fly our Dusty home. We thought it would be too much a risk of his life.
*moment of silence and tears for them both*
Onto happier subjects!
Shortly after Drew passed, we decided to ask Peg if she had any bucks that she'd had for a while, and had been unable to find homes for, etc...so she emailed me some pictures of the bucks that met that description. And who would meet my eyes, but a GORGEOUS harlequin buck with one ear that had been chewed on a bit by one of his siblings. I fell head over heels!! So, Mr. Harley Quinn, as we've (Peg and I) named him, was added to the Maher Family herd!
We have yet to be able to fly him home...but have high hopes that it will be soon, as I would LOVE to give him his favorite ear rubs, and hear him thump while expecting dinner and pets!
More to come in the story of the Maher Family Herd!
