Trixie's Travels - **She's HERE!!!**

[TrixieRabbit]

Hi everyone....

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you from the bottom of my heart for taking a moment to think of me and my DH. Your posts, encouragement and understanding brought tears to my eyes. We truly are beside ourselves at losing our sweet Trixie. Now that the reality of losing her has set in, I can't help but cry every time I look at her and her cute little twitchy-nose.

Even though the decision to rehome Trixie was voluntary, it was with great sadness. There are multiple reasons for rehoming Trixthat are beyond our control, but the number one reason was to give Trixie the opportunity to have the best possible quality of life, 1,0000% happiness. We took a REALLY good look at our situation and realized that it would not be fair to give Trixie any less. We could keep her, but would she be truly receiving the best possible attention and care? We realized we could not be selfish and the best we could do for herwas to find a new home for Trix, and it would have to be someone from this forum. We wouldn't accept anything less than that, even if it meant keeping her and sacrificing.....
Luckily, Rosie and I, who became friends over time through this forum, started chatting about how great it would be if we lived closer...and eventually, the conversation turned into...when can we book the flight?? And WHAT A RELIEF!
Everything is booked and ready to go! It wasn't as easy or cheap as posting Trix's pic on the supermarket bulletin board, but hey, Trixie is WORTH it, in my eyes.

So, it is with a mixture of great sadness and happiness that I send my precious princess across the entire US on a 13-hr plane ride to her new, loving home in California. We know we couldn't have found a better match for Trixie, and we are so impressed and happy with how ROsie has handled everything on her end. With my morning sickness, it was hard to make all those phone calls and do all that research. Plus, my job has FIREWALLED Rabbits Only (EGADS! The NERVE!) and I couldn't even post. So Rosie took up the extra slack and did most of the research.

Thank you all for your bunny advice and support throughout the past year. This forum has truly brought together such an eclectic group of people from all over the world who have the same thing in common: an incredible love, caring and compassion for other animals. Essentially, MY kind of people. If only we could all get together and meet in person one day - it would be a bunny utopia!

I will be here to check in and say HI...so look for me on the off-topic board. Plus, I have learned a lot about bunnies, so I will post advice when I can.

So....until later...BON VOYAGE!
Love,
Denise, Paul and Trixie :bunnydance:

 

[JadeIcing]

Hey, Denise. You can always come visit my guys. Umm they are a bit umm hyper.

 

[MyBoyHarper]

maherwoman wrote:

She's going to be arriving here at LAX on Sunday at 5:15pm...my husband's birthday, haha!

So, there ya go...we've got 46 hours left to go!!!! :bunnydance::bunnydance:

Yayyyy! I can't wait to see pictures.

 

[missyscove]

So, just about 24 hours until Trixie lands. It certainly sounds like Trixie is just going from one great family to the next.

Congratulations to Rosie on getting a new bunny and congratulations to Denise for being such a great bunny mom to know when to make the choice to find Trixie a new home and for finding her such a great one.

Luckily for me, Trixie will be a whole lot closer to my house...-adds to bunnynapping list-

 

[maherwoman]

Hehe...Missyscove...you can come over and visit them all ya want!

Just as long as they're still here when you leave...hehe!!

 

[cheryl]

Aww Denise,saying goodbye to Trixie is going to be so hard i'm sure,but take comfort in knowingthat she is going to another lovely family

And you must let us know when you have that little baby of yours,we will all wanna check him/her out



Good luck for sunday you guys!

Ohh the anticipation of waiting Rosie!!

cheryl

 

[maherwoman]

I know!! The anticipation's KILLIN' me!! I think I'll be pacing the whole time my hubby's gone to pick her up! :waiting:

Thank you for the warm wishes...I'm sure everything will be wonderful.

Denise will be calling me right when she's on the plane, so I know she's on her way. (Though, since she'll be flying at 7:45am their time, I'll be receiving a call at 4:45am my time...but hey, I just want to know everything's going well. I'll also be calling her the second I know she's okay when my husband gets her.)

(BTW...I'm not going because I have a hard time driving & such through LAX, and we have a six-year-old daughter that would be difficult to bring with us on such an adventure...so I'll be waiting to hear from him that she's okay.)

cheryl13 wrote:

Aww Denise,saying goodbye to Trixie is going to be so hard i'm sure,but take comfort in knowingthat she is going to another lovely family

And you must let us know when you have that little baby of yours,we will all wanna check him/her out



Good luck for sunday you guys!

Ohh the anticipation of waiting Rosie!!

cheryl

 

[TinysMom]

It's a bird.

It's a plane.

No.....it's a flying bunny!

(Go Trixie go....Go Trixie go..).

 

[Pipp]

A w w w w w w w . . . Poor Denise . . . :sad:

Personally I would have ditched the hubby and kept the bunny, but hey, that&#39;s just me.:lookaround<WBR>

Seriously, it must be really hard to send her off to Rosie, even though you know she&#39;ll be happy and loved... she&#39;s been your little girl. I&#39;d be a complete mess, and that&#39;s without the morning sickness.

But you will have another bundle of joy to keep you occupied soon enough, even if he/she doesn&#39;t have much of a coat.



We&#39;ll all be thinking of you this weekend. :hug1



sas :rose:

PS: This one&#39;s for you ... :babyhaha:

 

[maherwoman]

As of right now, she&#39;ll take flight about three hours from now...

WAHOO!!

This is what you get after I stay up until nearly 3am building a bunny cage, haha!!

G&#39;night, all!! I&#39;ll be getting a call at about 4:15am informing me of her taking flight...gotta get some sleep before then!!

 

[Bangbang]

ohhh how exciting, can&#39;t wait to hear about her once she&#39;s arrived, GOODLUCK!

 

[LuvaBun]

Oh goodness, I am so excited for you, Rosie. Alaska Airlines sound great .

Denise, I am sure we all feel for you - we know how hard it would be if we had to give up one of our fur babies. At least you will be able to keep up with how she is doing here, and you know that she is going from one loving home in to another .

Now, waiting for pics :waiting::sunshine:

Jan

ps - Happy Birthday to your hubby, Rosie!

 

[TrixieRabbit]

Hi everyone

I just wanted to pop on and give you all an update on what&#39;s going on so far in Trixie&#39;s travels....

This morning DH and I got up at 3:30am EST to feed Trixie and gather all her toys, hay and food. We left the house by 4:20am headed towards Newark airport in New Jersey. We arrived at Newark Airport at approx. 5:30am. Alaska Cargo is in the same building as Continental Cargo, and in fact, the entire staff that was there were Continental employees.
When I brought Trixie in her small carrier, she quickly drew a crowd of big, burly cargo workers with her charm. I told Rosie it must be the twitchy nose...she cast a spell on everyone - BEWITCHED-style! LOL.....
As per the Alaska Airlines rep who I booked the flight with on the phone, we were told they would inspect the kennel upon arrival at the airport and make us take Trixie out of the kennel to inspect it. Also, we were told the rabbit would not be allowed any food or water, not even hay! This was a HUGE issue for me, and I even hung up on them crying before calming down and calling them back to book the flight...

ANYWAYS, rather than pull her out of the kennel and try and hold a squirming, indignant princess of a bunny while they inspected everything, we brought her in her smaller carrier and brought the larger carrier empty for them to inspect....we also brought a bag of hay, food, a bottle of water, 2 different water bottles, zip-ties, wire cutters, her favorite toy and duct tape in case they had a problem with the set up of the carrier.
They didnt even inspect it when we got there! The workers there were so funny and laid-back they didn&#39;t care...they took one look at Trixie and us and just KNEW nothing was shady about us. They even let us put her hay, her water bottle, and even her favorite toy in her carrier with her!
And the health certificate everyone was so admant about over the phone? Didn&#39;t even ask for it....
So....as I am waiting for processing of the flight info, etc....the crowd of employees has grown to about 10 men, all telling stories about how rabbits are smart, how to raise them, how BIG Trixie is...it was amazing how interested they were in her well-being!
The supervisor that booked everything was suprised that we used Alaska airlines instead of Continental b/c he said Continental flies directly to LA airport with no layovers and he seemed concerned about the 3 hr layover in Seattle. But, he booked the flight on Alaskan Air as planned....
So, after all was said and done, and Trix was transferred to her larger, more "plush" accomodations (we lined her larger carrier withskid-proof shelving cloth on the bottom and shredded paper), we waved goodbye and blew her kisses as she was taken in back on a small payloader....and told the supervisor to take good care of our baby.....

The flight was scheduled for 7:45am EST, so when I got home around 8:30am, I thought Trix was already in the air...and I didn&#39;t realize Rosie wanted me to call her as soon as I dropped off our bunny since it would be 5:30am her time....so I collapsed into bed and was awoken at 11am (yes, I am a tired pregnant lady -ha) by the SUPERVISOR of Alaskan Airlines. DH answered the phone and I INSTANTLY sprung out of bed when I heard him say "You&#39;re kidding!? Can this be taken care of?" I had NO CLUE what happend and feared the worst....images of a runaway rabbit in the cargo area of Continental were running through my head like a horrible nightmare!
Turns out, according to the supervisor, everyone fell in love with Trixie (how could you NOT?), and rather than take her outside on the tarmac as the cargo hold was loaded, they kept her inside where it was warm and kept an eye on her and gave her lots of pets. They were so concerned with her being warm, they FORGOT TO LOAD HER ON THE PLANE! LOLOLOLOLOL SO, the supervisor called to let us know they were going to fly her to LA on the next Continental flight at 12pm. The best part was, the flight was DIRECT with NO LAYOVER and Trix would arrive in LA at the same time as planned! GREAT NEWS! Less stress for Trixie! So I laid back down in bed and smiled at our good fortune. 20 mins later, the phone rings again...it&#39;s the supervisor Reggie from Continental Cargo with even BETTER news....they got Trix on an EXPRESS flight to LA departing at 1pm EST and she would be arriving an HOUR EARLIER than planned, so instead of arriving at 5:15pm PST, she would be arriving at the Continental Cargo receiving area at 4:15 and then taken to the Alaska Airlines receiving area for pickup as planned! So no inconvenience for anyone!

So...as of now, my little bunny is somewhere in the sky, on her way to her new loving home....and until 7:15 my time, I will be praying for her safe arrival.

That&#39;s about it! I will keep you all updated if I hear anything else!

~Denise

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I&#39;m so glad they were so good for her... even if they did forget her. :shock:But it shows something that they went to all that trouble to contact you and to get things worked out. I&#39;m hoping for safe remaining trip and an update from Rosie as soon as she gets her settled!

:hug:Your baby girl is going to be in great hands Denise, even if it still hurts to lose her still. You&#39;re an awesome bunny mom to go to all this trouble to get her to someone that you trust with her life and to make such a hard decision as to rehome her! Hang in there.

 

[naturestee]

Wow is that a story!:shock: At least you don&#39;t have to worry about anyone mistreating her, that girl will have the entire plane wrapped around her paw in no time flat!

Fly, Trixie, fly!:stork:

Denise, I know you agonized over this. And it&#39;s awful that you can&#39;t keep her, but I guess some things just aren&#39;t meant to be. It&#39;s great that you could find a home for her with a friend that you know will take excellant care of her and keep you updated. Trixie is going to be just fine, although I&#39;m sure she&#39;ll miss her Mommy. :hug2:

 

[Haley]

aww Denise, Im sitting her smiling at your story. Im so happy this is working out (and for the better actually!). Its so great that the people were so wonderful with her and keeping an eye out for our little princess. It makes you feel a lot better about the long journey.

Ive been thinking about you guys all morning. Im so glad things are going well. Now, Rosie, we need an update when she arrives safely!

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

I&#39;m so glad all is working out for Trix. Yay. Denise, great job on your end and I know it must be hard saying goodbye to your beloved girl. You&#39;ll get pleny of pictures that&#39;s for sure! :bunnydance:

I can&#39;t wait for more updates.

Oh, and Rosie, do you have any nails left or have you chewed them all off in your anticipation? Hee Hee :tongutwo:

 

[maherwoman]

Hehe...thanks for all the warm wishes, guys! Your love and support got us through this stressful time, and I&#39;m so grateful!!

Yeah, I got up at about a quarter to nine our time (after going to bed around 3am mostly building Trixie&#39;s cage, haha), and realized Denise hadn&#39;t called. So, I walked over to the computer in a somewhat zombie-ish state, and saw that nothing had popped up on our Messenger, either (which is one of the ways Denise and I have kept in touch)...all sorts of scary thoughts going through my mind (like Denise mentioned she was thinking, too)...worried that she&#39;d somehow not made it on the plane. That they decided that even after all the work Denise and Paul put into doing her carrier to specifications, it was somehow just the slightest bit off, or something lame like that, and they&#39;d turned them away. Argh...

So, I sat down at the computer, and Denise signed in and I immediately (as I&#39;m sure she expected) asked if she was on the plane. (Thinking, "please say yes, please say yes...") The first thing Denise said was, "Can I call you? I have some interesting info." So I said, "Um...sure...does this mean she&#39;s not on her way? " Denise&#39;s reply: "Nope...well kinda." I think I had a couple of coronaries when I read that...so I gave her my number, worried outta my mind, while reading her message of, "Don&#39;t panic." Hehe...

Then she imparted the above situation to me...and had I not been sitting down, I might very well have fainted! Hehe!! I went from thinking the worse, to hearing the best...I get my baby a whole hour earlier! :woohoo

How funny that we always think the worse. I think it&#39;s a defense mechanism...a kind of "just in case" thing.

But...I was so happy to hear she was okay, that Denise and Paul were okay, and that our (Denise and my) baby was on her way.

I tell ya, it was so nice to hear the relief in Denise&#39;s voice that things were okay, and hear her laughter after all this time of stress and frustration. I&#39;m not surprised in the least that our girl charmed everyone to that extent. She&#39;s such a sweetheart!

I can&#39;t wait until she charms everybody tonight. We&#39;re having friends over (don&#39;t know if I mentioned that before) to play D&D (it&#39;s my husband&#39;s birthday, so we&#39;re doing one of his favorite things to do...we&#39;re geeks, hehe), and they&#39;re absolutely going to swoon all over those floppy black ears! I will be informing them that they need to try to remain nice and calm, though. (Not that we&#39;re a wild bunch of people, but sometimes the game gets loud and exciting, hehe!) I don&#39;t know how much Trixie will be up for petting and coming out and hopping around, but I&#39;ll be playing my portion of the game on the floor, with her cage door open just in case she&#39;d like to join me. I really don&#39;t think my heart will be in the game quite as much tonight somehow, hehe!

Anyway...my husband has to leave in about an hour to go get her!!! YAY!! This is all so exciting!!!

I wonder what the kitties&#39;ll think...they&#39;re still quite fascinated by Flower&#39;s pure white...wonder what they&#39;ll think of a spotted girl!

Hehe...this is all just so dang exciting...I&#39;m so happy all our hard work paid off so beautifully. Goes to show you what a wonderful thing planning is!

Love to all...I&#39;ll post a quick little something when my husband calls to let me know he has her safe in the car with him...but after that, I can&#39;t promise anything!

Hugs and love,

Rosie*

 

[maherwoman]

Aww...thank you! I&#39;ll let him know!

LuvaBun wrote:

ps - Happy Birthday to your hubby, Rosie!

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I&#39;m so excited! I can&#39;t wait to hear more stories about her and see more pictures! So much excitement for one weekend. I really should do homework but I simply can&#39;t concentrate!