Unusual Friends

Can a dog and rabbit be friends? As unusual as it sounds, yes, it is possible.
Take Bello and Toby for example.

Bello was just 8 months old when we adopted him from a local Humane Society. His owner had to move and claimed they could not take him to their new home. Sadly Bello is not the only one. Rabbits are rapidly becoming one of the most abandon animals in our shelters today.

Personally I could not imagine life without the love of a rabbit. My husband saw how bad I was hurting after the loss of our third rabbit, Marcell. Although he knew no one could ever take the place of Marcell, he wanted to see me smile again, and suggested we try to adopt another bunny when I was ready. It took me several weeks. But I had noticed that our dog Toby would whine and look at Marcell’s bed much like he did when my first rabbit, Baxter, passed away. After losing Baxter, Toby searched the house frantically looking for her. It broke my heart to watch.

I had no idea Toby had even bonded with either of my rabbits. My female Baxter wanted nothing to do with Toby. In fact if I would let her near Toby she would box his nose.

By the way, Toby is our 7 year old lab Sheppard mix, that was rescued from a kennel that was choosing to shoot their puppies in the head instead of euthanizing them. Toby is a very sweet natured dog who is very protective of his family members.

I knew Toby was curious about Marcell. Toby and Marcel would often touch noses on their own. They were never out together, partly due to the fact that I was nervous from my past experience with Baxter and Toby.

Toby is a very sensitive dog and picks up on emotions and situations easily. If I am down or sick he is right there. Believe it or not he will wake me up at night if I am having an asthma attack. He is an amazing dog. I do think he understood that Marcell was very sick before he passed away. Marcell had developed a tumor in his right front paw. In his last days we would sleep in the same room with Marcell and Toby because Marcell would fall over at night and not be able to reach food or water.

The remarkable part was if Marcell fell over and I did not wake up, Toby would whine to alarm me that something was wrong. Like I said he is a very intuitive dog. I had no idea he was so in tune to the rabbits and what was happening with them till Marcell had gotten so sick.

So when we adopted Bello, I made sure Toby would finally get to be friends with his new brother. I totally knew he would be gentle. He definitely proved that. Bello had the perfect docile personality for this unusual friendship. He is a huge cuddly red rabbit that really does not have a care in the world as long as he can interact with you. He took well to Toby.

I started by just holding Bello while Toby was next to me. Then every time I would take Bello out for a run I would let Toby smell and lick him. Bello took this well. He just shuts his eyes and stays really still. He is usually pretty soaked after Toby gets done giving his brother kisses. That is really all Toby wants, to great Bello and then go on with his own doggy business.

I started letting both of them be out in the same space and they did really well. Toby still does not understand Bello’s excited jumps, pops and helicopters. All that action seems to be a little alarming to Toby. But he will patiently lie down and wait in one spot till Bello hops up to him.

Toby doesn’t quite understand that he can’t roll over on top of the bunny to play. Toby’s first instinct when he is in a playful mood is to turn over on his back and kick his legs in the air. I think this is his way of being on Bello’s level…plus it could be a submissive sign to Bello that he means no harm and wants to play. Toby does the same thing to me if I am lying on the floor trying to do sit ups. It is really a funny site to see.

So for Christmas this year, I decided to really push the limits of the new friendship between Toby and Bello. I normally do Christmas cards of the bunnies each year. As a designer I love to take photos and make my own cards for Christmas. It has become a tradition for me. Baxter, Toby and Marcell have been my subjects for many years. So this year, I decided Bello and Toby both had to be in it together. Only problem was if Bello was on the floor he would not sit still he would tear off hopping and jumping. So I opted to put them in Toby’s bed. I don’t think Toby was too fond of that. But he tolerated it. I definitely have one special dog and a rabbit that is not intimidated by size.

Think these too will be buddies for a long time.