The Adventures of Riley Rabbit with her Mom, Terry

Chapter One

A few weeks ago, Robert's friend, Michael, was the victim of a hit and run by a drunk driver while on his moped. Robert took him to his apartment to mend; fortunately he was not seriously injured--- banged up, bruised, and an eight suture laceration on his forehead.

I went over one night to watch a movie with them (and do laundry). During the movie Robert was suddenly overcome with an anxiety attack. I said,"sleep-over!" and we all piled into the truck to come to my house. There was some logistics problems with whom would sleep where. Obviously we couldn't get Mike up on the top bunk and he and Robert did not want to double up on the futon. Mike's brilliant answer: pull the mattress down to the kitchen floor, pull out the futon and put Robert against the wall. Then I took the outer edge. I was careful to be far enough away I did not accidentally trigger a bad reaction but close enough he knew I was there for him.

Mike is a cat person, and a gentle, laid-back, kind person; though still very stiff, slow moving and sore from the wreck. Riley had never met him before. She knows Robert but only tolerates him because he is sooo tall, and has a tendency to make sudden moves and sometimes tries to grab. She really loves his feet though.

I noticed she showed the proper amount o f cautious curiosity. Once the boys were down she hopped over to Mike. As he does with all new animal friends he laid his hand out, she nudged him, which he took as permission to pet and first thing he found was her behind the ear skritchy place. After that he was her best friend in the whole world!

I turned down the lights and lay down. Riley checked on Mike and stood up high to peep over me at Robert, then did the most amazing thing.

I did not sleep much that night; I was watching out to see if either of the boys needed anything. But I could have because Dr. Riley was on watch all night. She slept in the doorway between the kitchen and the bedroom. Every now and then she'd sniff Mike, and look at Robert. Then she lay down out in the open. What rabbit sleeps without any type of hiding place?

I know Mike's wounds were obvious, Robert's were inside-his mind- his emotions so how did she know?

She is a healer.

The moral of the story: NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE THE BUNNY!

CHAPTER TWO or It Was a Dark and Stormy Morning

The weekend of Robert's anxiety attack, my daughter had called and invited me to join her and the family on a day trip to the beach the next weekend. I was looking forward to it very much; spending the day with my grandsons is my most favorite thing to do. They were coming by early in the day to avoid the heat and we were going to stay as long as the kids could handle it.

My furry alarm clock {otherwise known as the bunny who tells time, Miss Riley herself} woke me as usual for breakfast at 6:00 am.

I scooped out the shy quarter cup of pellets and called her home. I don’t know why I bother, the minute she hears the container open she goes home immediately. While she was munching and crunching as If someone was determined to get her food before she finished it all, I put on a pot of coffee and went outside to check the weather.

It was overcast.

Optimistically I told myself it would burn off soon and went back in to get ready. By this time my bunny was done eating and in her travel cage, that is only a little bit unusual. I vaulted into the kitchen and she gave the Danger! Thump. Thank goodness Lynda had just loaned the House Rabbit Handbook {ed 3} to me. Prior to reading that I would have assumed she was in mortal fear of something. I checked to make sure there were no immediate threats to her health (a water moccasin had been seen in our bushes and I was being cautious}

She ran back into her big hutch and thumped again. I was as soothing as a psychiatrist trying to explain why the patient couldn’t really be Napoleon.

Never-the-less she ran under the futon to her rabbit tent, her general comfy place to hang out...more thumping.

I felt a wee bit silly, but just as I finished asking her out loud,"what the heck is wrong with you, Riley?" a window rattling clap of thunder and a blinding flash of lightening lit up the house.

She had been warning me of the coming storm. All that thumping and what she was saying was, "Come in here. Mom, it is safe in here." When I didn't respond she tried to find someplace in which I would hide ; another safe place for us.

What about that? Not only is she a doctor {see chapter one} she is a meteorologist as well.

Moral of the story; NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE RABBIT!

I am beginning to feel a bit humble. Stay tuned, section three is the best ever.

Chapter 3

I had a whole week to work myself up to an intense state of panic. What had I done? I invited four people inside my apt and they all wanted to meet riley. Cath, Toby, her husband, and the boys--parker 6 & 1/2, and little TomTom 4 years old.

All week I chanted a mantra: "Kids and bunnies don’t mix. Kids and bunnies don’t mix...oh no!" I ingeniously devised as many hidey places as I could in case Riley felt the need to escape or become invisible to the onslaught of the youthful energy that was fast approaching.

Then I called Cath, with a little lesson or two on bunny meet and greet. Maybe things would not be so hard on my rabbit. I ask her to remind the boys to use quiet voices. I knew everyone would be excited because none of my family had seen the inside of my new home and they all knew about "Nana's new bunny". I told her to pass on to the boys that the best way to see Riley would be if they lay on their bellies, put one hand forward, with one finger out. If Riley put her nose on their finger that meant she wanted a one finger pet on her nose, but she had the right to say no and not come out at all, and that was ok, 'cause that is how bunnies are.

Saturday morning came with the down pour we mentioned in the last chapter. We were still going to spend the day together; a change in plans would be made when they got here.

I was waiting outside for their minivan and it wasn't long before they pulled in. I was greeted so enthusiastically you might have thought it had been months since I had seen them last instead of the few weeks it had been. We walked to my door. Cath simply reminded parker and Thomas to use their "inside voices" and we entered my domain. There was a brief pause in the studio while everyone admired my set-up and many memories were evoked. Parker especially, said again and again, "I remember this from your old home." It wasn't more than a few minutes before both boys were asking, "Nana, where's your wabbit? Where’s Wiley?" Toby lifted them over the rabbit barrier and as soon as their little feet hit the floor on the other side they both flopped on their tummies and began to wriggle across the kitchen to the bedroom, index fingers extended. Cath and I paused in the kitchen a moment so she could tell me how she envied my counter, cabinet, and floor space. Stepping over her children, Cath sat on the floor beside Parker; I stretched out beside Tom-Tom, and Toby flopped on the futon with his long legs crossed to ensure our clear view underneath.

Chapter 4 - The Final Exciting Conclusion to the Adventures of Riley

When we last looked in riley was under the futon faced with a family of four. Would she come out? Would she escape to one of the many hiding places I made for her? Cath sat on the far side, parker with his finger as stretched as far as it would go was on his stomach beside her, Thomas was next and I sat next to Thomas with a firm grip on the waistband of his britches. I had to slide him out a time or two because he was very excited. While all eyes were glued on the sheet tent that riley uses as her bed and general hang out. Cath suddenly gave a small squeal,"OH! Awwww, aren't you pretty?"

Riley had used a flank approach and snuck up beside Cath. "she's nudging me!" I explained she had just received a rabbit invitation and was supposed to pet the bunny, the sooner the better. She stroked riley and marveled at her soft fur. (Which is falling out in great clumps right now because she is uber-shedding.) Riley hopped behind Cath and one by one went up beside each of the boys. They did not have to be reminded about the best way to interact with her. She even showed off by jumping up onto the futon, no one lacked for attention.

Thomas asked again if THIS house had any toys. Of course, Nana always has toys for her boys. I thanked them for their excellent behavior and set out cars, action figures etc. on the kitchen floor. The adults stood about discussing an alternative activity for the day, our fun on the beach ruined by a sudden and fierce thunderstorm. We figured everything out and while we talked I watched the doorway to the bedroom. A furry face poked out several times, finally her curiosity overcame any hesitation and she joined parker. He had just created a terrible wreck and was vigorously filling a plastic ambulance with super-hero victims. Riley got close enough to nibble the ambulance; without looking up parker waved a hand in her direction and aid,” that’s not good for you to eat."

Riley did not get any more chances that morning to experience toy cars and little people because it was time for clean up. When everything was put away, I left Riley in charge of the house and we began our adventure.

Moral of the story: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE RABBIT!

And an addendum, never underestimate those two boys. Toby and Cathy have been wonderful parents and have passed on their love and respect for all living things to Parker and TomTom. They were absolutely perfect and of course by now I wasn't surprised but so was Riley.

In the initial transition from rescued rabbit to adopted rabbit with a forever home and a forever caregiver, Riley did much better than I. At one point I felt overwhelmed and un-worthy of this huge responsibility. I ALMOST gave her back. It is an enormous responsibility, but with that comes great rewards. And all along, when I thought I was making horrible mistakes and doing wrong unorthodox things, riley was just fine. She has suffered no deep psychological scars or dreadful physical maladies from my actions. In fact every time I got shaky she would say, "Take my paw, I love you and we can make it together." I had to learn to listen first.

Now I understand why we are the two that belong together. more than anything; more than thirty years of doctors, psych wards, hospitals, therapists, clinics, treatments, case-workers, and meds of every type and amount this little five pound, fur-faced, fuzz-ball, dust bunny has made me feel complete, whole, and able.

My biggest problem now is every time I try to return her unconditional love, she gives it right back.

Thank you for putting us together, thank you for trusting me with something so special as the relationship Riley and I have forged. Thank you for the thrown away bunny who has lived up to her new name in every way,

With bunny hugs, Riley and Terry

 Riley was adopted from the Lowcountry House Rabbit Society (a branch of N Ga HRS) in May 2007.  We are so thankful that she now has such a wonderful home!

Chapter Five

I was washing dishes (GASP!) in the kitchen and Riley was in the bedroom doing some rabbit thing, probably chewing on empty tp rolls.
bang, bang, bang...someone was knocking on a neighbor's door.
BLAM!BLAM!BLAM! it was my door "Fire! the apartments are on fire! Fire! Get out!"
My first thought was Riley, i had to get her out.
My second thought flashed across my brain in the form of a newspaper headline, "Crazy Woman Dies In Fire, Would Not Leave Because She Could Not Catch Her Pet Rabbit."
If i chased her she would run and then it would become a dangerous game.
My third thought was inspired genius. I closed her big hutch, blocking off her access to food , water, litterbox, and extra timothy, her home base. Then I turned her travel cage, which I always leave open so she can feel comfortable in there, I aimed the open door toward the bedroom. I do not know how I managed this part, but in a voice no louder than normal and as fluent and calm as i could be I called her, "Riley, home."

She has ignored me even when it was time to eat and there was actually food involved, just to prove that she could be independent (read that as stubborn) . It seemed like forever but I heard her coming...hop.....hop.....hop. Silently I begged her to hurry, "I know you can move faster than that!" In seconds, not the hours it felt like, she herself jumped right into her travel cage, no hesitation, I quickly closed the door and double checked the latch and we were out of there.

There we were outside the building. I scanned for a shady place away from what seemed to be the central hub of activity. Our building is a row of 12 units, broken into three sections. The first porch has three doors: one each for the two downstairs units and a central staircase that rises to the two upper apartments. That's where everything was going on. the rest of the building is the same plan repeated exactly two more times. Riley and I live in the last section on the ground floor. I found a bench in the shade near our porch. i put Riley down on the end and sat in front of the door; I could not do much about the noise but I hoped my body would block the majority of the visual stimuli.

I saw my neighbor from upstairs at the other end being placed in a chair and supported by two or three other people. I was glad she was out with us. Smoke was pouring out windows and out of the stairway door. Charles, my upstairs neighbor, had been in charge of evacuation and seeing that 911 was called. He was having trouble making sure Mike, my neighbor to the right, came out. Mike is shy and frequently does not open his door, even to the hardest of knocks. But Charles got him to answer the door and pulled him away from the building. The last person unaccounted for was Jesse, my neighbor to the left. I was able to tell Charles that Jesse had left for the day and definitely was not at home. The influx of on-lookers, generally curious, and plain nosey had begun. The excitement was high and so was the noise. And speaking of noise I had just begun to hear the approaching sirens of the fire department, police department, and the ambulance. Almost as soon as i first heard them our cul-de-sac was full of eardrum bursting vehicles.

I was worried about Riley. Would she be so frightened she was in a frantic tear to try to find an escape from the confinement of her cage? Would she be so scared that she had buried herself under her blankies and fallen into a coma induced by an overdose of adrenaline and deadly scared-rabbit-brain-chemicals? NO! She had found that there was a leaf poking out of the planter near our bench and was stretching her little nose as far as she could through the ventilation slit . She seemed fairly determined that if she pushed and stretched hard enough she could have a wee little snack. What fire? What sirens? What crowd? There was a perfectly good leaf right there, and all her attention was focused on that.

The "fire" turned out to be a frying pan left on a hot burner: all smoke, no flames. Once that was determined, the firefighters brought out huge fans and with a roar that was as least as loud as jet engines began to blow out the involved areas. I twisted around to see if she noticed this new even louder noise. Nope, still after that leaf.

The alarms in each room began to quiet, one by one, and the EMT's kept an eye on our neighbor. As soon as the smoke began to clear, people began to wander over to see what I had in my box. Of course several people knew Riley, other people knew she lived with me but had never seen her and some people weren't certain at all what I was so jealously protecting.
Oh, No: not strangers, please.

Miss Riley gave up the leaf and even limited by the wires of the door gave me a undeniable bunny nudge, "Hey, you're in my way." She meeted and greeted everyone equally. She was praised, on her beauty, cuteness, softness, eyes, etc, etc etc. She was definitely a big hit with each and everyone. And Darran, one of our more frequent visitors, stood by and announced to anyone who was listening or not that she was a good bunny, oh yeah, a really pretty rabbit, and good, too. Darran is one of our biggest fans.

In hindsight, it was probably approximately 20 minutes before the residents got an offical all clear to re-enter our homes. The cops were long gone, the firefighters rounded up their gear and left, the EMT's gave my neighbor permission to stay home if she felt like it, and they left, too. As I carried Riley back into the A/C the whole outdoor scene had transformed from a circus into the quiet neighborhood to which we are all accustomed.

Once inside I popped the latches and freed Riley. I rushed around, putting down frozen water bottles and changing the water in her hanging bottle and floor plate with colder water . I was trying to off-set any adverse or delayed reaction to the extreme outdoor heat. Before i had even finished Riley had opened her big hutch and began politely but insistively throwing her food crock about.
"well now that that bit of ruckus is over, don't you think a bit of dinner is in order?"
In my mind Riley has an English accent.

What a Rabbit!
She really is something else
(and as soon as i figure that out, i'll be the first to let you know)