Happy Tail: Leta the Bunny
Sunday, February 10, 2008
By: Alyssa O'Toole

Her Own Rabbit

Leta’s story, for me, starts back on April 25 of this year, long before I even knew she existed. That’s the day Rupe, my 7-year-old loveable mutt, lost his battle with lymphoma.

Throughout his illness, Rupe needed a great deal of care. Aside from homemade meals and more medications than I care to remember, we made weekly trips to the holistic vet located an hour away from my home. Following Rupe’s death, I had a lot of time on my hands. My two bunnies, Rascal and Scoundrel, were getting sick of seeing me so much.

I decided to call Animal Friends, where I had been a volunteer years before, to find out if they had a rabbit in need of a foster home. They asked if I could take Leta, a young female who was born at Animal Friends and badly in need of socialization.  I said yes immediately, and picked her up a few days later.

When Leta first came to live with my husband Denny and me, she cowered in her litter box with her head in the corner. When we approached her, she lunged and growled at us.  Cleaning the litter box every day was no fun task with a crazed rabbit nearby and ready to attack.  But we managed, and since I had nothing but time, I just camped outside her crate for hours, hoping she would get curious enough to venture out. 

Finally, one day, she did. I would have jumped for joy if I didn’t think it would have sent her reeling. Although Leta was still obviously terrified, she craved our attention too. That urge to interact took over more and more, and she finally began greeting us when we approached her. Within a few days she was exploring the living room and doing vertical bunny leaps of joy (or the “electric bunny,” as Denny likes to call it).

Leta improved little by little, becoming more trusting and affectionate toward us every day. As days turned into weeks, she won us over. We couldn’t imagine her leaving, so we decided to adopt her.

Leta is a beautiful Himalayan/Satin mix with jet-black fur soft as velvet and big brown eyes. She was born with a clubfoot, but it doesn’t slow her down. She is curious and intelligent with an endearing sense of humor and lots of love to give. She snuggles with us on the sofa, steals my knitting needles and loves pushing her ball through her willow tunnel. She comes running when we shake her treat jar and nudges us when she wants us to pet her. She turned into to a snuggle bunny despite herself, and all it took was love and patience. 

When I decided to foster Leta, I was thinking about what I could do to help her. I never realized what she would do for me in return. I gave her love and she filled the void left by Rupe’s absence. Leta didn’t replace Rupe -- no animal could ever do that.  Leta is her own rabbit and she has taken her own spot in our lives and hearts.