Remembering Mrs Doyle

From my Humum:

When we moved into this house in March 2010 your Hudad started asking whether we should get a rabbit, and my answer was always no. What did rabbits do, I asked, apart from sit in a hutch in the garden? He couldn’t convince me there was more to them than that. So he changed tactics and instead of asking if we should get a rabbit, he asked if I minded if he got a rabbit. Someone he was working with had just had a couple of litters and was looking for homes for little lionhead x English Spot babies. Humum said that was fine on the understanding it was his pet and he was responsible for looking after it, feeding it and cleaning it out (hah!).

He came home that day in early June with a box and a bale of hay. In the box was a teeny ball of grey fluff with a pair of huge brown eyes. It would have taken it a year to eat the bale of hay. Jack had joined us.

Within the week I was asking whether Jack might be lonely and might it be better to get him a companion. He took me to Jack’s birth home, and I picked the prettiest little bun from the other litter. His friend was miffed as we had picked his favourite buns from each litter.





We did everything wrong. We weren’t even sure at first what gender you each were, except Jack ‘looked’ like a boy and you were far too feminine to be one. You were fed muesli mix, your hutches were far too small, we used woodshavings for bedding, you didn’t have permanent access to a run. About all we got right was plenty of hay and water and love. You had semi-detached hutches next to each other, with a lift-up roof. Jack soon discovered how to climb up his water-bottle holder and get into your hutch when we had left the roof open for some fresh air

You’d pretty much decided you were going to live together by the time you were about 8 or 9 weeks old. We gave in and your Hudad started on the never-ending project of improving your accommodation. You ended up with a luxury two-storey villa with double-glazed windows. When we were around you had access to the whole garden, although we tried to keep you off the top tier as there were things up there you shouldn’t eat. How many times did I have to chase you down from there, even when we thought we had completely blocked it off?



You were always such a graceful girl, very feminine and delicate. Except if a cat came into your garden, when you would turn into a red-eyed frenzied ball of fur as you did your best to take chunks out of it. More than once next door’s Charlie cat went back over the fence as top speed while you spat out mouthfuls of black fur.

We’d thought that it would be a good idea to have Jack neutered but didn’t worry about it all that much, plus your Hudad had that man’s reluctance over the whole plum-removal business. We didn’t think it would be disastrous if you had babies, but were still pretty surprised when we found a nest in your hutch in February 2011. What a lovely experience it was, watching those three little naked wrigglers develop into the energetic bundles of fluff who became Graham, Smudge and Poirot. A few weeks later you suffered your first GI stasis episode and your first visit to the vet. We asked him to check you weren’t pregnant again, as you seemed to be putting on weight. He had a good feel and said he was sure you weren’t. While we were there we booked Jack in for his op the following week. What a shock it was, two days later, to find you had given birth to nine babies. Three were dead, dotted across the bottom of the hutch. I guess they had latched on to feed and you had hopped away from the nest, accidentally pulling them out of it. Another died a couple of weeks later, the other five grew up into Ronnie, Reggie, Taffy, Dougal and of course our sweet Molly who is at the bridge with you.



It was with some relief (to us) that Jack had his trip to the vets and an even bigger shock when you gave birth to a third litter – we worked out he must have been a busy boy the very day he went in for his op. Sunny and Rocky both succumbed to pasteurella, one at eight weeks and one at sixteen weeks. Sparky is also a sufferer. I later came to the conclusion that you just did not have enough resource left to pass on a strong immune system to them, even though you were a fabulous and attentive Mummy to all your children. I also think that the strain it put on you affected your health and contributed to your early death. If I could change one thing, it would be to have made sure that you would not have kits and could live a long and healthy life with us being loved. Sad as it would be to miss out on all your wonderful children, we could not have missed what we had never had and I have an idea we may have ended up with more rescue buns anyway.

As the youngsters grew, they were neutered and you went in with your eldest girls to be done too. You all lived in one big group, with the run of the garden and living quarters which keep getting extensions built on. You even had a sun room. Then Hudad built you all a huge shed with three levels. But you had had enough of the kids by then and started being stressed living in that big group. All you wanted was to live in peace with your beloved Jack. When you had another serious GI episode late in 2011, you came into the house to recover and as soon as you were a little better Jack came in too. We never had to worry about re-bonding you two, you just wanted to be together.



You lived in the office for a while. Sparky would come up and taunt you and on one memorable occasion you leaped out of your pen and gave her a good telling off. We couldn’t even think about putting you back outside until spring, so ended up building you a pen at the end of the living room and you and Jack lived in there quite happily over winter. Neither of you wanted much to do with us – you liked coming out for a roam around the living room and we were permitted to pass you treats, but you didn’t want to be touched. As long as you and Jack had each other you were blissfully happy.

In March 2012 we had a conference to attend. As it was local and we also had next-door’s cats to look after, we came home each night rather than stay over. We didn’t spend a lot of time here and we were worried about elderly Charlie-cat next door, who seemed to slow down day-by-day. Although you seemed a little off-colour that weekend, it wasn’t enough to alarm us until we came home on the Sunday night and you seemed to be suffering another bout of stasis, with reduced gut sounds and little appetite. We decided not to rush you to the vet, as we didn’t think the duty vet would be any wiser than we were. We gave you pain relief, gut stimulant and syringe feeds.

You went to the vet first thing on Monday morning, and they were convinced it was a bad bout of stasis too. Fortunately your Hudad was home to look after you as after a couple of hours it became apparent that something else was going on. You went back to the vet and had an x-ray. They found that you were very poorly indeed - you had a twisted intestine and the rest of your insides were filling with gas.

I met your Hudad at the vet at half-past four on March 19th 2012. Everyone there was wonderful and let us spend as much time in one of the consulting rooms with you as we wanted. You were very sleepy as you had been sedated for the x-ray and it was easy to tell that it would have been extremely selfish of us and unfair to have put you through an operation. We had to say goodbye. It was one of the toughest things I have ever had to do, but you even taught me that I could survive that.

Thankyou for loving Jack with all of your heart and soul. Thankyou for Poirot, Graham, Smudge, Ronnie, Reggie, Dougal, Taffy and yes, even Sparky. Thankyou for Molly, Sunny and Rocky who are with you at the bridge. Thankyou for your endless patience with us. Thankyou for teaching me that rabbits are not simply animals who sit in a hutch at the bottom of the garden. Thankyou for changing my life so I cannot imagine not having rabbits in it – I hope I can do you proud.



Love you sweetie

What a beautiful tribute and gorgeous pics. I have tears in my eyes

As sad as the circumstances are, it was lovely to hear more of their story. A true love story it was too!

for you all on this difficult day.

I hope you're happy where you are now, Mrs. D. You can rest assured that your beloved Jack and little ones down here are being cared for.

Much loved and much missed x

Oh man I'm sat here in tears what a beautiful tribute

Thinking of you all today and I have a candle lit for Mrs Doyle xxxxx

And Yes you have done her proud you are both amazing, kind and wonderful Huparents xxxxxx

Oh, what a lovely tribute to Mrs Doyle

She was so beautiful. There is always that one special bun that will have your heart, whether it be for what they did for you, helped you to understand, or for how special they were. Mrs D seemed like that bun.

Binky free with your babies, Mrs Doyle. Jack and your other babies are very safe and happy, and we know you are watching down on all of them xxxxxx

Thinking of you

Absolutely reduced to tears, but reading that I have also smiled and giggled.

What a wonderful legacy you have left behind Mrs D I think you would be proud as punch.

I hope you are having fun up there at the bridge. You are missed down here xxxxxx

Fabulous tribute to a very loved and loving bunny.

What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful girl.

such a beautiful tribute to a beautiful mrs d

Oh what a beautiful tribute I too have tears in my eyes but that doesn't take much atm with my hormones but what a wonderful story and I think we have all been there and got it wrong at some point with feeding them wrong, i know I did. Binky Free Mrs D xxxxx

I've only just seen this, sorry, and I too am in tears. I can't believe that it's been a year already since Mrs Doyle left us.

What a wonderful tribute to Mrs Doyle. I did not know her story, what a wonderful legacy she has left.
Binky free, beautiful girl xx

Thinking of you today, Missy     

I hope you are having the most fabulous time at the bridge, binkying in the sunshine with Sunny, Rocky, Molly and Taffy   

What a lovely tribute hun, made me tear up, very well said and yes I definatlery think you do them all proud hun and Mrs Doyle will be looking down and agreeing with that.

I must admit I thought the saeme as I think everyone has before having rabbits, that they do not do much and in a hutch etc but I have always been drwan to them and glad I just went for it and got Dougal. I am so glad these bunnies have got such a fantatci loving humum and well done humum and hudad for the care, time and devotion you have given these little furries. We all have to learn the first time as we go along and it did not take long for you to, you should be proud of yourelves. they do teach us a lot these amazing buns dont they indeed.

I love the photos too,     

Thank you so much for sharing this story of love and the pics of a gorgeous bunny girl.
This tribute I'ds honestly heartfelt and so true because all of us have started of thinking to know a lot about bu nies to discover what fools we are and that those twitch noses have to teach us a lot.
So many good deeds that bunnies show as a natural characteristic it is good to know that we can actually learn from them.     
binky free Mrs D.

I was thinking of you guys earlier today.

Sending hugs

Binky free, Mrs D

Mrs Doyle was beautiful     

I have just read that tribute all over again and I'm sat here crying...it's beautiful.

Remembering you always Mrs D xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I am so sorry for you pain love, but she is at the Bridge waiting for you. She was adorable.

Hugs
JO xx