It's a funny story, really. You see, we had a guinea pig and a rabbit. Trygve fell in love with the guinea pig at a pet store in Fargo, ND back in June (or was it July?) and he spent 25 minutes holding it and talking to it. It was REALLY tiny and it was obvious that Trygve was totally head over heels for the piggy. If you know him, you know that he likes to take a lot of time to think about things. I knew that eventually we were going to want a pet or two but I had no idea that, on this particular day, Trygve was going to find a pet he truly loved. We waited a day and it was obvious that he still wanted the piggy for his own. We didn't have a cage, a waterbottle, anything. But when it's love, it's love!
Neither of us were employed at the time and we had a HUGE move coming up. People questioned our reasoning and our sanity. But like I said, when it's love, it's love!
This picture was taken just a few weeks after the first one. The piggy doubled in size!! We thought the piggy was a girl at the time we bought it, and at this point we still couldn't be sure. We figured it out just in time for the move...we had a boy! Trygve had never had a boy piggy before so we weren't really sure what we were in for. I wasn't too sure about Piggy at first as he was loud and very skittish and nippy. But as you can likely imagine, his completely adorable personality (and fur!) has led to a very happy relationship with both Trygve and myself. He's pretty low-maintenance and he's fun to pet (now that he's figured out he likes being pet LOL).
He's Mr. Personality!
Now, the bunny saga. I wanted a sweet Fuzzy Lop (my mom breeds them along with other rabbit breeds and I know for a fact that her fuzzies are just the sweetest rabbits) but my mom wouldn't let me take any of the bunnies she had because she wanted to use them for breeding. Instead, she talked me into a Dutch bunny (who was supposed to be a boy). We looked at the bunnies together and I picked one I liked. My mom and I, together, checked the sex and although it was a young bunny, we decided it looked mostly like a boy. A few months later, on a day when it was over 90 degrees with a humidity level at about the same as the temperature, we stopped by to pick up the bunny along with some other last-minute things from my mom's house before we made the trek to Ohio. We were so busy with everything that I didn't even think to re-check the sex. We got the bunny here and got it a cage. I named him Tobie. We had this bunny for about two months before I started seeing some unusual behavior for a buck. This bunny was aloof, reclusive, and more or less didn't care to socialize with us or the piggy. I took the bunny into the kitchen and checked the sex during a regular monthly exam and to my surprise, it was a girl! I did not want a doe...I know enough about does to know that if you want a pet rabbit, get a buck.
Nevertheless, the doe bunny (renamed Sophie) was adorable and curious so we didn't really have any issues with her until about two months ago. She hit the Jr/Sr changeover and suddenly she was all hormones. She became even more unsocial than she had been and has been growing more tense and aggressive every day. I still think she's very cute but I can't play with her or give her what she wants, which she has graciously demonstrated for me on my foot on multiple occasions. I pet her daily and she honks, thumps and runs circles around me. I've tried every way I can to tell her I'm the dominant one but to no avail. She wasn't bred to be a pet bunny, she was bred to be a brood doe. If it wasn't for a split she's got on her right hind foot (you can actually see it in that picture) she's be downright perfect for showing! I've spent the last couple months becoming very frustrated myself as I've discovered I have two options...rehome her (preferably with a reputable breeder) or spay her. Spaying a rabbit here in Ohio costs a minimum of $110 before taxes, fees, and other such ridiculous things. I love the rabbit but I really don't want her genetics to go to waste. Plus, spaying her does not guarantee the end of the aggressive behavior. I am at my wits end and so, last week, I made the decision that I am going to try to sell her to a breeder. I think that's what's best for her. She doesn't want my attention (except being pet on the head or mating with my foot) and she pretty much hates the piggy. It's been a long, frustrating battle and I am continuously regretting getting talked into taking her with me. This makes me feel extremely guilty. I feel like a total idiot.
I was on Craigslist on Wednesday last week, looking for free stuff (sofas, maybe a bigger cage for the bunny) when I came across an ad for a purebred poodle puppy. It even had pictures! I clicked the link just to see cute pictures and I was suddenly face-to-face with MY DOG. I can't explain it except to say that it was kind of like when I first met Trygve and also kind of like when I put on my wedding dress for the first time. "I know you, I know your face" was really the idea that flashed like a huge neon sign in my head. I replied to the ad, just asking a few questions. Purebred puppies generally cost upwinds of $650 and I knew that this person was likely selling her for even more than they paid. I thought I would inquire just in case the price was right. She came back with an astonishing $350 for the puppy, who was up to date on shots, and her collar, leash, toys, kennel and bed, and food. I mean, she came with EVERYTHING! I knew that $350 was going to be too high for us to pay. I asked the seller if she'd take $250 and she met me in the middle at $300. The next thing I knew, I had agreed to come visit her the next day to see if she was a good fit. Dangerous territory, I know! I told Trygve and I'm pretty sure he thought I was insane. I started balling like a baby because I was so disappointed about the failed relationship with the rabbit. I kept trying, it kept failing. I was lonely and my heart just ACHED for this little dog! I couldn't explain it and I can't still but when it's love, it's love!
Anyway, we went and visited her and it was clear the moment I saw her that I was going to do everything in my power to take her home with me. The woman who put the ad on Craigslist had to leave us with her fiance because of how attached she was already to "Macy." Their 3 year old child with Autism had been found dragging the puppy around by her head and that's when they knew this wasn't going to work for them. They have a 6 year old with cerebral palsy and an 18 month old. The man, Tim, thought that this puppy would be a great Christmas present for his fiancee Amy but it turned out to be a bad idea for their family situation. So they put an ad on Craigslist and sold her for 1/10th of the price they likely paid (although I didn't want to ask in case they wanted to raise the price). Anyway, we had just a little bit of extra money that we were going to spend on a Christmas tree and maybe some shrimp for New Years (and maybe go out to eat next week once this quarter is over). I didn't want to push Trygve into it but after talking about it for a few hours he understood that this will likely NEVER happen again (the price) and that I was over the moon for this little dog. We both know it was impulsive of me but I haven't regretted it yet. I had a bit of cold feet on the second day (she was piddling and pooing everywhere!) and I didn't feel like I had Trygve's support. We talked about it and he told me he definitely wanted to keep her, it's just that this is finals week and he's super stressed out. Talk about bad timing!
Today is day three and I am so happy to have Lucy in my life. She's a total doll. She's nippy right now (she's teething) and we're working on potty training but already just today I started to teach her a few tricks and she's learning fast. I hope to get her litter box trained as well as outside potty trained so she can do the litter box while we're gone and go outside while we're here. We'll see how that works out...I might be just a bit too ambitious!
Anyway, I just wanted to tell the story and mention that there's a great chance I'll be puppy obsessed for awhile. :) Even though we're short a tree this year and maybe shrimp for New Year's Eve, I'm still very happy and so very blessed to have her in my life now. I know it was God's will and i just could not be more thankful for this wonderful blessing He has bestowed on me (and Trygve LOL).
There should be more pics and maybe videos coming soon!
~Steph
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