On Dasher, On Dancer....

By Tiffany George

On Prancer and Vixen, On COMET!!!!!

Yes, that's it! Comet! That is the name that Andrew chose, all on his own, for his first real pet.

The kids adore animals and I try to take them to the pet store/zoo/fair as often as I can to help them develop the love of animals that somehow didn't make its way into my genes. Pete and I had talked a lot about what pet to get for our cuties. Pete was strongly in the cat camp, as he loved his cat Butterscotch growing up, and just thought that would be a nice fit for our family. So a few Fridays ago we set out to Exeter to the SPCA to check out the cats. Andrew liked them just fine, but Natalie was rather terrified if they came right up to her. It probably didn't help that one of the cats was in desperate need of attention and practically climbed into your skin for a rub.

Realizing that cats probably weren't in our future, I asked Andrew if he wanted to go to a different Humane Society in Dover to see some kittens. At first he did, but then he realized that seeing the kittens meant we wouldn't have enough time to have lunch with Daddy, so he promptly axed the kitten idea.

We had a little time before lunch and I knew of a pet store in Exeter that was just down the street, so we stopped by. Andrew loved the bunnies at the pet store at the Fox Run Mall, so we headed in that direction. As soon as we got permission, we opened the bunny cage and both Andrew AND Natalie were in awe of these adorable little bunnies. The previously timid Natalie just kept saying "rub you" to the bunnies, while reaching right in to pet them. They both fell in love with this one bunny who came hopping right over.

Needless to say, we easily convinced Daddy that a bunny was right for us, and the rest is history. Comet, our Siamese-cat colored bunny, now resides in his cage in our dining room. He gets plenty of attention and enjoys the action all day long. The kids love him because they can feed him different fruits and veggies throughout the day. Carrots, spinach, and apples have gone over well so far. They have also equipped his cage with plenty of toys ranging from card board boxes to toy keys.

We take him out to hop around the house a few times a day and the kids love it. We are aware that bunnies can be destructive as far as eating couches and scratching up carpets, so we have our eyes and ears on him at all times. The kids are so helpful in that regard. Andrew even found an old blanket that he said he has outgrown for the bunny to use to scratch. And Natalie is always on poop patrol, as she shouts out "nother one poop" the instant a rabbit raisin hits the floor!

Our bunny has (so far) been incredibly gentle with the kids, not even a single attempt at biting to date. The kids are just so nice and gentle with him. They always approach him slowly and give him space to explore, which is quite remarkable for their ages. Andrew will stand there, bare foot and all, and just let the bunny sniff his feet without any fear at all. The bunny likes to lay on the floor in front of the pellet stove, and Natalie will lay down with her face about 3 inches from his, just saying "hi bunny, hi comet". It is adorable.

We hope you can meet him someday! And his buddy Dancer the fish too!