Butter is a small ginger and white lop doe with a big attitude. She had been to visit several times to be groomed when she was on holiday staying with one of our volunteers who runs Pippins Pet Care. She has a difficult coat and gets matted every year. We had offered previously to take her and so when she needed the place we gave it to her despite being closed to new arrivals at the time. But did she appreciate this? No. She hates me. Absolutely hates me. This has happened before when rabbits have arrived needing to be groomed. Far from being grateful they hold it against me sometimes for years. The indignity of it! Having ones bottom treated with so little respect! Melody and Cookie were two other ginger and white does that reacted in the exact same fashion. Although Melody finally forgave me after I bonded her with two new friends when she lost her old companion after having been here hating me for a couple of years. She gave me one bite so bad I couldn’t feel my thumb for six months! Cookie never forgave me but since she had such wonky teeth the front ones had to be removed so the worst she could do was gum me. Which made me laugh which only made her angrier… I still miss Cookie! So Butter continues the theme. I had to move her out of the courtyard because every time I went into the house she was biting my ankles and my legs were smothered in bruises. She is now in an out of the way run and actually she seems to be perhaps appreciating what I am doing for her. I have given her a buck (Hamish) of her own to boss about, neighbours to argue with and a lovely big run to play in, not to mention dinner every day. So perhaps she will forgive me. Perhaps…
Having been here for a year and not having been allowed to get in a bad enough state to need such extensive grooming Butter has mostly forgiven me. I am the source of her beloved dinner after all. And when she sadly lost her Hamish I gave her a Goose. He puts up with and provides her with snuggles and lets her have first dibs at the food. Her eyes are not working as well as they used to. She hasn’t even spotted the fact that there is another section to her run after being init for a week but she is managing the two levels which is a relief as I was worried she would get stranded upstairs as she is a bit old to learn new tricks. But of course as her dinner veg goes downstairs she wasn’t about to miss out on that.