Therapy Rabbits – The Next Generation

They say history repeats itself. This is something people have referred to for almost a century, to learn from previous events in an effort to better improve future outcomes. Rarely, does a parallel event so impactful it affects the lives of those around the world occur twice in our lifetime. Maybe, these events do not need to be ones we learn from, but simply occur to provide comfort in times of distress.

The summer of 2013 should have been the happiest time of my life. My wedding date was set, with every detail down to what would be my father/daughter dance song planned. Unfortunately, while I was experiencing the joys and excitement of my wedding, I was also experiencing the pain and sadness of my best friend’s ailing health, my mother. She was dying, and we knew there was little time left.

In a desperate attempt to put a smile on my face, my soon-to-be husband, Brad suggested we get a pet. Betsy, a Flemish Giant rabbit from the Wisconsin Humane Society, joined our family just a week before my mom passed and right before my wedding. While only with us a short time, somehow, this baby rabbit knew and felt my devastation and would not leave my side. She would hop up on the couch, letting me hold her close to my chest, as I cried into her soft fur. She quickly became my therapy, eventually leading me to certify and register her as a Pet Partners therapy rabbit. We visited nursing homes, hospitals, universities, the Ronald McDonald House, and participated in many events throughout the community. After her story was told on Fox 6 News-Milwaukee, the Dodo also did a story, providing awareness of the benefits of therapy animals, as well as then bringing smiles to those around the world. Betsy dedicated five of her six years here to providing that same comfort she had brought to me the summer of 2013.

The end of 2017 should have been the next chapter of happiness in my life. We found out we were expecting a little girl in July of 2018, Bailey Ann, and had begun preparing the room for her arrival. Unfortunately, while again experiencing the joys and excitement of expecting our daughter, I was also experiencing much more than your average morning sickness. Having lost over 20lbs, making me severely malnourished and underweight, talk began of admission for nutrition or a port to continue throughout the pregnancy. I desperately missed my mom, and clung to Betsy for the support she had given me the summer my mom passed.

In January of 2018, this devastation was compounded when Betsy hopped to the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. My world had officially fallen apart. “How could this be happening right now?” I asked myself. We had adopted a friend for Betsy summer of 2017, and the thought of tending to the needs of an infant left me worried he would be lonely.

Due to Betsy’s dedication to rabbit therapy and the awareness thereof, the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center reached out to me stating they had a 4-month old female Flemish Giant rabbit who had been rescued. It would still be a bit, as she needed to be spayed, but because of the uncertainties of pregnancy and my own health, I knew there was no way I could make the drive from Milwaukee to adopt her. After her spay, she was transferred to another rescue, A Home for Everybunny, where I was again contacted to see if I would be interested in adopting her. In coordination with Pilots N Paws, a non-profit animal rescue and transport organization comprised of volunteer pilots, Tracy Ksiazak, a volunteer at A Home for Everybunny, and Tom Bragg, a volunteer pilot, we adopted Amelia Earheart on Easter Sunday.

We are still expecting Bailey Ann in July, and as I struggle through the physical and emotional battles of pregnancy, Amelia has already become my therapy and a friend for Alfie. I have no doubt history will repeat itself and the therapy rabbit legacy will continue to live on through this next generation.

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