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Picture taken on Bubba Lou's first boat ride on Lake Sunapee. It was pretty chilly that day, windy and about to sprinkle on us. Fun nonetheless.

Sad Day.

Bubba Lou had to say goodbye to her furry friend. Bun awoke on Sunday happy to see us, but unable to move his back end. A viral or bacterial infection was suspected. Monday saw Bun worsening and a call to the vet only told us the inevitable (hundreds of dollars in blood tests, to prove he had an infection that couldn' t be treated.) This infection is treatable if caught early enough, but when you can't see symptoms, paralysis sets in and then the antibiotics are too late. I've learned that fox, raccoon, and skunks carry this bacteria. They are common animals in my yard, and Bun has spent many a happy afternoon hopping around eatting yummy green things (that may have come in contact with animal droppings, saliva or urine.)

Some will call me a horrible parent, or an uncaring one, but I did not lie to my little girl about her bunny. I told her that Bun-Bun-Hippity-Hop couldn't hop any more (this she clearly understood as he dragged himself around the yard) and that he was very sad. I told her that we couldn't fix him and we didn't want him to be sad or hurting. I also told her that even when Bun dies and isn't with us any more, we can look at his pictures and paint a special rock for him to put in the garden.

I could have told her that he was "going away" or had "run away." She's too smart for that, and I would hear endless days of "I wonder if Bun is back" or "When will Bun be back" only to have to tell her the truth at a later date, without a proper goodbye. I gently told my daughter the truth and that she could think of Bun everytime she saw fluffy clouds in the sky, because they look like bunny tails. And that's where Bun is, up in the sky playing with the other bunnies that needed to be in a happier place where they could hippity-hop all day.

She cried and held her bunny. I cried and held them both. She told Bun she loves him, gave him a hug and a kiss and told him to have fun with the other bunnies in the sky. At bedtime, BL made it clear that she understood (as best an almost 5 year old can) that we were doing the right thing for Bun "because we don't want him to be sad and hurt bad and have poop on him and not be able to clean his ears." (Bun's tummy had quite a bit of pellets on it Sunday morning since he couldn't stand to relieve himself.)

Today BubbaLou told me she will miss Bun, but maybe someday we could get another bunny. "But not right now, maybe in a few months."