BRUCE, THE BUNNY-SITTER

Taking care of people's pets can be fun as well as profitable. I learned that lesson when I looked after a friend's dog in June of 1978 while she and her children journeyed across Canada for a month. I also watched their house as well as worked her daughter's news paper and flower routes. Though I worked a full-time job at night as a security guard, I enjoyed all of my responsibilities that month.

Twenty one years later, another friend hired me to take care of her two rabbits while she went on vacation. Loving bunnies as much as I do, I felt overjoyed at the opportunity she offered.

From When a Man Loves a Rabbit (Learning and Living With Bunnies), Here's how this wonderful job opportunity came my way.

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One June morning in 1999, I was listening to my e-mail when a post caught my ear. A woman in Calgary, Alberta, was looking for a bunny-sitter. Heather owned two rabbits, Otto and Pandora. She was leaving for Europe for two months, so she could travel and see the total eclipse of the sun.

I volunteered to bunny-sit, partly to be of help, but also to have two more bunnies to love.

Heather arrived in Edmonton with her boyfriend Jason. She had brought two cages, pellets and other supplies along with her bunnies.

"Let's put them in the kitchen," I suggested. "I haven't properly rabbit-proofed the living room yet."

Heather agreed and we put Pandora's condo, a Neat Idea Cube or NIC, between the fridge and Gideon's cage. Otto was placed in a white cage with doors on the top. It was not the best kind of housing for a bunny, but it had to do.

"You can keep that cage if you want," Heather offered.

I thanked her, even though the PetBunny folks said such a cage wasn't the best for rabbits.

After Heather gave me the feeding instructions, she kissed her bunnies goodbye and then the three of us humans went for supper at Capital Pizza. Not only was the food good, but I enjoyed chatting with folks who actually thought of rabbits like companions instead of livestock.

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When a Man Loves a Rabbit contains many more fascinating the hilarious. Click here to read more about this book and to order it. You may also e-mail me directly if the comment form doesn't work.