Mini’s First Loss

This week, I had to try a mommy hat on for size: grief counselor. I wasn’t sure exactly when I was going to have to do this, but it happened. By the time I was Mini’s age, I had already seen and been through more than you would believe, but Mini hasn’t experienced a loss yet…

Until two nights ago.

Anyone who knows me knows that my fur-babies are members of my family. I love each and every one of them like they’re my kids.

Sometime between his nightly “Stomp the Yard” rehearsal and our late-night snack, our beloved rabbit, Pet, died. Yes, he is/was “Pet the bunny”.

At first, Mini didn’t believe us. She thought he was sleeping. I gently removed him from his cage and laid him down where Mini could see him. She held and touched him.

Then she started crying. I soon followed.

She would periodically stop, try making jokes then say “I’m gonna cry again” and did. When we calmed her down and she was heading upstairs to get ready for bed, she looked towards the cage and whispered “I love you, Pet”. This sent her running back to my arms, sobbing once again. Again, I calmed her down, but I saw the anguish in her face as she made her way up the stairs to go to bed. She woke up twice throughout the night. Each time she woke me up, cried and went back to sleep.

This morning, we took Pet to Regency Forest Pet Memorial Park. The staff was kind and compassionate. They expressed their sympathy and the intake guy didn’t laugh at me or try to joke when I cried as I handed Pet over to him (even though I probably looked pretty pathetic! ). We received Pet’s ashes in a little green urn as well as a beautiful poem in a sympathy card (you can find it here: “Rainbow Bridge“). The staff at this place makes the process seamless and you can tell they really care about what they do. If you live on Long Island, or in a surrounding area, please check out their services. *Note: I was not paid nor asked to post anything about this place. I am doing this of my own free will.*

As I was discussing the events of the last few days with Mini, she shared her favorite memory of Pet. In Mini’s words: “When Daddy would clean Pet’s cage and I would play with Pet in the bathroom, I would let him chew on Daddy’s towel. He thought it was delicious and never got tired of chewing it.”

Rest In Peace, Pet the Bunny. You will be missed!