What Pets Can Do: Health and Healing

Hi @fiesty76 I agree animals can make great companions. It is fun to teach them simple commands or to see our newest dog learn from the other. I have had rabbits as a teenager but now I can enjoy them even more being home. I had trained rabbits in the past and knew they are trainable. Having a house rabbit has been a new experience for me. The last 2 female rabbits came from a home with a year old large dog and a cat. In my home they later learned to relax. Each rabbit has its own personality. I have come to learn each rabbit’s favorite food. Rabbits don’t like to get picked up(especially when they are huge) so they jump up on the couch to visit me. My gentle giants love getting petted. They alert me of any danger by thumping. They create a loud noise especially during the night when they are most active. They are creatures of habit and learn easily. All three swarm to me as I call their names and enter the living room. Funny, my stepson calls the 21 pound rabbit “Bunzilla”. I am known as “ the rabbit lady “, lol.

What a sweet looking dog, @jimhd! How wonderful that you have his likeness to hang on your wall!

I know this last year has been tough health wise for me, but I looked forward to seeing this little guy so much. His name is Oliver, he’s a miniature schnauzer and is a real lover. I came home from a month long stay in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and this little guy literally hugged me non stop for an hour. He brings me so much joy, I can’t imagine my life without him.
So yes I believe animals help relieve stress, anxiety, and give us a sense of purpose. As a single women in my 50’s I look forward to coming home to him. He makes me smile, laugh and warms my heart when he looks into my eyes. I would not trade him for the world!

@avmcbellar, So enjoyed reading your share about your wonderful rabbit companions! And that they cohabitate with your dog and cat just adds to the pleasure of learning more about them. Love too that they warn you of danger by "thumping"!

My kitty, Precious, is so human and other animal shy that the couple who have fed her for yrs when I travel to family have yet to see her in "person". Had a computer repairman here Sat. afternoon. Precious did not leave her favorite hiding place for dinner...almost unheard of since you know our pets can all "tell time"! very big grin (vbg). She finally came out about 9:30 pm as I was getting ready for bed. Oh, the joy, comfort and constant acceptance our beloved pets bring. I cannot help but feel sorry for those who do not know the added value a pet can make in our lives.

As for being known as the "rabbit lady", I became enthralled with a tiny gecko found in my garage. Many trips to the pet store for live fruit flies and more geckos added and shared with ele. science classes over time, led me to become known in the school district as the "lizard lady". That was ok until one colleague called asking me to come "take care of a snake" sighted on the admin. grounds....I keep a healthy distance from all snakes! lol

@elewis23
How precious he is! Totally agree with you! They provide so much love and happiness. They are a bundle of love covered in fur.

My husband is leaving tomorrow on a long road trip, part vacation and part work. I just know he is going to miss our cat, and she will miss him! He is taking the travel trailer, and she indeed has gone camping with us. We have talked about him taking her, but I would miss her, too! I have encouraged him if he happens upon an abandoned kitten/cat, to scoop them up and adopt on the road. Tessie Belle will stay at home with me.
Ginger

That might be just the thing to do if he can find a very young one, or someone is giving away a house kitty. Adult strays are often feral and cannot be tamed - our little community has dozens of wild-born kitties each year, and only the very young have proved suitable as pets.
Sue

Hi @fiesty76 I agree we learn a lot from our animals. Lol, like it or not to the point of us becoming experts in handling them. They contribute so much for our well being. They do give us a sense of purpose because we want to take care of them for their survival. I too feel sorry for those folks who can have animals but decide against them. I can understand why it would be difficult to be away for so long from your Precious while on a trip. Luckily you are able to find a caregiver. Funny how animals learn time through our routines. They do come to realize time. With 3 rabbits and 2 dogs it is more difficult to find a caregiver so we always bring them along on our trips. They all know the routine with the travel trailer and get along well together. The dogs get more excited with trips. They enjoy the new smells. Rabbits can learn words too. The name of the rabbit I call out is the rabbit that becomes attentive. Funny how they know. One rabbit knows when I am looking for her because she comes to me when I call her. It works every time. With the big ears, rabbits have a better sense of hearing than smelling. It is nice having them for my alert system. The door bell doesn’t ring often but one time the mailman rang the door bell and all 3 rabbits began thumping, lol. What a racket!
Interesting you became familiar with geckos. I didn’t realize they like fruit flies. I am glad anytime one got into the house I would catch it to only release it outside for its survival. I do the same with spiders. As for snakes I am not fond of them either. Last summer I was about to walk outside into my backyard when I saw a huge black snake slither across my pathway. I know it wasn’t dangerous but it stopped me from going out. They are out there because I can see the dead snake skins in the yard. We don’t mind having them around to help with pest control the natural way, lol. It would be hard to imagine a world without animals. Nice to hear from you. Wish you the best. Toni

@avmcbellar, How much fun to stop beside your travel trailer to view your compatible crew, @avmcbellar! Would imagine you've experienced many smiles from others on your trips! Can only imagine the mailman's look of surprise as you opened the door to the sound of your thumpers. Really funny. Future scientists will have so much more to share about animal intelligence. I think we oft times don't give animals the respect and awe they deserve. Thanks, Toni, for your share. It is always nice to meet another nature/animal lover!

@fiesty76 thank you! You put a smile on my face as I was reading your post. I remembered in 2019 before the pandemic hit we took the travel trailer to a nearby air show. It was a spectacular sight. All the animals of course came with us. We live in central Florida. In March during the air show it was colder than usual. I found it very refreshing though with the wind blowing. No air conditioning was needed at all. I was able to put the rabbits in a huge pen just outside our trailer in the grass before the show started. We were under the trees with lots of shade. I didn’t expect the rabbits to draw so much attention. I had all kinds of visitors but mostly kids stopped to pet them. The visitors had never seen such big rabbits. I got a kick out of the kids. They were so excited, lol. They made my day. I never have a bad hare day! (hehe) I have more respect today for our animals than ever. Wish you well. Toni