This evening, our oldest son, Titus, went to take our pet rabbit some fresh vegetables (like we always do around dinner time) and he had passed away. Sniffer was HIS pet, and he's had him since he was 3 or 4. Titus took it especially hard. My husband was at work and he came home to bury Sniffer. He laid him to rest under the favored lilac bush in the corner of the back yard that he'd love to hop under to rest.
In fact, it wasn't but a few weeks ago when it was warmer out that he was out frolicking around the yard with the kids...eating pieces of bread we had thrown out for the birds. He was so comical prancing around the yard as if he had discovered a smorgasbord!
It's never easy to lose a pet. My first personal pet was a rabbit. I was about 3 or 4 when I got him and I named him Harry. And I remember how I felt when he died. It's weird how all of those memories came flooding back today as I stood watching my son grieve through a mother's eyes. Death is a part of life and it's important for children to have an understanding of it, but it's also something we as parents want to shelter our children from as long as we can. We've had plenty of pets over the years that we've had to say goodbye to... birds, fish, dogs... but you always remember your first pet with extra love.
So tonight we remember Sniffer...how he loved to hop around the yard... those lop ears waving. How he'd dig in the dirt under the porch on sunny days to find a cool place to lay... how he'd open his mouth as wide as you've ever seen a bunny open his mouth to partake of his all-time favorite food- a ripe banana. How sometimes he would look at you with angry eyebrows when you took too long to bring him his food in the morning... how soft his fur was...how he loved to have you pet his nose...and how he looked just like a Cadbury bunny!
He will be missed. Zeke (our 3 year old) said to add this icon: 
