I first met Perky my grey dwarf rabbit
when I was seven.
I had been nagging my parents to let me get a pet for ages and
they finally agreed to let me choose one
for my birthday.
I went to the pet shop and looked around.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a small cage
in the back of the shop.
I went over to it and inside were three rabbits.
Two black and one grey.
This grey one was to be my future pet.
I chose Perky because I felt sorry for her,
you’re probably wondering why.
She was the smallest and she was sitting by herself
in the corner of the cage. I went over to my Dad and said
“I want that one.”
My Perky got put in a box and taken home.
She lived in a huge cage and
was let out to eat grass in our back garden.
She lived with a little guinea pig called Nervous.
Unfortunately Perky soon had to move out
because Perky gave birth to two adorable babies.
Daisy and Houdini.
Perky has had a few adventures.
I remember one time I went to feed her and
the cage lid was open
(her cage was outside as it was summer)
Perky was no where to be seen.
In the front garden my brother was playing football
when he thought he saw a pigeon.
This “pigeon” turned out to be my Perky!
My Mum did a fantastic rugby tackle (her first and last!)
and managed to catch her!
I still do not know how she got out
this will remain a mystery for ever!
In 1999 we moved house and of course all our pets came along.
Perky soon settled in to her new cage
(my Dad built an extension to her old one) and
she led a very happy life.
Perky had always had an obsession for sweet corn and
this made her very fat.
As she was so fat she couldn’t turn around to eat her stools (
poos) as rabbits are supposed to.
This meant she didn’t get all the vitamins she needed and
she has always has a messy bottom
which my Mum and I need to clean for her.
However she still lived a reasonably long time.
About a week ago Perky started acting strange.
She started limping around and she stopped eating and drinking.
Her eye would move back and forth quickly
as though watching a a moving object.
We took her to the vet and she had her first x-ray!
She has always been extremely quiet and trusting so
when she had her x-ray taken she didn’t move at all.
The vet looked at the x-ray and found she hadn’t broken anything
(the limping led us to believed that she might have fallen or
knocked something in her leg).
The vet then explained that she might have had a stroke
(the limping again)
or she might have a swelling in her brain
which was stopping messages being sent
to her foot to tell it to move.
She gave us antibiotics and we took her home.
We moved her into a smaller cage
so she wouldn’t have to move so much.
We cleaned her bottom every day and helped her drink and eat.
She seemed to be getting better
but when I came home from school on 29th April
my Mum old me she had died.
I was devastated as we had shared such a strong bond.
She trusted me completely and I always treated her best.
She was the pet I loved most and I lost her.
In a way I am glad she died as it put her out of her misery
her time came.
She led a wonderful life and made me realize how
we only know we love something a lot when it has gone.
I miss Perky a lot and I think I always will.
I hope she is in a better place and
is enjoying her life to the full.
It is hard to loose a pet.
Just remember all the good times you had together.
Don’t remember your pet and cry
remember your pet and smile! 🙂
Tina your adoring owner
X X X X X X X X X X
| Perky |
| Tina Skinner |