A very special gift was given to me in 2003, when a tiny brown lop girl named Darby came to live with me.
Darby was born to a breeder, and we think that very early in her life her mother was under
a tremendous amount of stress from overcrowding and poor living conditions, and turned on Darby and nibbled away
her tail, feet and parts of her hind legs. Missing all but one of her toes, one leg was nearly an inch
shorter than the others, making standing and walking very difficult for her.
Despite her physical problems, Darby enjoyed life more than almost any other rabbit I have known. She struggled
mightily to stand up and move around as best she could, but most of the time ended up dragging herself across the floor
in order to be with the other bunnies. In her mind she was a perfectly normal bunny, and she saw no reason why she couldn't act like a normal bunny.
Special needs bunnies are indeed special in so many ways, but maybe the most important way is how very loving and trusting they are of
people. They usually require extra care and handling and thus the bond that forms between them and their caregiver is one of absolute trust
and affection. Darby radiated pure love and goodness to me every single day that I had her. Stroking her soft fur sent her into spasms of total bliss and joy and she wiggled and squirmed with delight. When I scratched her ears or massaged her back, her eyes would close and for a little while, she would go to a place where her physical problems didn't exist.
Toward the end Darby's frail, tiny body began to fail, but not her spirit. I returned home one evening to find my beautiful little girl had peacefully and quietly gone to the Bridge, where I have no doubt she can run faster and jump higher than any other rabbit there.
Steve Guida
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