I was walking after dark one evening when a little black Netherlands Dwarf rabbit ran to me asking to be picked up. I remember thinking how fortunate it was that I didn’t step on him because he was so small and difficult to see in the dark.
I took him home and discovered his front teeth were crooked and had grown so long he couldn’t eat. Promptly a veterinarian trimmed his teeth so he could eat, the teeth removed when he regained his strength. I fostered him until Brambley Hedge Rabbit Rescue had room for him at which time I reluctantly surrendered him. They named him Benjamin, Benji for short. Quite some time later I caught Precious, a white Netherlands Dwarf.
Approximately two years after surrendering Benji, I took Precious to meet him and it was love at first sight. So, shortly thereafter, Benjamin came home with Precious and the two became inseparable soul mates. Interestingly, when Benji came home with Precious, MaMaa remembered him after two years and was so happy and excited to see him. MaMaa, now in Heaven with my boy French Lop Janis (Yanis), was my aged female Palomino rabbit.
Benji, left, with his soul mate Precious
This photo typifies the love that filled Benji's life. After early caregivers that neglected him and later turned him out, his life was one of caregivers who loved him and treated him with kindness, and he acquired a soul mate he shared love with to the end, a love that could have been no greater. Benji was so sweet and enjoyed a life filled with love, but he suffered chronic respiratory problems. Pneumonia claimed him during the night of January 30, 2007. He is painfully missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to have known him.
Precious joined her beloved Benji at the Rainbow Bridge on May 10, 2011.
Having experienced animal spirits, I must believe animals have a soul and share in the afterlife. I envision Benji and Precious joyfully sharing the afterlife with my previously departed pets, running, jumping, doing binkies and cuddling together when resting and sleeping. In the next life, I know they love profoundly.
Ray Silja
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