The Passing of a Legend

I want to take some time to pay tribute to a friend, a member of my family, and a source of inspiration.

Fluffer the bunny entered that great bunny field in the sky today. He was fourteen years old.

Fourteen. That age is almost biblical in proportion when it comes to rabbits. And like Moses and Noah in the old testament, Fluffer was a lively old codger till the end of his days.

I remember sleeping on a couch in Darlene's living room with Fluffer nearby, making the most peculiar and yet adorable sound I had ever heard. Fluffer snored. I had never before in my life heard an animal snore, yet here he was with his nose pressed against the wall of his cage making a sound that seemed straight out of a cartoon.

He moved around a lot in those days, hopping about his cage and about the floor when Darlene let him out. All of the other animals seemed to hold a kind of respect...even reverence of him. I know Winter, my two year old cat, was fascinated by him. She watched him frequently, and a time or two we caught her with her arm through the cage, lightly touching Fluffer like an awed fan would reach out to touch Elvis.

And like Elvis or Noah, Fluffer has forever left his mark on us. He was the man of the house. The cutest of us, but also the most determined. His small stature did not diminish the obvious and immesurable size of his spirit. I never once saw that bunny look unhappy. Tired, maybe, but not unhappy. He held life by the horns for fourteen years. I can only hope I can one day, when I'm eighty or ninety, look age and Father Time in the eye and say, "Just one more year."

Wherever you are, my friend, I hope you're happy, and eating all the alfalfa and bunny treats you could ever want. You had as great a friend as any bunny could ever want in Darlene, and I can tell you the rest of us, fuzzy, four-legged, and otherwise, loved you more than we can say...or bark.

Rest well, bunny boy.