Thumper, The Easter Bunny
Easter was always terrific, because Pop Pop would come up and visit us. One year was very special. I woke up Easter morning and hopping around on my bed was the cutest little brown bunny rabbit. He was a Red Satin - American Tan named Thumper. He got his name from his habits. When he was angered, he would Thump his foot really hard, and sometimes pee. One time he got me right in the eye.
He loved to hide in Mom’s organ. He would slip up through the pedal hole and hide there for hours on end. Thumper loved our dog Missy too. Why wouldn’t they have been friends, they made trips across the country in the back of the station wagon together.
My Dad built him a large cage that stayed outback. Of course in Upstate NY that’s not always pleasant, so he had a big tarp that covered his cage and a little house on the inside to hide in. Thumper got so big over the years, I used to wonder how he turned around in there to get back out.
He loved to hide in Mom’s organ. He would slip up through the pedal hole and hide there for hours on end. Thumper loved our dog Missy too. Why wouldn’t they have been friends, they made trips across the country in the back of the station wagon together.
My Dad built him a large cage that stayed outback. Of course in Upstate NY that’s not always pleasant, so he had a big tarp that covered his cage and a little house on the inside to hide in. Thumper got so big over the years, I used to wonder how he turned around in there to get back out.
One time after we had moved off of the base, he got out of his cage. We had gone out to dinner at Ponderosa and when we came home, the family next door were all sitting in a circle in the Birch Grove at the edge of our woods. It was the funniest sight. The LaMonica’s are not exactly animal people and weren’t even sure that it was our bunny, but they spotted him and were determined not to let him get away. Thank God they noticed him. They sat in a circle around him, so that he wouldn’t get lost in the hundred acre woods behind our house. We were very grateful for that.
Thumper lived for 10 years before he passed away in my mom’s arms while she was on the phone with the veterinarian. I will always feel bad about his life. Although he lived a very long stress free life, I feel that he was terribly neglected by me. He was outside all year round. Sometimes we would go days with out seeing him or even have the tarp lifted for some daylight. I loved him so very much, I wish I could go back in time and show him how much he meant to me. I will always regret that.
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