If someone told me years ago that we would have one rabbit in our home, I would have responded with a chuckle and a shake of my head. Two rabbits would have earned a ‘certainly not.’ But five rabbits- only a crazy person would ever have five rabbits.
Well, fast forward less than five years. We adopted Penny in 2020, just as the Covid19 pandemic was emerging and threatening to upend life as we knew it. One year later, after reading many a bunny blog that mentioned the importance of socializing rabbits, along with mental health struggles, Henry James was adopted into our hearts and home. He and Penny bonded fairly quickly, and they are now inseparable. The pair also got on with big brother Owen, who sadly crossed the rainbow bridge in 2023. But not before he was able to meet our third bunny: my class rabbit, Oliver Jack. Oliver was followed by my ‘grand-bunnies,’ Scout and Pippa, who traveled over literally thousands of miles across land and sea to come to California. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the stories of Oliver, Baby Scout, and Pippa Squeaks.
Who Rescued Who: Oliver Jack, the Sweetest Emotional Support Bunny
I adopted Oliver, a.k.a. Ollie, in January 2023. Ollie was found on a urine-soaked towel in Eaton Canyon and brought to the Pasadena Humane Society. After receiving medical care, he spent time in a foster home, where his sweet antics were documented and posted on Instagram. Meanwhile, I was looking for a class pet to brighten up my middle school science and math classes following the death of Pumpkin Spice, our beloved class hamster. I was considering a fluffy friend small enough to be school-appropriate, but larger (and with more longevity) than a hamster. I was leaning toward rabbit, and the Google survey I posted to my classes yielded a tie between bunny and snake for the preferred pet. So bunny it was.
It was Sami who found Ollie on the Pasadena Humane website. We met Ollie about the third week of January 2023. But we didn’t adopt him straightaway. We wanted to make sure that we had adequate ‘housing’ for the bunny both at home and at school, along with a few other logistical considerations. Fortunately, my principal was on board with a class bunny, and the kids- my own kids as well as my students- were excited for a new bunny. So all things were in place for Ollie to come home, which he did on January 20, 2023. And he made an excellent addition to both our classroom family and our home.
I knew that Oliver would be a blessing to my classes and to everyone he met. His sweet disposition and calm temperament made him an ideal rabbit for a setting where there are many people. That said, I don’t think I could imagine how much of a comfort he would be to my students- and to me. He has provided sweet times of entertainment during Bunny Visiting Time at lunch as well as solace during difficult times in the lives of my students. He has even participated in community events, like ‘marching’ with me in our city’s Fourth of July parade. My chill, patient little guy did very well for the 2.5 hours we were out, and he enjoyed many treats and hopping time when we arrived back home.
At time of writing, Ollie continues to be a sweet boy and a help, even as I have recently made a career switch to focus more in the mental health arena. I am considering going through the steps to have him registered as a therapy animal. I am so thankful to have him in our lives- even if he is a messy bun at home while being perfectly neat gentleman at work. I guess bunnies are more like people than I thought…
Baby Scout: a Czech lop turned California girl
It was extremely difficult for me to drop my first college student off for her first year at university. While I was glad that she would be going to school in Prague, a place that was generally considered safe, I was also worried about, well, literally everything. This anxiety was compounded by the fact that she was 6000 miles away, and any help I could give was at least a day’s travel away.
So when she called feeling homesick and a little depressed two months into her studies, my ‘solution’ was to give her money for a pet. I suggested a hamster. We had hamsters while Emily was growing up, and the kids were pretty used to them. While hamsters don’t typically live more than one to two years, they can live three with good care and good luck. After all, I had a three-year old hamster with me when I headed off to UC Santa Cruz.
So I was a little worried when she called a day later, in what was for me the early morning hours, hesitancy in her voice:
Emily: Moooooooom?
Me: Yes…?
Emily: So you know how you told me to get a hamster?
Me, thinking she’s getting kicked out of her dorm for getting a dog: Yeahhh…?
Emily: Well, I didn’t get a hamster.
Me, suspiciously: What did you get?
And switching to FaceTime, I see across the airwaves, the cutest, tiniest lop I had ever seen.
With the $40 I had wired her, Emily had adopted Scout Juniper from Pet Center. She was the sweetest baby, with a side of mischief. I was able to meet her when we visited in November 2021, and she was so small and light, especially compared to Penny, who is a medium-sized bunny. Despite escaping from her large pen and eating four of Emily’s houseplants while we were out one night, Scoutie grew healthy and feisty in the best possible way. She enjoyed her life in Prague, as the spoiled bunny of a college student in a spacious apartment. Even when Emily briefly fostered a dog who had survived the war in Ukraine, Scout was still a comfortable little bunny whose main roles were to eat, sleep, eat, cause chaos, and eat. She especially loved the fresh jahody from the farmer’s market near her apartment.
But before Baby Scout turned two, her life was about to change. Emily and Mees, now planning a wedding, were headed to the United States, and Scoutie would be traveling with them. At the time, only FinnAir allowed rabbits to travel in the cabin for an additional charge. So Emily made sure to get Scout’s vaccine passport up to date, which was a requirement for travel from the EU to the US, and a comfortable carrier that would fit under the seat. And they boarded their flight from Prague, making their way to Los Angeles via Helsinki.
We rushed to LAX from my workplace in South El Monte. I scribbled a welcome sign for her on the back of an evaluation with the multitude of colored pens in my work bag. Turns out I had plenty of time. With all of the early summer travel, it took a while to clear customs. But happily, Emily and Mees- and Baby Scout- made it safely to Los Angeles and to the San Gabriel Valley.
The plan was to have Scout stay with us for a few months, then Emily and Mees would pick her up when they returned after getting his visa. Unfortunately, the American immigration system is not known for being fast or efficient, and a couple months turned into a couple years. But fortunately for Baby Scout- who had acclimated easily to the sunshine, fresh veggies, and large yard for hopping- she would have more time in her new home with her grand-bun parents. She even accompanied me to class as an April Fools prank earlier this year, when I brought in a ‘toasted loaf.’ My students loved it, especially since we had started standardized testing that week. And Baby Scout loved the attention and extra treats.
While Baby Scout was adapting well to her new environs- and enjoying trips to the beach, the snow, and more- she was also missed in Prague…
Pippa: Missing home but adjusting to life in a new country
So Emily and Mees adopted Pippa in October 2023. Pippa had been at the Pet Center for a while, and Emily would stop in and see her. She was small and shy, very soft and scared of everything. She loves Emily, but it seems that Mees is her favorite.
Pippa’s time in Prague, however, would be short-lived. About five months later, the apartment was packed up, and Pippa was driven through Germany to the Netherlands. The Hague would be home for a few months, before plans were finalized to try again in the United States. This time though, transporting the bunny would come with a few minor hiccups. For starters, it was significantly cheaper for them to fly FinnAir from Brussels to Los Angeles rather than departing from Amsterdam. So Mees and Pippa made the two-hour train ride from The Hague to Brussels, before boarding their flight to Helsinki. Before they boarded, however, Mees was hassled at BRU for Pippa’s passport. Not her vaccine passport obtained from a vet in The Hague, but her travel documents. Apparently, there was some confusion about what legal documents a little bunny would need for travel to the United States. Nevertheless, they were able to board their flight, and they arrived safely in Helsinki before making the eleven hour flight to Los Angeles International.
This time, Mees and Pippa cleared customs fairly quickly. We were also prepared with a much nicer sign. But this is where things stopped being easy. We continue to learn the hard way that immigration is complex, expensive, and slow here in the United States, and once again, Pippa’s family had to return to Europe. We also found that while it was relatively easy to bring a rabbit to the United States from the EU with the proper vaccinations, it was more difficult to return to the EU from the United States. Today, my grand bunny resides with us. She has a nice big hutch, and like her lagomorph family members, is safe and warm inside our home. She usually gets plenty of hopping time outside, or free roams with supervision in Sami’s room. But we can tell that she misses Mees and Emily and Europe. She may also have some trauma from so much travel so early in her life. This bunny has visited more countries than many people have, and without fully understanding what was happening. Still, she is resilient and continues to adapt to her life in California. She finds comfort with Sami, and has learned to relax and even fall asleep in her arms.
Hopefully, one day, Pippa will be able to return to the Netherlands, but until then, she is a part of our home here in the US. Perhaps I have indeed become a ‘crazy bunny lady’ with my vijf konijnen. But in these bunny tales, I have also seen the resilience and spirit of our little bunnies, and the lessons they have for resilience in our own lives. We can adapt, learn, change, and grow. It makes us better. And maybe most of all, I have learned that love has no bounds and no limits. Whether for bunny, puppy, or fellow human- we have a great capacity for love. And for joy.
While these times can feel dark, I wish for you hope and light. From our kooky bunny family to yours, I wish you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving- with many adventures, meant to be shared.
We are five for five with the Pasadena Humane Society and ASPCA when it comes to finding sweet pets. Both of our dogs, the late Maxwell along with best friend Owen and our bunnies were adopted at the Pasadena Humane Society. We advocate for rescuing animals whenever possible; there are so many wonderful pets who could use a forever home. If you are looking to adopt, check out PetFinder powered by Purina for searches in your local area. If you are close to Pasadena, you can schedule an adoption with an adoption counselor by visiting their website or calling 626-792-7151.
To bring a pet to the United States, be sure to visit the APHIS website for regulations specific to your pet and country of origin. At time of writing, there are no restrictions or required quarantines for rabbits. Scout and Pippa both received their RHDV vaccines prior to traveling to the US.
Best wishes, wherever the journey takes you and your fluffy friend. Happy tails!
The Cranky Camper 