My Dad’s obituary to our rabbit.
Smokey the rabbit 2002-2012
Smokey was born in Shirley near Solihull to a rabbit rearing family who put a notice in the John Lewis Chronicle for ‘good home for a rabbit’. At the time we had a lively and mischievous rabbit called Slightly also a buck whom our new rabbit joined. Rhiannon named him Smokey on account of the colour of his coat which at the time was smokey-grey. Smokey was a lop-eared dwarf and had a very docile and sweet nature in contrast to Slightly who constantly jumped up on next doors garage roof, explored gardens and eventually got lost. Smokey was a “house rabbit” meaning he lived during the evening indoors and was to a large degree house trained.
He did not seem to mind when in 2005 we moved house to a walled garden and he took up residence in the corner of our new kitchen after a slightly unhappy phase in the garage. After about a year Smokey entered a new phase of his life when he got a mate, a white and black half lion-head whose name I forget on account of her being unfriendly. Our best attempts to keep them apart failed and together they had about 6 litters though there is dispute on the exact number which I maintain was around 36. Not till several years later did we find out that our youngest Matthew deliberately put them together so he could have more bunnies to play with. The bunnies in question were always ridiculously cute and we managed always to get them homes. Mum (we’ll call her) had a close call and lost two babies to a fox during a night out in the run. The crafty fox rolled the heavy but rounded plant pot away from the door to the run and had two of the three babies. Smokey was sad when we gave his mate away to friends as we had dried up all the good bunny homes in Stourbridge.
I won’t forget the times that Smokey would play chase in the garden running through my legs and running circles around you when you pegged out the washing. By then Smokey was a patchy mix of blonde and brown with a dark face that made it difficult to see his eyes.
As he grew old he became even more friendly and partial to sweet things and would beg biscuits of Grandma on a nightly basis responding swiftly to her voice.
All of our family close friends and lodgers have fond memories of a sweet natured rabbit called Smokey. Jonathan and I didn’t find him so sweet when he bit into wires but we both became adept to repairing them and these repaired leads will remain a reminder as time goes by.