17/12/2025
A sweet reflection provided by one of our lovely Snickerdoodles' volunteers to share with you:
"As a little girl, all I wanted was more animals in my life. If my parents had limitlessly indulged me, I would have grown up with a whole farm load of creatures. I didn't discriminate. From toads and vultures to kittens and puppies, I had so much love to give.
While I begged for rabbits and donkeys and goats and lizards, I grew up alongside two family dogs as well as our cat, and they filled some of that void that craved animal companionship... But I wanted more. I wanted a creature that was mine to love and cherish and care for, and who would care for me above everyone else in turn.
That dream came true when for my eleventh birthday, I was gifted a bunny. He was white and speckled gray, and I creatively named him Storm, though shortly nicknamed him ‘Mister’. I was obsessed. He was there alongside me as I went through the most terrible years of puberty - comforting me when I was down, sometimes feeling like my only friend in the world.
As much as I loved him and wanted him to be happy, it was not until it was too late that I was educated on proper rabbit care. I was given the tools and information my parents had, which were outdated and sparse. I didn't know rabbits needed access to hay at all times to meet their dental needs. I wasn't aware that keeping them in a cage only three times their size the majority of the time was cruel. Looking back at it, it feels as though it should have been obvious. Why didn't I think to research how to better care for him?
But the reality is that I was a child. I trusted the instructions given to me by my parents. My mother, who had rabbits as a child herself, thought she already knew all there was to know about rabbit care, or the important stuff at least.
Knowing what I do now, I can only marvel at what a sweet and loving bun I had despite my ignorance. He loved to lay on my chest and give me kisses on my chin and cheeks. He loved to nibble on my books as I read, and cuddle up to my stuffed animals. I can only imagine our relationship had I known better.
My hope in sharing this is for someone to learn from mine and my parents' experience. I hope this might inspire someone to ask themselves how they could be better caring for their companions, because domesticated animals have no one else to rely on but the humans in their life.
They can't exactly speak for themselves unless you take the time to learn their language, and you will be so glad you did. We all want to do our best by the sweet animals in our lives, and our best can only be as good as we are educated to be.”
