Falling in love again.....with Noddy

Getting my first pet has been a wonderful experience, for several reasons. For one, pets always equated to a dog in my mind and secondly because keeping a pet in India seems to be a herculean task...with the traffic on the roads, the long work hours, safety concerns, weather (since I wanted a German Shepherd or a Labrador). Here in Canada all the worries have been taken care of.....but still I never imagined living with a rabbit. On an entirely different note, that is one of the things for which I will always be in gratitude towards my hubby. He could not have given me a better gift...even if the gift is meant to distract my attention from the fact that he comes home late almost every day. :P

The Noddy deal came to us as a surprise. I remember it was a Sunday morning and we were having a walk down the Newman street (one of the main roads, here). We came across an animal shop where we had never been before. I insisted on going in to window shop - animals have always fascinated me and I do not hesitate to take out a minute to watch them. We came across parakeets and love birds, the python and lazy frogs and a multitude of fish in all sizes and colours. Somewhere in between we encountered the rabbit /guinea pig/mouse section. The enthusiastic old lady who was in-charge of the section told us loads of things about rabbits...that they are intelligent, that they make wonderful pets and do not need to be taken out on walks, unlike dogs. And then somehow while talking to her we got infected by her enthusiasm and decided to take home a rabbit. Of course both my hubby and me knew that pets were strictly prohibited in our apartment as per the lease agreement. And yet, it was almost as if we had made our minds....

We left that day empty handed because it seemed too quick a decision. The next day we visited another pet shop and checked the prices for the animals and the accessories needed. Now just one last hurdle remained- the biggest one. Convincing the land lord about rabbits being docile pets who would not cause trouble or disturb the neighbours. The reason why this task had been kept for the end was that the landlady is a mean fat (one of the fattest) women who would run into a violent storm at the slightest provocation. Neither of us wanted to speak to her and hear a no. Finally this incorrigible task fell on to my head and I called her. She seemed in an unusually good mood and even managed to smile on the phone(probably she could figure out that I was nervous and excited like a child) and say a Yes. I let out a big yuhoo and that was it..............

On Monday the 28th March we brought Noddy home (the name was my husband's choice). I remember how scared he was as he took the first small steps inside the house. It was an amazing feeling....guess the only feeling that can supersede is to bring your own new born home. Initially he was scared and would run for cover at the slightest sound. He even disagreed to come close to us. For an evening or two it seemed that the old lady at the store had lied and we had made a mistake in bringing home an animal who would always be scared of us. But with time things changed. Noddy no longer objects to being petted endlessly. If he is scared he runs into our arms, seeking comfort, just like a kid.

A big advantage with a rabbit is that it is a clean animal. It chooses one corner to attend to the nature's call and sticks to it. No endless cleaning of the house. Plus it loves healthy food thus encouraging us to eat on the same lines. But at the same time I have learnt another important lesson. Its easy to be rude to him or to force him into submissiveness. And yet I know I should not do that. I should not get angry when he accidently/playfully nips my finger or claws my face. I remember seeing someone long ago who would pick rabbit by its ears and then dangle it in midair. Such kind of behaviour as far as I understand in not rare- even though people do tch-tch over it. Its easy to take out your frustrations on a delicate powerless animal and tell him that you are in control. After all, its not going to tell anyone nor is it going to get anywhere with rebellion. But patience, gentleness and kindness has its own rewards, which are far greater than those achieved by bossiness. I remember during the first week with Noddy when we were not so comfortable with each other, I used some force to catch him and get him in the cage. He submitted but the hurt, baleful expression that he gave made me feel like a wicked witch. I decided never again to mishandle him even by mistake.

For the rest, Noddy is a wonderful pet. It has been just 2 weeks that he has been here but it seems that my evenings were so very empty before he came. Trips to departmental store are for sure to get something for Noddy .Its fun to snuffle next to him or warm my cold hands against his fur. TV viewing is more fun with Noddy either sitting in our laps or going round and round in crazy circles out of sheer joy of the gift called life. Indeed there is so much to learn from him.

The topping on the cake is that my hubby says that he has never seen me happier than this. True!! What else is there to compare to the pleasure of 2 little paws that stretch out high above the floor to ask for a caress or a kiss?