The Japanese Evolution of Peyton Manning

Visitors to our humble home might automatically assume Brett and I are fans of all things Japanese. They would draw their conclusions from the fact we tend to run around after our rabbits calling, “Pei-Pei and Han-Han, you two come back here this minute!” In fact, we often joke about sounding like a poorly-dubbed Japanese disaster movie.

The truth of the matter is that we’re really saying, “Pey-Pey (shortened from Peyton Manning Soderstrom)” and (well,) “Han-Han” (shortened from Hannah Soderstrom) is still correct.

Our beautiful rescue rabbits came to us already named. The bunny foster parents told us we could change the names, but it was pretty obvious it was frowned upon to do so. So, we put aside our possible names - Lois and Clark, Luke and Leia, or Eve and Roarke - and accepted the irony that two VERY non-sports people were adopting a tiny rabbit saddled with the pro-sports moniker of Peyton Manning.

Now I have allowed myself to learn enough about the despicable sport of professional football to know that Peyton Manning is a player of some sort. I am proud to tell you I have no idea what team he is on or what position he plays. I didn’t know what he looked like either until Brett pointed him out in a commercial the other day.

Our Peyton Manning is clearly cuter.

Peyton is a brown ball of fluff, smaller than a football, with an unbridled sense of curiosity. He’s our explorer – boldly going where no rabbit has gone before (dum, dum, dum) – like under the bed! He’s a mini-lop, which mean his ears hang down low (He can tie them in a knot! He can tie them in a bow!) and almost touch the floor when he lies flat.

Peyton was abandoned at six weeks. A family found him and tried to feed him cat food. Well, since cats are carnivores and rabbits are vegetarians, they basically left him on the brink of starvation. Eventually, the family left him at a shelter (the only good thing they did for him). There he nearly missed being rescued by the Chicago chapter of the House Rabbit Society (HRS).

The representative from HRS was there to check out another rabbit – a healthy fellow eventually named “Iceman.” While there, the HRS representative fell in love with the tiny, hungry bunny that was headed for death. She rescued him from the shelter, along with Iceman, and took him to an HRS foster home.

Susan Yencho (Patron Saint of Rabbits) became bunny foster mom to the itty-bitty rabbit which she and her daughters christened “Peyton Manning.” She told Brett they wanted to give him a name to inspire him to grow big and strong – like a football player.

Now, going to Susan’s home is the best things that can happen to a foster rabbit. Even in our pretty indulgent rabbit circles, it is known that Susan excessively spoils her foster rabbits with an organic diet and specially-designed treats. So, Peyton was still very tiny – he’ll never get much bigger due to his mistreatment earlier in life – but much healthier when he came to live with us.

Peyton came to us just in time. Our sweet, affectionate brown lop, creatively named “Brownie,” had died about two months before. We loved Brownie. We had gotten him from a pet store months after we moved into our house. He thought that we were all rabbits and loved us, too. He’d jump up on the bed with us and settle down to be petted for hours at a time. He chased around our feet and nudged our ankles when he wanted attention. With running jumps and twisting leaps, he showed us how happy he was to be with us. And we were very proud parents. When he died, we were devastated.

Instead of re-visiting the pet store, I checked out the HRS website at www.rabbit.org and learned about local rescue rabbit operations. We contacted the HRS and the rest (as they say) is history.

In HRS, we found kindred spirits. People just like us who thought there was nothing more natural in the world than to love rabbits and re-arrange their homes to make it a safe and nurturing environment for each bunny.

We learned a lot from Joan (Chicago-area HRS Director), Lois, and Susan. Like how we probably contributed to Brownie’s demise with an unhealthy diet. We were racked with guilt, until Lois (the AMAZING Foster Director at the Chicago HRS) assured us we were not alone. “Everyone learns on their first rabbit.” Still, it hurt to know that the pet food we purchased for Brownie led him down the path to a shorter life.

So, Peyton got settled in our home, and we learned the right way to care for a rabbit (open living space and unlimited fresh vegetables – I highly recommend The House Rabbit Handbook – 4th Edition). All HRS rescue rabbits come neutered or spayed and LITTER BOX trained which was very nice. Rabbit litter boxes consist of newspaper and hay, so it’s pretty easy to put together.

After a few days, Brett and I began to wonder if Peyton needed a companion. We had often thought Brownie was lonely when we weren’t home and had felt bad about it.

So, we attended the HRS Picnic in Schaumburg (which they should really call the Cute Picnic because it’s so gosh darn CUTE! – Everyone brings their adorable rescue rabbits!). We looked at several companions for Peyton and (with Lois’ help) fell in love with Hannah, a gray/white lop. She’s twice Peyton’s size, but ten times more timid.

Hannah was rescued from an abusive situation. Her previous owners had her in a small cage (painful, especially for a large rabbit) and poked at her though the cage with sticks. Kids were probably responsible for the poking, and I’m not going to say what I think should happen to those parents in this post. Really. It might catch on fire.

So, after a month of bunny bonding, (keeping the rabbits apart most of the day and gradually introducing them until they bond), Peyton and Hannah fell in love. They are still happily in their honeymooning stage. They cuddle together and find solace in each other. They still have separate personalities – Peyton likes people and is naturally curious – Hannah runs from most people (except me) and tries to hide behind Peyton (her brave defender).

Rabbits are fun (and a lot of work) to have. Being a rabbit owner, and (finally) an informed bunny parent is one of the highlights of my life. Brett and I feel that these are God’s creatures, and we’ve been given the opportunity to care for them.

So, run on – Pey-Pey and Han-Han. Run on!