# Bruce Wayne



## killertheturtle (Jul 1, 2009)

December 31, 2006 â June 27, 2009
He had the same birthday as my dad.

Bruce Wayne was born between a black doe and a blue buck. He was the only boy in a litter of six; all of the babies were black. 
My boyfriend and I took my step dadâs SUV up to Pamona to get Bruce and a transmission for his car (his friend who was giving it to him lived 5 minutes from the breeder). 
When I got to her house, she took me to her backyard where all the bunnies were. I already told her I wanted a boy, who was at least 3 months old. I played with about 4 flemmies. And in the end, it was between Bruce and a sandy boy. I really couldnât decide. I chose Bruce over the other for two reasons: I wanted him to match my black and white cat and black and white bunny, and I was afraid she would have a hard time selling 6 black bunnies. Bruce sat on my lap the whole way home. 
We decided to name him Bruce Wayne because we love batman and because he was black. I quickly learned that, unlike Batman, he was not stealthy or ninja-like. The first time he binkied and ran laps in my room I was terrified. I wasnât prepared for a charging massive rabbit. 
Sonic and Rocket hated him. I kept them separate, of course. My cat, Thomas, was quite fond of him. They were the same size and would just sit next to each other a lot. Bruce was also very friendly with me. He litter trained extremely fast, in fact he didnât have an accident once. He quickly learned his name and that he would get treats when he ran back in his pen (all of my bunnies are trained to go in their cage on command). I got him neutered at four months old so I could avoid any spraying. I knew this was dangerous, but he rode on my lap while I drove us home. He just lay in my lap and looked out the window. 
When we moved to Oceanside, Bruce seemed to love the new house even more. His pen was right by my bed and it was bigger than before. He was never aloud free run, unfortunately, because after being out for about 20 minutes he would start to get destructive. It was funny actually, I always read flemmies are lazy, and he sure was. He would run and binky for 10-20 minutes, then lay in the same spot until he found a reason to move (usually it was to destroy something). 

All of my friends loved Bruce. My whole family did, actually. Everyone called him the big bunny and joked about him attacking them in their sleep and protecting me from trespassers. I have a lot of pets, and he was usually the favorite of guests. The way he would come up to the edge of the pen and stand on his hind feet for treats always got people to âaww.â He was the easiest to impress my friends with; most didnât even know it was possible to train a bunny. 

We built an extension to my room and he moved in there with my ferrets (separate, of course). He seemed to really like it in there, though sometimes I worried he was a little lonely. I didnât have to worry about him chewing, so he got out more than before. His pen was bigger and his toys were louder (as he no longer woke me up with his rattling balls and cardboard boxes). Every time he heard me walk in the room he would rush to the edge of the cage to beg for a treat. It was nice to be so welcomed and anticipated. Every time I let him out he ran across the room and then came back to say hi. He loved to be pet the most. Sonic likes to be pet, too, but only on his terms, whereas Bruce wouldnât get up until I did. 

He was such a great bunny. I would have to say Sonic is my heart bunny, but Bruce Wayne was and will always hold a very special place in my heart. I miss him so much. Iâm not looking forward to putting away his pen. Iâm not looking forward to bagging up his toys and storing them. Iâm not looking forward to sweeping up all of his hair (he went through a right molt before he died). 
I put his favorite toy, a big plastic, green, rattling ball on my shelf in front of my bed and every time I move it to hear the noise it makes my eyes water. I remember many times where I was just sitting in silence, whether I was studying, reading, or it was a quiet spot in a movie, and hearing him toss that ball around out of no where. 

I feel like this couldnât have come at a worse time â or a better time (not like any time is a good time to lose a pet). I know that sounds confusing, but Iâll explain. 
My rat, Taco, who not only is my heart rat, but is my favorite pet (I try not to play favorites, but I canât help it) and who I have an insanely close bond with, has started suffering from hind limb degeneration. He is over two and a half, so he is well passed his life expectancy, but that doesnât make it easier. He is sort of wasting away â has lost a lot of muscle mass, canât get around well, etc. When this first started happening, it was hard to get him to eat, drink, and do anything, really. Then Bruce got sick. It always seems whenever something goes wrong with one pet, something else goes wrong with another at the same time or immediately after. I couldnât handle it. Then Bruce died. The vet (who I am pretty close with) was hugging me right after it happened and I was crying and I remember saying, âTaco is going to die soon, too.â 
Since Taco started going downhill, he has required a lot of attention. I have to provide him with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all sorts of meds and he even sleeps with me at night. His happiness seems to grow when he is with me, so I spend as much time with him as I can (and I want as much time with him as possible). Though I miss Bruce and think about him a lot, Taco has been a great distraction. Coincidentally, Taco has been doing better since Bruce died. I seriously feel he and I are so connected that he is using all of his strength to take care of me. He has started eating (including things he would not eat before) and drinking on his own and he seems much more motivated to move around. 
I donât know what happens when animals (or people, or anything) dies, but I wonder if Bruce told Taco what would happen, and asked Taco to be strong for me. 
So while Bruce passed way too young and unexpectedly, if Pipp is right, that he had some kind of genetic defect, and this was bound to happen soon, I donât know what I would have done if I lost him shortly after Taco (which I pray will not be for awhile). 

I know this was long, and if you read it all I really appreciate it. No one in my family and none of my friends are animal people, like me. Whenever something happens to my pets I feel so alone and that no one I am close to understands. I feel like I have to mourn alone and sort things out all by myself. Which is fine, but sometimes you just need to talk. 

Bruce Wayne, I love you and I miss you and will always miss you. You were so wonderful to have, even if it was for a short time. I will never forget your ways and I will treasure every memory, photo, and video I have of you. Say hi to Kitty for me (hopefully she wonât be afraid of you in the afterlife). I love you, big bunny. 


(Pictures to come)


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## killertheturtle (Jul 1, 2009)

Bruce with his litter






Bruce in his temporary cage, this was taken the second day he was home (my ferret was curious).





I told you he and my cat got along well.





In his first pen.










I bought him this, because he couldn't really fit in anything else. Surprisingly, it is still mostly intact, even though he loved to chew on it.





Then we moved to Oceanside, and this was his new pen.





Thomas liked to hang out in the pen when he could. Bruce didn't seem to trust any trespassers. 





Like I said, he liked to play around for awhile, exploring and finding things to chew on.




















Kitty was terrified of Bruce. She always hissed and swatted at him (she was declawed), but he always wanted to be around her it seemed. She was euthanized in May 31st 2008 due to kidney failure.





I started taking more videos of him then pictures. He was just so funny that a picture didn't capture it. And I swear he knew when a camera was out and decided to go out of his way to avoid it and act like a "normal" bunny. I don't have any videos uploaded to show you guys, though. My favorite video is of him opening his Christmas present last year (yeah I wrapped them, and he tore it open). 
This was the last picture I took of him; in his pen in the other room, with the cats trespassing, so he was guarding his cage.





And like I said before, he loved to cuddle.





Boy looking at these reminds me how messy he was.


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## TinysMom (Jul 1, 2009)

RIP Bruce. I loved what you wrote about him - and I adored him so much....


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## anneq (Jul 1, 2009)

Binky-free big guy -what wonderful tribute to your bun.
You're not alone here telling us about Bruce W...and that's a great thing that there is a place you can come and pour your heart out about your extended family.


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## Nancy McClelland (Jul 1, 2009)

we are so sorry for your loss of Bruce. He was a gorgeous looking bunny--there's just something about the large ones being lap bunnies. Serena, our checkered giant will stay on your lap forever if you rub her! Binky free big guy. :sad::angel::bunnyangel2:


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## LuvaBun (Jul 1, 2009)

Bruce was such a gorgeous bunny. Seems like he wanted to be friends with everyone, and everything. A very special boy.

God Bless, Bruce. you will be missed 

Jan


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## myheart (Jul 1, 2009)

What a beautiful boy Bruce was!!! He looked like he was a special guy from all of your great photos of him. I am sure he was glad he was able to pick you to be his guardian.

I hope you are able to heal from his loss. Some of the special ones take a bit longer to let go of. Thanks for sharing Bruce's story with us. Treasure all of his memories...

Binky Free Bruce Wayne. :rainbow::bunnyangel::rainbow:

myheart


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## killertheturtle (Jul 1, 2009)

Thanks to all of you.
I've been a member of this forum for a long time, and lurk quite a bit, despite my low post count. I've always been amazed at the bonds between people on this forum, I never really understood it (I always thought it was great, but I couldn't see it happening with me - you know?). The closeness of everyone has made the forum intimidating, even though you all seemed very nice.
Well I'm kind of rambling, but my point is, I understand why the above happens and I would really like to make an effort to post more and get to know you guys better. 
This forum has been making the loss of Bruce easier for me. I am really grateful.


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## Sweetie (Jul 1, 2009)

RIP Bruce Wayne..... Binky Free


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## Saudade (Jul 1, 2009)

Binky free little caped crusader!


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## bunnyrainbows (Jul 4, 2009)

Aww, I'm sorry  It looks like he had a very good life with you!


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## Wabbitdad12 (Jul 5, 2009)

I am so sorry for your loss. I know how close you can get to a bun and howmuch it canhurt when they pass away. From one who has black flemmies, Bruce is a very handsome guy, he has some big beautiful ears.

Binky free big guy.

Dave


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## NorthernAutumn (Jul 6, 2009)

Thank you so much for sharing Bruce with us... I can't get over his beautiful big ears, and I really enjoyed the idea of an "unstealthy" Bruce Wayne 
He was obviously well loved, and I bet he knew it!
(By the way, I recognize your name here on RO, and have enjoyed your posts in the past... hope to share happier occasions in the future :hug: )
ink iris:urplepansy:ink iris:
Rest Softly, Bruce.

Autumn


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## killertheturtle (Jul 7, 2009)

Thank you so much.
I like to think he did have a good life with me. I mean, he obviously couldn't tell me, but I think daily binkies and excitement for treats and play time showed happiness. Sometimes I thought he would like a friend, but was never really serious about getting another rabbit, because if it didn't work I wouldn't have had room for another pen. 

It is getting easier. 
Some days/situations are harder than others. Like I said, my ferrets are in the same room Bruce was, and part of my morning ritual was going in, giving Bruce a treat and them letting him out for 20 minutes or so. Then I would feed him and put him away. My ferrets would be awake by that time, so then they would come out. Well the other day, I went in and walked up to Bruce's pen and grabbed his tub of treats and then I just cried. 

I've had a pretty bad flu since Friday, so my pets have been kind of neglected (of course they have food and water, just not much extra), so I haven't been going in Bruce's room as much, which I guess is why it is getting easier.

I still haven't gotten his ashes back yet.


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## tonyshuman (Jul 7, 2009)

I'm so sorry. He was such a love, and I can tell he was very special. No other bunny like him. I'm glad he got to spend his time with you, although it wasn't as long as you expected. Binky free, Bruce Wayne.


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## killertheturtle (Jul 14, 2009)

I had a dream about him last night, he was really happy in it; he binkied around me and followed me for treats.
That was nice. 

I went to Costco and got some pictures printed of him. I got an 8x10 of the picture of him looking at me, with the orange ball in front of him. That is my favorite picture of him


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## anneq (Jul 14, 2009)

Aw, that will be a nice thing to have around.
Maybe his little message to you that where he is now, he is happy (yes, I believe people and animals can send us messages from beyond..it's wonderful to have that comfort from our loved ones who've gone on before us).
Anything truly loved is never lost.


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