​CHAPTER 116 – Against All Odds

Dad and Abigail watched with amusement as Jack, a white and black English Spot rabbit, zipped across the plastic-lined floor chasing after other rabbits. Chasing after him was his bun mom, Desiree, who could barely keep up. That in itself wouldn’t have been unusual, except Jack was a disabled rabbit. He had lost the use of his hind legs.

Apparently, no one had bothered to tell him that he was disabled. He was just as fast as any other rabbit, propelling himself using his front legs while his back legs, wrapped in a purple Crown Royal bag, dragged behind him, looking somewhat like a mermaid’s tail.  

Abigail went over and asked, “What’s your name?” Jack replied, “Jack. But my mommy calls me Jack In the Bag. I guess because I wear this bag.” Abigail asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s the bag for?” Jack replied, “It keeps me from getting sore spots and it makes me faster when I slide across the floor. Less drag, you know? Watch!” Jack zipped off across the floor to demonstrate.

They were at Midwest Bunfest in Ohio. Dad and Abigail were co-hosting the Small Pet Select cocktail hour where rabbit parents could bring their rabbits and mingle.  

Desiree explained, “My fiancé’s coworker is an animal control officer and received a call about a domestic bunny running loose near a highway. The bunny was dragging his hind legs, but even in his injured state, they had a hard time catching him. Normally, they would have probably put him down because they don’t have the ability to care for injured animals, but they called me because they knew I had pet rabbits.”

Desiree took the injured bunny to various vets to determine if it would be possible to repair the damage so he could use his legs again. Unfortunately, all the vets concluded that the damage was too severe and she should euthanize him. The odds were stacking up against him.

“For awhile, I felt like it was Jack and me against the world,” she recalled, “Everyone was telling me I should put him to sleep because he could never live a normal life. But I believed he didn’t come to me to help him die. He came to me to help him live! So I wasn’t going to give up. I’d figure something out.”

Desiree continued, “After all the experiences I had, I didn’t trust that anyone would care for him as much as I would.” Although she already had six rabbits, she took him in under her wing. Taking care of a special-needs rabbit was a major commitment. Desiree explained, “I keep the fur on his lower half trimmed to make it easier to keep clean. He uses a diaper to catch his poop. I have to express his bladder every few hours, so I take him everywhere with me.”

Against all odds, Jack in the Bag not only survived, he thrived!

Abigail asked, “What’s it like not being able to use your back legs?” Jack replied, “It’s not a problem. I can get around just fine. I’m so lucky that I found my bun mom. She believed in me. She takes good care of me and takes me everywhere with her. We’ve become very close. I get to go on so many trips and adventures with her that the other buns in our house don’t.”

Abigail was happy to see that even a disabled rabbit could live a fulfilling life if they were lucky enough to find someone with a big heart and the willingness to make the commitment to take care of them.

You can follow Jack in the Bag’s adventures on FaceBook at JackInTheBagWV, Instagram at Jack_InTheBag, or on YouTube at at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0AitKxJ4B3e1yNQHZgbCSQ.