The coexistence of a newborn child and pets under one roof is always a dilemma for parents — how safe is it and will it do more harm than good? Especially if the animal is non-standard, not the usual cats and dogs, but rabbits. Yes, not decorative, but gigantic, much larger than the baby itself.
A pair of giant rabbits, Alfie and Amelia, live freely in the Eckert family home on their Wisconsin ranch. And they take an active part in family life, for example, they were among the first to go to the hospital to meet the newborn Bailey. The rabbits tried to nestle next to the cradle, and then they began to show with their whole appearance that they would protect the girl.
And it doesn’t matter that rabbits have bigger ears than Bailey herself, she is growing fast and already perceives them as her friends. Alfie and Amelia will always make sure that the child falls asleep, and will stay close, protect the girl’s sleep. They willingly accept treats from her pens and endure when Bailey clumsily tries to stroke them. Rabbits are more than responsible about their mission, and with the weight of each carcass more than 10 kg, I don’t really want to argue with them. Peaceful animals, but why take the risk?
Mom Jenn Eckert took advantage of this situation to promote her «rabbit therapy» project. The same as with therapy dogs for the sick and the elderly, only with rabbits. Five years ago, long before Bailey’s appearance, her husband gave her her first big rabbit and subsequently messing with it helped Jenn survive the death of her parents. Alfie and Amelia are the third generation of rabbits in their family and they were raised as therapeutic animals from the very first days. The experience of interacting with the baby only proved the mother right.
Rabbits have a number of advantages over dogs, for example, they do not bark and therefore are less likely to frighten a child. They also have funny ears and soft fur, and with proper training, animals learn to accept the caress of human hands no worse than cats. Alfie and Amelia have been trained for a long time and they will live at least ten years, and therefore will become the best friends of little Bailey.
When the girl grows up a little and is ready to travel, they will start visiting nursing homes. Jen Eckert needs to collect material to obtain a certificate for the use of rabbits in therapeutic work, and this means a lot of work «in the field». She plans that when Bailey learns to walk and talk, the girl will be able to «present to the public» her pets and arrange demonstration games with rabbits. A great example!
