Maggie the Bunny

Hi, I am Maggie (aka Buttons), and while I may not be a horse, I believe I’m just as important and should share my story. When people think of MHARF they don’t often think of anything other than horses, well maybe a donkey or mule too. I was a rescue too, and I’m definitely not a horse – although I enjoy treats and hay just as much!

I’m an American Fuzzy Lop bunny and I am very grateful that Drew doesn’t think of MHARF as just about horses! Drew found me at a Critter Exchange in an extremely small cage that was very dirty – more than you’d even expect a bachelor pad to be. When she got me home she found out that I had maggots eating away at the tissue on my little bottom, most likely because of my living conditions. Drew got the maggots off and cleaned me up. My foster family, who had three rabbits of their own, agreed to take me in as a foster – and I managed to hop my way into their heart and they adopted me. While my name is officially Maggie, Buttons is my nickname since I am cute as a button! Just see my photo – wouldn’t you agree?

When I first came to my new home and started to hop around, very slowly, I would run into things – I never had any room to hop you see, so didn’t know how to judge distances. It didn’t take me long to learn though and I began doing “Bunny 500” laps around my enclosure (which was a circular dog exercise pen) with my ears flopping in the breeze. Since I was so malnourished, I had to eat lots of hay, veggies, and timothy pellets before I could be spayed.

Unfortunately the vet reported that I had uterine cancer, which is very common in female bunnies that are not spayed. They also determined that due to my living conditions I had scarred tear ducts so would need my face washed on a regular basis, and after a few very basic tests it was agreed that I was also deaf. My eyesight was good, however, and my hopping ability was tremendous!

I didn’t let my medical issues stop me from enjoying my new life. I attend Rabbit Hoppy Hour (a photo of a hoppy hour is to the right) where I can socialize with other bunnies, and I have even taught my family all about rabbit agility. I am proud to say that I was top of my class at the Golden Valley Humane Society’s bunny agility classes. I am a Yellow Band bunny and I do walk nicely on a leash with a harness, and will be moving on to the next level of agility soon.

Just think of me as a tiny, floppy eared horse flying over tiny stadium jumps! I just love it! So even us non-horse rescues can go on to accomplish great things! While I may not be a champion of a breed registry – I am definitely a champion in the eyes of my family.

– Maggie Buttons (typed by her humans Todd & Tammie, as they have opposable thumbs)