Mental Health and Pets…And Sad News of Nibbles the Rabbit
A few years ago I wrote an article about the mental health benefits of pets. Having a pet can help if you have a mental health condition, and I think the sense of connection, emotional support and sense of purpose are valuable benefits to us all.
I can still remember the excitement when Nibbles the rabbit joined the Regan household and she soon became a part of the family. The girls would hug, feed and groom her, and I know all of us enjoyed our little interactions in the garden (and all those private little conversations you have with your pets when no one else can hear you!!).
During lockdown one in particular, I used to go out into the back garden each morning and do a bootcamp routine that had been shared online (as we weren’t allowed in groups back then). As well as killing the grass with what seemed like a trillion burpees, I used to love interacting with Nibbles (who probably wondered what on earth I was doing but she kept quiet as long as the grass kept coming her way!). As soon as I went into the garden, up she would come running to remind me of my grass picking and feeding responsibilities, and every time I rested there she was giving me that little ‘I’m just a poor starving bunny, even though I’ve eaten a ton of grass already’ look that I couldn’t ignore.
Of course, she did have her moments, like the time she escaped and it took us over an hour to get her out from behind the neighbour’s shed. And I think she scratched my daughter a few times and even peed on the living room floor (while getting hugs from the kids).
But despite those occasional little bunny strops, she was very much a part of our family and it was a very sad day indeed when she didn’t come home from the vet last week. Poor little Nibbles.
