Les Epochs de Bunny
Early Days
Bunny was found after a long search. My partner scoured the internet for an old dog to rescue. They were banned from a official Boston Terrier Facebook group after arguing with the admin, who insisted such dogs are not good for apartment living.
This is, on its face, insane. A creature like Bunny would be incapable of surviving in anything except an apartment. The rescue we found her at was a large home in an exurb with plenty of space and she was definitely not healthy. We were told the old man who was her person had simply gotten too old to take care of her, and his family did not have the means to fix up the both of them.
It would be my partner's first dog - a desire since they were a kid.
A new family?
I am not sure what Bunny made of us at first. She was unlike any dog I had ever lived with. She virtually never vocalized, had no interest in play, and only occasionally interested in our attention.
"Just who are you?"
One thing was clear, she needed a lot of work. Absolutely riddled with cancer, she would eventually have three surgeries about it.
My partner had picked up knitting during COVID and Bunny provided an ideal subject for this craft. Seattle - and eventually Montreal - has a lot of sweater weather.
The Heyday
Through the tireless efforts of my partner, Bunny eventually got healthier. Surgeries, pharmaceuticals, and good old fashion physical exercise resulted in a remarkable turnaround for what was a near-Baron-Harkonnen like physique.
The Great Move
Getting an old dog from Seattle to Montréal was no small affair. Only a single airline (1) still allowed for therapy animals in the cabin and (2) had a direct flight from Vancouver. Bunny's mutant snout precluded traveling with the luggage.
Driving over with our documentation in hand, we all had to wait at the border for the work permits to come through. Then a night at the airport hotel.
We temporarily stayed in an AirBnB loft downtown while we searched for apartments, signed up for French classes, and got situated. It's all a blur now, but for a minute just the logistics was my full time job.
We were in luck. A sizable first floor apartment in a nice neighborhood became available at an ideal moment. It was even furnished, which helped as our stuff was still in a large truck moving across the entire continent.
We showed up in winter. As it happened, the winter of 2023-2024 was fairly mild in Quebec. But for a dog acclimated to Seattle, it was a challenge.
The Comfortable Retirement
Even with the considerable medical care lavished upon her, I did not expect Bunny to manage to survive another two winters. Chalk it up to living a life of sloth and hedonism.
She took nicely to the outdoor space we took great efforts to find for her.
We'll miss Bunny and everyone who knew her is sad that she is gone. I'd argue that's the right way of going out, unlike some rather famous people that will see untold celebration when they finally kick it. God, that'll be fucking cool. Honestly it's a thought that cheers me up as I make this post.
Anyway, she leaves virtually nothing but good memories and frankly incredible photographic evidence of a life of leisure and hedonism. RIP to a real one.
