Chicago Rabbit Sitter: Meeting Liz and Her Six Rabbits
In the past, when Liz and I have gone away for a long weekend, we’ve been able to come up with creative ways to ensure Baxter’s taken care of during our absence. Sometimes we have friends stop by to visit. Sometimes we put her in our bedroom, or let her roam the apartment, with an automatic cat food feeder to parcel out food.
In September, when Liz and I go on our honeymoon, there’s no way we could leave Baxter unattended for such a long stretch of time. And the idea of asking friends to stop by was too much, given how long we’d be away.
Luckily, Liz did some looking around to look into people who watch pets while their owners are away. Was there anyone who did this sort of a thing, but for rabbits?
Thanks to the Internet, we found a fairly immediate answer to our question: rabbitsitter.com is a site run by Liz Rench, and she does, indeed, look after bunnies while their owners are away.
There were some emails back and forth, and we set up a time today to go over to her place to visit Liz (and to visit Liz’s 6 rabbits as well).
This is Simon, who seemed a little timid when we walked in the room. Sadly, the other rabbit that Simon was bonded to (Theo) passed away recently.
Several of Liz’s rabbits were sectioned off in a side bedroom, each with a large area to themselves. Liz and I had long talked about getting a larger cage for Baxter, and we ended up buying a cage from Liz (who had several extra lying around).
This is Ponchito, which is a fantastic name.
This is Mick (who was pair bonded with a bunny named Bianca, who unfortunately isn’t around anymore).
This is PJ, who was perky and friendly. As we were in the room, PJ jumped up on top of this small tunnel/ball to get closer to the petting.
L to R it’s Scout and Elvie. Scout was Liz’s first ever bunny, and Elvie recently arrived on the scene. Elvie’s prior owner assumed she was a boy, and originally named her “Lord Voldemort.” After discovering he was actually a she, “He Who Must Not Be Named” was renamed to “Elvie.”
Liz had only introduced the two of them to one another a week ago, and as we walked in… she remarked at how surprised she was to see Elvie grooming Scout. Both rabbits were, apparently, fairly independent, and Liz had tried (unsuccessfully) to introduce Elvie to her other rabbits. Seeing the two of them getting along so well was, according to Liz, quite the (good) surprise.
We visited the “hotel” area, which was the setup that Liz had in the basement for her tenants. I noticed the decorative light switch, and pretty much knew we were talking to the right person to watch after Baxter.
Liz, aka the Rabbit Sitter, holding Ponchito.
Though we had just met her, Liz was incredibly friendly and made us feel immediately at ease. Her rabbits were all great, and you could tell just talking with her how much she cared for (and knew about) rabbits.
And if all the rabbits here haven’t been enough for you, check out Liz’s Photo section for more pics.
I, too, believe that Ponchito is an awesome rabbit name. Or just an awesome name in general. I’m actually thinking about renaming our dog, Radar, Ponchito. I think it will work. He’s 7. He’ll adapt.
Marty J. (June 22, 2009 at 4:18 pm)Mmmmmmm…….. Rabbits!!!!!
Y. Sam (June 22, 2009 at 6:04 pm)Liz is a wonderful person, and has watched my rabbits—all 6 of em’ She knows rabbits and I can go away and never have to worry. I’ll call and check-in to make sure my rabbits have not done anything crazy. Liz is just so rabbity. AND she has awesome decorative tastes and has a Fab. house Red Door loves Liz Rench. We are thankful for Liz.
Pellet (June 22, 2009 at 10:32 pm)Pellet – Thanks for the note! I know we felt good about Liz after meeting her, and it’s even better that others are saying great things. And yes, her place is pretty fantastic.Y. Sam – You may be the “fastest gun north, south, east, aaaaand west of the Pecos,” but you still won’t find any Hasenpfeffer here.
avoision (June 22, 2009 at 10:59 pm)thanks for the lovely post! i’m so glad you captured scout and elvie grooming. i look forward to meeting baxter!
liz r. (June 24, 2009 at 11:32 am)Liz is great! She took care of my Frances for 3.5 years and was very kind when i recently when thru an illness with her and recently had to say good bye. I absolutely would recommend Liz to anyone who wants to go out of town and have complete peace of mind that their bun will be well taken care of. In addition, she’s a great resource on bunny care, local vets, etc.
Laura (June 24, 2009 at 11:35 am)Well, Liz is the best thing that happened to our beloved Balthazar and us. The love, the care the compassion she puts into her work is remarkable. We call her The Queen Of The Rabbits. We are glad you found her and be sure your rabbit will be safe and happy.
Milena and Ana (June 24, 2009 at 12:49 pm)Thank you for what you do, Liz.I’m glad to know you’re there to care for our little ones when we are away.
Lisa M. (June 24, 2009 at 1:26 pm)Liz’s been taking care of our fightsy Hugo for almost 3 years. She is wonderful. Thanks Liz!!
Grace (June 24, 2009 at 1:47 pm)Liz really is great. She has looked after Angela for some time now when we go away. We had very bad experiences with rabbit sitters before we found Liz. Angela is a very difficult rabbit and will not accept just any new person. She warmed up to Liz and we were amazed that she would allow Liz to carry her around. It is obvious to us that she really loves animals and I no longer worry when we have to go away because I know that Angela is in great hands.
Diane (June 24, 2009 at 3:48 pm)It’s confirmed! Liz is awesome. :)Baxter stayed her first weekend at Liz’s and managed to cut her habit of eating dry bunny food. Felix already noticed that she seems a bit more trim. And with her new cage setup, we both notice that she just seems more happy and frisky, overall.Thanks Liz. If I meet any other bun owners I’ll definitely pass the recommendation along.
Liz (July 1, 2009 at 12:21 pm)