Dobby’s best friend wasn’t a capybara, and it wasn’t me. It was an IKEA White Rabbit Rug, like a bear rug, but, you know, a big white rabbit.

When Dobby first arrived home, like a duck imprinting on his mother, he made a beeline for my rug and claimed it as his own. It became his favorite spot near my desk and we worked there together for many months.

He grew quickly and his attention wandered from his rabbit, but it remained his favorite for all time.

Compare the size of his rabbit head. In the following photos he’s about four months old.

At nine months, for some reason*, he had lost access to my office area. He was still allowed into the bedroom, though, and the rabbit rug took up residence next to my bed. My closet and dressing area were off limits, too. His rabbit was no longer pristine white and required weekly laundering.

Not long after those photos were taken, Dobby completely lost access to the bedroom. It was December, his outdoor world turned cold and dark, and he took it as a personal affront. I set up an area for him in the kitchen. He and his rabbit moved to the new territory.

The rabbit head stuffing somehow worked it’s way free and self-distributed as white fuzz throughout his territory. It also decorated the washer and the dryer lint trap turned snowy. The rabbit required frequent laundering, now, and I realized it was time to buy duplicates. I also needed to reserve one for special photo shoots. The rabbit rug was no longer available at IKEA, so I scoured Ebay for “Gosingen.”

At about two years old, Dobby lost respect for the flimsy X-pen that defined his kitchen territory. I covered my wood floors with linoleum and installed solid-core wood doors as a waist-high barrier. He was now tall enough to stand up and place his front paws on the kitchen counters. He was funny, affectionate, and very naughty. His rabbit rug saw it all.

Dobby permanently left us in summer of 2018. His precious rabbit rugs did not. Not a pinch of stuffing remained in the heads and the fur was mangy, torn, and repaired. They languished on a shelf in a storage area for six years. It is now time for them to go. (I kept the frog blanket for the cats.)

You guessed it, I kept one perfect, un-sullied rabbit rug for myself. It’s on the floor by my desk, just for the memories.

~~~~~~~~~~

*He had learned to use bad potty habits as an attention-getting behavior.

P.S. “Gosingen,” is no longer available, but sometimes I still look for it online.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Suburban Capybara is brought to you by Stacy’s Funny Farm, a §501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We appreciate donations of any size. Monthly giving is especially helpful.