TRUE STORIES ABOUT OUR CLEVER ANIMALS

When Frick and Frack were baby rabbits at the Smith Farm, it seemed that nothing could ever separate them.

The two tiny rabbits were identical brothers, and they ate together, ate together, slept together and did everything together. When one took a nap, the other napped too. When one got a drink from the drip-feed, the other one decided it was time he had a drink.

This closeness went on for over a year, but then Frack went to a nearby farm to heal from an injury. By this time, Frick and Frack were large Dutch rabbits who had the run of the Smith place.

When Frack left, Frick wasn't as nice to be around. He no longer wanted to cuddle. He no longer wanted to be petted or stroked or held. He wasn't mean to human folks, but he was quite unfriendly.

Early in the Spring, Pattycake, the large black cat next door, had kittens. Frick was drawn to those tiny balls of fur, and he would visit them regularly. At first, Pattycake was a bit standoffish, afraid Frick would hurt her babies. But Frick persisted, and one day, we saw him nestled up against Pattycake with all the kittens. He seemed to have joined their family.

One of those, a small black and white kitten named Pat really liked Frick. She followed him everywhere, and they became really close. Frick tried to pounce like a cat (for Pat's sake) and drink milk like a cat and lick his fur like a cat. But being a rabbit has its drawbacks, and he began to see his limitations. He never could run like they ran, nor purr like they purred, nor glare like they glared. And they were much too fast for him!

All but Pat. Pat would turn around and wait for Frick to catch up. Then she would lick his fur to show him she was glad.

Had Pat had stayed a small kitten, they would be friends to this day. But one day Pat grew up, and she grew faster and slyer and more impatient. She just couldn't wait around for Frick. Frick was slow. He wanted to lie in the grass and graze and soak in the sun and graze. Pat wanted to chase mice and run and chase butterflies and run. And the two friends grew apart. It happens.

Thank goodness, our story doesn't stop there. Frick was never one to give upon life. He simply set out to find another friend. You will find stories of these friendships further down on this page.

If anything is to be gleaned from Frick, it is this: Frick is an optimist. He always sees the best in everyone he meets, and he is always ready to meet his next friend.

I think you will enjoy more stories about this most unusual rabbit!

There is no other person on earth like you. You are one of a kind, totally unique. You have a purpose for living, though you may not yet know it. You are of infinite value to someone. There is that special place where you fit in, where you are accepted and beloved. You don't have to settle for less than the best.

On our place, we have a variety of animals, among which are a horse named Lady, a miniature donkey named Favor and a rabbit named Frick. The reason the rabbit's name is Frick is because his twin is named Frack.. (You guessed it - Frick and Frack! Frick is the one on the left in the photo). Frack went to another farm, and when he was gone, Frick was left alone. After awhile, Frick took up with the cats next door, though somehow, he never got a liking for dogs.

For a couple of years, our little white spotted donkey named Favor and Lady, our red sorrel horse, had been friends. Favor pestered Lady who remained aloof for some time. But Favor's persistence paid off, and eventually she won Lady's affection. Awhile later, Frick appeared on the scene.

One day, we saw a strange thing. Favor, the donkey, and Frick, the rabbit, were grazing together. When Favor rolled in the dust, Frick tried his best to do likewise. When Favor drank water from the pond, Frick tried to do likewise. One day, we caught Favor giving Frick a kiss on the nose. (See photo elsewhere on this page)

In the beginning of this strange relationship, we could only wonder at the mystery of such a large animal being friendly with such a small one. (We hadn't yet seen "Ice Age"!) However, we had seen Frick already make friends with Pat, the cat next door, so we knew he had no prejudice about size or breed. Frick could make friends with anyone! (You can read about Frick and Pat in another story on this page.)

A short time later, Lady, our horse, joined in and made it a trio, and these friendships became even more unusual! We called them "the Herd". This trio ate together, drank together, nuzzled each other, slept together and protected each other. Well,let me say that Lady and Favor protected. Frick could only be the protectee. They were delightful to watch!

This threesome also taught us a valuable lesson. If you keep a right attitude, and if you keep trusting others, you will find the right friends and someone out there will love you...no matter how small you are...no matter how unlike them you are.

Never give up on people. Yes, some may cut you off or even intimidate you. But, know this. God loves you and He accepts you. Through Him, we love you. And there are others out there who will also love you. Like Frick, you have a place in this world; you just have to find your niche, so keep on keeping on!

You ARE unique and you are VERY special!

Short stories from my book, "The Small Herd", will continue on our lenses,

I think it is awesome that our horse, our donkey and our rabbit have become such great friends.

However, it is interesting to observe their relationship with each other. Once the ice was broken, the three obviously different animals have never seemed to notice their differences at all. They have great honor and respect for one another. They take turns. They watch out for each other. None are jealous of the other two.

The horse doesn't seem to notice she is so much larger than the donkey. (See the photo beneath this story). And though the contrast is much greater for Favor and Frick, Favor doesn't seem to use her size to lord it over Frick. In fact, the opposite is true. She is very careful around Frick to avoid stepping on him. And we've decided that Frick has never seen himself as a small rabbit! He has put no limitations on himself!

These good buddies have no prejudices, no hang-ups about their companions. They simply never notice one another's attributes OR short-comings, and they NEVER judge the other one's outer condition!

One thing about Frick, our rabbit: he doesn't think of himself as small or lesser - or even inadequate.

In fact, he doesn't seem to know that he is weighs 2 pounds, while Lady, our horse, weighs 1,000 pounds....or that Frick is less than a foot tall and Lady is over 5 1/2 feet tall at her withers. So, here is this little fellow, 10-12 times shorter and 500 times smaller than the horse - yet he doesn't seem to notice it at all!

Why are we humans so aware of our shortcomings? We compare ourselves with ourselves - and every single other person! We wear ourselves out trying to be thinner, taller, shorter, darker, lighter, older, younger, better, prettier, faster, smarter, etc., etc., etc.

The amazing thing about this trio is that each of the three seems to be exceedingly content with its own station in life. These three are not in competition but in harmony built on genuine appreciation for each other. As you can see in this photo, Lady appears to be aware that Frick is near, so she will carefully avoid stepping on Frick.

On the other hand, the rabbit doesn't push his luck. He will get right under Favor, the donkey, but not beneath the horse. (Would you call that horse sense?) Favor seems to freeze when Frick walks under her belly, and you sense that she knows she must move with care.

Next time you look in the mirror, give thanks that you are YOU - and the person you are right now will be even the better person tomorrow. No need for comparison - not even with your own past! You are who you are, and you can make the best of it - like Frick!

I don't think it has ever occurred to Frick to be afraid. Or he hides it well.

Though he was the runt among sibling Dutch rabbits, Frick rooted his way to nurse milk with the bigger ones. When we put grass or feed into their little pans, Frick was often the first one there. Months later, when he was larger (but still the smallest of his clan) he could body slam and head-bop with the biggest.

When the other rabbits were gone, Frick took up with the cats next door. I think he even nursed Mama cat for awhile. He never allowed his "rabbitness" to interfere with relationships. In Frick's eyes, everyone is created equal and he just doesn't notice the differences.

He hopped while the cats ran, but he could pounce with the best of them! Though the bugs and other such distasteful foods were not to his liking, he did respect the cats' choices and hung back to watch them in action. He didn't have to join in everything they did in order to enjoy their company.

It was funny, though, to see Frick resting on Mama cat - and her kittens nestling against him! Mama cat must have been a bit curious about her new 'child'. She tried to lick the fur on his head, when - as he turned toward her - without intending to, his long ears gently slapped her mouth. The look of surprise on her face was priceless.

Later, when the kittens grew up and seemed to ignore Frick, he tried to make friends with some neighborhood dogs, but he never really seemed to fit in with them. (Little wonder - perhaps Frick had an inner knowledge that dogs were created to hunt rabbits!) He respected their speed and their voraciousness, but he was a much gentler creature with a more laid-back personality.

So, Frick took up with Favor, our little donkey, and Lady, our horse, You would think Frick would have noticed the tremendous variance in their size and distance to the ground. Yet, Frick never seemed to give it a thought. He had no fear of the large animals.

It was they - the horse and the donkey - who watched out for Frick's safety, not the other way around. He hopped up under them as though he belonged. If they went to the barn, he went. If they went to the field, Frick was with them.

Although Frick first took up with our miniature donkey, Favor, he was just as comfortable with Lady, a big sorrel quarter horse. In the beginning, Lady was a bit snobbish and seemed to think the other animals were not worthy of her noble company. She remained aloof for several weeks.

But as time wore on, Lady needed friendship as much as the other animals. Not having another horse to converse with, she chose Favor. (I guess horses and donkeys are from the same animal family).

However, when Favor took up with Frick, Lady balked. She seemed to think this was straining their friendship, this demeaning of their stature to associate with such a small, lower creature! And she remained aloof from Frick for some time.

Frick, however, was not to be so easily dismissed. Frick was everywhere the larger animals were. They moved, he moved. He not only followed them, he got right up under them. Several times, Lady very nearly stumbled trying to avoid Frick's quick hops! He was one determined rabbit!

And Frick has always seemed content to be himself. He is self-assured, but never arrogant. He never tries to prove himself. I don't know whether or not he knows he is a rabbit, but whatever he thinks he is - he's happy with it - and he's happy with others being what they are!

Doesn't it make you think that we humans give up on relationships too easily? We get our feelings hurt. We get 'insulted'. We feel left out. We grow jealous or envious of someone's size or wealth or beauty or position in life. So, we withdraw - and we become a lonely heap of tears.

When you feel like giving up on someone, remember Frick! Yes, there are some people who are absolutely unreachable - at least for the moment. Yet, Frick was never easily disuaded. Frick's persistence and constant friendliness eventually brought Lady around.

As you see in these pictures, Lady has not only accepted Frick, but she has begun to enjoy him. For instance, on the rare occasions when he didn't make it to the field as fast as Lady, she searched for him. You could tell that she missed the rabbit's presence - and she wasn't willing to do without him.

Lady now walks carefully when Frick is around. Both she and Favor stand very still when Frick walks up under their legs, to avoid stepping on him. As Frick joins them to graze the grass, Lady constantly keeps an eye on him...and seems to almost purr when he is happy. They have a delightful relationship! But Frick's motto is "No Fear Here!" He is never afraid!

Don't let someone else's aloofness cause you grief. Be like Frick! You are special! You are God's child, and you have a right to at least one other person's camaraderie and friendship.

Never allow fear of any kind into your relationships! Believe in people - believe the best of people - be friendly; don't give up; don't envy; don't let petty annoyances and differences get in your way - and you will eventually melt their hearts!