VHS Adoption Spotlight

VHS ADOPTION SPOTLIGHT DUKE

Jill Ingram and her family live on a farm up in Chandler, Indiana, where they care for a wide range of outside and inside animals, including horses, goats, chickens, parakeets, a potbelly pig, a dog and a cat - and now a fluffy new friend named Duke as well. Recently adopted from the VHS, the adorable white rabbit has slotted in perfectly with the whole crew and is particularly loved by Ingram's six-year-old son Jaxon who set the whole rescue in motion. And that's a heartwarming story worth telling, for sure.

Seems Jaxon harbored a terrible fear of doctors and generally went to pieces every time he had to go in for a checkup. So as his required appointment for entering kindergarten drew nearer, his mom struck a deal with him. "Jaxon had started asking for a rabbit, so we told him that if he could be really big and tough and make it through the appointment we could go get one," Ingram explains. "About two weeks before the doctor's visit we went to the VHS - I wanted to make sure he understood that a rabbit was a little different from a dog or a cat. He was able to spend time with a couple of rabbits and one was Duke - he just loved Duke."

Before leaving the VHS, Jaxon sweetly made Duke a promise that he was "going to be really good for his doctor's appointment" and that he'd come back to get him. And that's exactly what happened. Well, for the most part. "Jaxon started to lose it during the visit," Ingram recalls, "but we brought a picture of Duke along and showed it to him. We asked, 'Do you remember Duke? Do you remember the deal?' He said 'yes' and 'I can do this' and he was amazing." Meltdown averted, the family drove to a pet supply store and picked up everything needed to care for Duke - and then headed straight to the VHS to make the adoption official.

It's only been a few weeks, but Duke has settled right in to his new home, even hanging out with everyone on the bed for movie night and often chilling on the sofa. "He's so friendly and loves the kids," Ingram notes. She's also happy to report that the family's rescue cat took to Duke right away; the two play together sometimes, in fact. Yes, it's one big happy family up there in Chandler - but there's always room for one more. "I would never be able to say that we're done with animals," Ingram says with a laugh.