Betty White & Farrah Pawcett

2 doggos + 2 rabbits + 2 hoomans

Betty White
Princess, Gentle Giant, Goofball
1.5 years old
Great Pyrenees x Anatolian Shepherd

Farrah Pawcett
Feisty, Scrappy, Loving
3 years old
Shepherd x Jack Russell

Augusta “Gus”
She’s just the boss
5 years old
Mini Lop Bunny

Toby
Scared Bodyguard, Foodie
3 years old
Harlequin Bunny

How did you pick their names?
"It’s a funny story,” Kate laughed while smirking at her husband. “Bill would talk about how if he ever had a little girl he’d like to name her Betty. Well, I don’t really like that name, so when I brought home our new dog I introduced her as ‘our new dog Betty’. That way he got his “Betty” and I didn’t have to name our future child that! And it was perfect because she’s white, so we could call her Betty White.”

Kate continued, “When we rescued Farrah she already had that name, which was perfect for the theme because we can call her Farrah Pawcett. When we rescued our rabbit Gus, we didn’t know if she was a boy or a girl, so Gus could either be Augusta or Augustus. Now Gus is totally a girls name to us! And our other rabbit Toby came with that name. He’ll come when called, just like Gus!”

Do the dogs and bunnies get along?
“Betty gets along with them. Farrah, however, thinks they’re food and we keep them separated.”

How did you become a family?
“I always wanted a rabbit, so when I graduated from university Bill and I found Gus and took her home. We eventually wanted another rabbit so I started looking for another to adopt. The process took a long time because I was super picky about temperament. I really wanted one that would compliment Gus’s personality. She’s the boss, so I needed to find one that wouldn’t challenge that. When I found Toby he seemed like a good fit and I drove out to Muskoka from Stoney Creek to pick him up.”

Kate explained, “The year we got Betty we actually put down 2 family dogs, one in my family and one in Bill’s. It was heartbreaking. We started looking for a puppy for my Mom and ended up getting one ourselves! We stumbled upon puppies who were raised on a farm around all kinds of other animals, so they were used to getting along with everyone. That’s when I realized one of them would be a perfect fit with our family because they’d get along with the rabbits! When we went to go pick up a puppy, the one I had my eye on was already taken. So, we went in and saw all the puppies. We didn’t just want any dog, we wanted one that connected with us.”

Bill chimed in, “When we spent time with the puppies, Betty was the only one who wouldn’t stop starring at Kate. All the other puppies were playing but Betty was fixed on her.”

“And Farrah was so Betty could have a friend.”

“I know it’s cliche but our household seriously abides by the saying of “Who Rescued Who?’ ”

— Kate

How has raising animals changed your life?
“It’s really helped with my anxiety. Raising animals, especially dogs, forces you to literally get out of bed and start your day. I’ve needed that some days. Betty is also extremely good at knowing when I’m getting anxious and she will paw at me or bring me a toy. We bring her to a senior care centre to visit with the residents and they absolutely love her. We’re in the process of training her to become an official service dog. And Farrah is such a goofball, she makes me laugh all the time. She’s also quite the handful, so I don’t have as much time to worry about myself anymore; I’m always busy making sure she’s okay.”

If they had people jobs, what would they do?
Betty: member of the Royal Family
Farrah: Boxer/Wrestler
Gus: Upper Management
Toby: Risk Management

What are some of their quirks or funny habits?
“Betty smiles and Farrah will “talk” to you.” Kate said.

Bill laughed, “Toby jumps and climbs everywhere, and once burrowed a tunnel through one of our couches. He was not impressed when he finally tunneled all the way through just to have us throw it out!”

Kate added, “And Gus will attack the vacuum. Like, fully jump on it. She’s so sassy. Her veggies have to be washed and dried and if you give her ones that aren’t she’ll refuse them. She’ll slap you. And she also has, what we call, the 3 nudge rule. If she wants you to move she’ll give you up to 3 nudges before getting angry. Also, if you ever do something to her that she doesn’t like, she’ll get revenge.”