I don't know if this account of how Hank came into my care will be of any interest.... I appreciate it's not a story of a rabbit from your rescue finding it's "forever" home, but it is one rabbit’s story of re-homing. I live in the UK and when I found your website I ordered a Marshmallow T-shirt. Pat Gustafson handled my order and was so nice and helpful, we remained in contact. Now I am a paid up member of the CO-HRS!

I live in a village in Suffolk. Walking home one June evening after a residents' meeting, I spotted a small white rabbit. Immediately concerned for it's well being, I tried to get close enough to catch it. It was the typical case of "I'll let you get within two feet, and then I'll hop off". Despite the failing light, I was determined, convinced the poor little chap had escaped from a garden. As more people walked down the lane, the true story of this chap came to light. He was one of two rabbits who had been living rough for several weeks; others had tried to catch them. Then his "owner" came by, "oh he's still alive then", she commented, "I haven't seen his brother for a while, so I guess he's dead." To say I saw red would be an understatement! But I realized saying what I really felt would mean nothing to that type of uncaring person. By now the rabbit had taken off, so I decided to try the next evening.

Armed with a carrot. I walked up to where I saw him before but there was no sign of him. Then returning home, I saw him in the front garden of a nearby house. After gaining permission to attempt to catch him in the garden, I settled down into my "plan". This involved ignoring him, whilst talking - mostly nonsense - and flicking pieces of carrot in his direction. As he gratefully ate them, gradually I got closer to him. After three quarters of an hour I made my move. It might not have been an ideal way to catch a rabbit, but I made a grab and caught him. The only damage to the bun was the loss of some fur... Later speaking with his "owner", I learned she had kept the two unneutered brothers together, but not in a proper hutch. They had not being inoculated - very worrying with the high prevalence of Myxi in the local wild rabbit population. Thankfully, she agreed that I could keep him, telling me his name was Tank.

I already had my own house rabbit - Button, a six year old Thrianta "bachelor", who has free range of the house and secure garden. That meant Hank (as Pat Gustafson had aptly re-named him) had to be kept in the kitchen at first. He soon settled in and made friends with our two dogs. I gave him a couple of weeks to settle, and then booked him in for neutering, and inoculations. Unfortunately he had an undecided testicle which meant major surgery, and I am extremely grateful to our vet (Dr. Duncan Hole) for carrying out the procedure for the cost of a routine castration.

Once his hormones had settled it was time to introduce Hank to Button. I was prepared for Button to be totally hostile to this young addition to the family. I had however under estimated my "boy". The rabbits approached each other, Button put his head down and Hank started to groom him!! They are now devoted to each other. For a rabbit who had lived wild, Hank has proved to be a friendly easy going chap and a TOTAL house rabbit. If you ask him if he would like to go into the garden, he very firmly turns his back and settles down for a nap on the rug.

My name is Taylor. I am supposedly a grand old lady of a bunny, but thank you very much I am NOT old! In fact, I had my person get us a picture of who I think I really am; you can see it on the right here. Once upon a time I had a boyfriend named Gizmo, but he got sick and really, really hurt me. They were able to fix him up and then find him a new family. For a long time, I had to have lots of surgeries and treatments to try and heal the huge hole I had in my back (it's being hidden under the blanket in the photo on the left). But I was lucky and after several months, I was finally ready to go out on my own with a new family.

But guess what I found out? Nobody wants to adopt an “old bunny” and I was already 8 years old! So I sat there at in my shelter crate thinking I’d just get older and older all alone and nobody would ever want me.

One day, a bad thing happened in a family far away. I didn’t know it, of course, but I’ve heard about it now. A nice little rabbit named Tribble had an accident and couldn’t be saved. That left her best friend, Starbuck alone, too – just like me! He was so lonely he got depressed. He acted okay and tried to be brave, but his family knew that deep down, he wasn’t a very happy boy anymore and he was only seven so he probably had a lot of years to sit all alone with no bunny love. His person is one of the volunteers at the shelter, so she brought Starbuck up to meet me because she knew we’d both be happier if we weren’t alone.

Boy, when he got there to meet me, I was so excited I ran the whole length of two pens, right up to where he was sitting in the litter box feeling scared. I put on the breaks at the very edge of the box, sat up straight, all poised to run again, looked him in the eye and tried to tell him, “HEY, let’s run”!! But as it turns out, he is a "Hide ‘n Seek" kind of boy instead of the "Tag-You're It" kind of bunny I am, so it took us a little while to figure out how we were going to get along.

We even had to have a little marriage counseling a couple of weeks after we went to his house so we could figure out if we really did like each other. We did. As it turns out, he had a great big rabbitat for us to live in, so we decided I get to chase him if I want. And he has lots of little hiding places in our 8'x5' home, so when he’s tired of me, he can just go hide. But what we both like to do best, after eating of course, is to cuddle with each other. This new marriage has really worked out well for us and we am so happy that there really are people who will adopt sleek young racing fillies who are cleverly disguised as old lady bunnies! Starbuck and I will share our last years together with the two people who love and care for us. And we love them, too!

Our bunny Flower doesn't have a terribly dramatic story, but she's such a great bunny we wanted to tell you about her life since we adopted her. It was either in late 2004 or early 2005. Our little Jersey Wooly, Allie, had lost his mate and he was lonely, so we brought him to the Colorado House Rabbit Society to meet girls.

In a short time, he fell for Flower, a small dwarf mix who had been caught running loose and brought to HRS. She had been living at the Broomfield facility for a few years, but for some reason nobody (until Allie) seemed to realize what a beauty she was and what a sweet little rabbit. Allie adored her.

So we brought the two bunnies home and they lived in our dining room together. They were a quiet, affectionate couple who spent most of their time lounging in their cage with the door open. Once in a while we would see Flower looking on admiringly while Allie got into some kind of mischief. Later in 2005, Allie was diagnosed with lymphoma and after about six months of a pretty good life, he died. Since the rabbit vet had said he wouldn’t live very long even with his medicine, we were actually somewhat surprised he lived as long as he did. We have always thought that his devoted little Flower prolonged his life. He certainly seemed happy.

We thought at first Flower would go into a decline after Allie died, and she did grieve, but after a couple of weeks she seemed to be back to her normal cheerful self. We decided not to perpetuate the series of May/December romances which had characterized rabbit life at our house, so we didn’t try to find her a new mate. She's been queen bunny at our house ever since.

What's so special about Flower? She's just a little five-pound rabbit with a shiny black coat sprinkled with a few white hairs. But she really is special. For one thing, she's the only rabbit we've ever had (and we've had five) who didn't tear up the house. Occasionally she nibbles on furniture or books, but not very often and never for long. She never bites, almost never kicks and rarely thumps. Even in middle age, she enjoys dancing in her cage, but only when she doesn't know we're watching (we're very furtive about it).

Flower LOVES a clean cage. When its cage-cleaning day, she's vitally interested in the process and even helps us by playing in the trash bag where the old litter and hay and newspapers go. As soon as the clean fleece is back in the cage, she zips right in and woe to us if her clean litter box isn’t in place right away! We change the combination of toys every week so she gets to play with new noisemaking items.

Sometimes Flower is friendly and comes up to be petted and to have her neck and shoulders rubbed when it's time to feed her papaya tabs and myristol--but sometimes she turns her back in a marked manner and flounces off to the far corner of her cage. We never have figured out why she snubs us on some days and not on other days. She HAS made it clear that we're supposed to give her only Oxbow papaya tablets, NOT American Health papaya tablets. She positively will not eat arugula or peaches, but she loves cherries (pitted, of course), basil, parsley, cilantro and blueberries.

And sometimes, though not often, Flower turns into Adventure Bun and explores the living room or hides in the bookcase. That is the story of Flower.

Please note:  This story shows the life of a loved and cared for house rabbit, but we at Colorado HRS regret to hear she hasn't had the joy of sharing her life with another rabbit for almost 5 years - half of her life, as it turns out! While we do understand the authors' concern about perpetuating "May/December" romances, we are also aware of many older boy bunnies who have come to our shelter over the years needing homes as badly as Flower did when she came to us. Would she have been a happier rabbit if she had been allowed to share her life with an older gentle-bunn over the last years? Undoubtedly! She would have loved the snuggles and grooming only another rabbit can offer in those long, lonely hours when their humans sleep or are away from home.

We do appreciate the home the Kintz's provide this rabbit. We are also grateful to them for taking the time to share her story with us here. We also feel the need to address this issue on behalf of all single rabbits everywhere:  Please don't make YOUR rabbit live the solitary life for which they are less suited. If you have an older widowed bunny, contact one of our Adoption Counselors. We can keep our eyes out for a rabbit of an appropriate age so their life spans are likely to correlate more closely. Next month we'll share just such a story.

Hello to all you bunny-loving people! Some of you may remember me as Sugar-Cheri, but now I go only by Sugar. My mom says my little white paw makes me look like I dipped it into a sugar bowl (same story for my nose!). Well, after my experience with a complicated love-triangle and after losing my home, I went to the CO-HRS, and shortly thereafter, I met a handsome boy-bunn named Smudge and Smudge’s mom and dad. Smudge also had his heart broken in the past, but thanks to Nancy’s matchmaking skills, we hit it off and are happy to this day. Not long after I moved in, in February of 2008, I started dancing and doing binkies all over. It was such a good feeling to be home with my loving husbunn and my new mom and dad.

My mom and dad say they’ve never met a bunny as sweet as me! I think it’s because I get along so well with everyone. Even the bunnysitter once proclaimed how sweet I am. Smudge is very lucky to have me, because I am the best bunny-wife in town. I groom him a lot, and in turn, he protects me and loves me. We did have a little scare a while back with my health – we were all concerned when I started having sludgy urine. We tried a few things, and eventually ended up at Dr. LaBonde’s office. It turns out, I had a hernia. Who would have thought? I recommend Dr. LaBonde to all of my bunny friends because he fixed me up, and now I’m as good or better than new! After we got through that ordeal, I felt so much better and was able to do so many more binkies. Mom and dad laugh when I run around the rec room like it’s a race track. When they see me coming, sometimes they call me “Black Mamba,” but usually they call me “Sug-y” or “Sugar-boo.” Sometimes they sing to me, “Sugar-boo, Sugar-boo, where are you?” And I answer, “I’m here, mom and dad, in my forever home!”

With kindest thanks for your hard work and care,

Sugar Arnold
(bunny-wife of Smudge Arnold, bunny-baby of James and Alycia Arnold)

Hi, this is Pete. Just over a year ago, Leona and I found our forever home. We have been enjoying our new home together, and I am still trying to help Leona be more comfortable around people. She must have grown up in such a frightful place, because she used to be so scared of everything. She used to flinch when our human companions would try to pet her, but now she has learned that they will not hurt her. She knows they are here to give her love, play-time, and healthy treats.

Leona and I have been very healthy, except for one time when I started to grow points on my teeth. I didn't feel like eating much and then I couldn't eat at all. I got papaya and pellets that were water logged and mushy. Boy, did they taste good. I ended up taking a long ride to see Dr. LaBonde so he could fix my teeth. Fortunately, Leona came with me to help settle my nerves. I have vowed to eat much more Timothy Hay so that doesn't happen again!

A short time after we were in our forever home, two other bunns arrived: Midnight and Amy. They are very feisty bunnies for being so small. It was hard to share everything, but eventually we all learned to get along together. Sometimes all four of us get to share one big condo when the tunnel between our condos gets opened. That sure is fun. Leona and I always get a visit from Midnight and Amy when the tunnel is open. But when I get tired of them coming over, they have to go back to their condo and the tunnel gets closed.

Now I'd like to share a few photos of Leona and I relaxing in our home. I will have Midnight write soon so he can tell you his side of the story here at our home. Peace!

Hi, I am Finnegan and this black beauty is my gorgeous wife Abby Rose. I came to the Northwest Satellite in November 2007. Some nice person picked me up in a field after my first family dumped me. I thought he would take me home with him, but instead I wound up in a really noisy place called "a shelter" with lots of dogs barking and people running around. It smelled funny, too, and I had to be out in the hall in a tiny little cage.

I remember the first time I saw my foster mom-to-be, I hopped and jumped around and tried really hard to jump into her arms so she would see how special I was and GET ME OUT OF THERE. She took two other rabbits out of there that day, and told me to hang on, she'd come back for me in a couple days. Sure enough, my foster mom Sandy came back and, WOW, was I happy! I jumped into her arms and snuggled as close to her as I could get, where it was safe. She took me first to the Satellite and then from there I went to a couple of different foster homes where really nice people took care of me. Everyone says I am a real character and they are right! I have a real zest for life! Turns out, while I was begging to get out of that first place, Abby Rose was having a litter of babies at one of the Satellite foster homes. I'll let her tell you her story:

Hi, I'm Abby Rose. I was really glad to have my first litter of babies at a Satellite Foster Home instead of that noisy, smelly shelter I was in before the Satellite people found me. I knew if I had my babies there in the foster home, they would not make me go back to that first place! Sadly, the first night I was at the foster home one of my babies died because no one knew I was pregnant and the baby fell out of my crate. There was nothing anyone could do to save my poor little baby. But my other three grew up to be really nice bunnies and all went to loving homes. After my babies were weaned, Finnie and I met at Sandy's house. He was bright, athletic, funny, and handsome. My heart was captured! I SO wanted the humans to let us be together.

Yeah, this is Finnegan again. I saw that little, black cutie and said, "She's for me!" I tried to let Sandy know I wanted Abby and I think she got the message because she put us together in a run on the grass and that was all she wrote. We got married that night. Life went along and we went to a lot of PetSmart booths and adoption fairs but for some reason nobody adopted us. We can't figure it out and neither can Sandy. Then I started having pains in my tummy and couldn't go to the bathroom very well. I started feeling really terrible and the doctor said I had urine sludge and that I had to have my bladder flushed. It was yucky and I didn't feel very well for awhile, but then it was a lot better. Later though it got bad again and I started leaking urine. Now this is really embarrassing! Here I am leaping and hopping like a jock, and urine is spraying all over! Oh man, I figured this was going to make a serious dent in our chances for a forever home. I got depressed. I had my bladder flushed again. Then Sandy stopped giving me greens and instead I got Angel's mush. This helped, but the doctor says I'll still need my bladder flushed regularly and every time it hurts a little more. Now sometimes I pass blood and we don't know why. Anyway, enough of that doom and gloom. I am still full of life and was REALLY HAPPY when Sandy said Abby and I would be the Satellite's first Sanctuary Bunnies! We get to stay here at the Northwest Bunny Barn with Sandy and all the foster bunnies forever! Now I talk to all the new rabbits when they get here and tell them how great things are here and how wonderful it will be when they get their forever homes. Abby and I have seen a lot of bunns go to forever homes and we are always really happy for them.

Yes, this is Abby again. I was really scared when Finnie got sick but now he seems to feel really good most of the time, and I know he'll get the best care possible because we get to stay here at the Satellite! I am honored to be the first Satellite Sanctuary Girl and I will support my Finnie for the long haul.

Yeah, it's Finnegan again. Abby and Sandy are a great support and I can still out-lap, out-binkie, and out-hump any rabbit in the bunny barn! Sandy calls me her Finne-bunn and that makes me smile. I'm lovin' life here at the Northwest CO-HRS Satellite's Sanctuary.

Pinocchio and Charlotte were brought to the Colorado House Rabbit Society when they were under a year old. Pinocchio had been attacked by a dog and had to have surgery on his little nose. The end result was a job well done; but since his nose stuck out just a tad, he instantly became Pinocchio. He was paired with Charlotte shortly after and they spent four years at COHRS waiting for a forever home. Each month I would clean cages and would always stop by to say "hi" to these two sweet bunnies. Pinocchio would always run to the front of the cage and press his face up against the bars to get as much attention as possible from everyone who walked by.

I eventually decided Pinocchio and Charlotte needed to come home with me. Pinocchio quickly taught me that on top of the couch or the side table is NOT bunny proof. He can get into trouble in a matter of seconds. I once caught him on top of the arm of my couch leaning over to sniff at a lit candle on the side table. Luckily, only a few whiskers were harmed during this stunt. This certainly didn't stop him; he eventually figured out that sometimes there are plates of food in people's laps when they sit on the couch. This was how he managed to get his first bite of pizza - directly out of the hand of my poor friend who was watching a movie and unaware of the lurking bunny predator.

Charlotte, on the other hand, has been a perfect angel from the time she arrived and instantly became the princess of the house. She prefers apple branches over any other treat and is thrilled by the prospect of tearing apart an occasional magazine. She has a cardboard box that is her shelter when it's time to vacuum. Every so often she gets a brave streak and will hop up on the couch to get the lay of the land. She is more careful about this stunt now, as she once jumped up onto the couch and landed directly on the plate of sweet and sour chicken that was laying on my lap. Her pretty white belly-fur was orange for several weeks.

Pinocchio and Charlotte love the freedom of their own home and it wasn't too long before they were well behaved enough to just have the run of my living room/dining room area. Four years later they're still as energetic as ever. Pinocchio still runs to greet anyone who comes by to visit and he still loves to lick bare feet - his nickname, "puppy bunny" still fits. Pinocchio prefers the kitchen and the chance to catch any falling food, while Charlotte prefers to lounge under the dining room table. Although, she will venture into the kitchen for the occasional treat, as long as Pinocchio is by her side. Pinocchio has developed a bit of arthritis in his back legs as a result of the daring stunts of his youth. He sees Dr. Rotkovitch for acupuncture each month to keep him young and limber. Charlotte always comes along for the ride and is good enough to tolerate a pampering massage from her human mom.

Willyum and Sparkles live with Mike and Susan House in Loveland. They joined a family of four rabbits: Gordon and Condoleezza (so named because she was found at my sister's condo); Keith and Kevin (rescued from a ditch in Ft. Collins and adopted through Larimer Humane Society); and two dogs who begrudgingly accept that rabbits rule.

If you visited CHRS in the spring of 2007, you'll remember Willyum, the dwarf Hotot confined to the crate ensconced in yellow caution tape and featuring a drawing of something resembling Taz. The sketch and tape did not dissuade my husband Mike from trying to befriend the diminutive (just over 2 pounds) demon.

Willyum allowed Mike to touch him, briefly, before he grunted and attacked. Undeterred, Mike spoke softly to Willyum for several minutes, again gently stroked his head, and was then able to scoop him up. Willyum settled into Mike's arms and actually enjoyed the attention. Over the next several weeks we visited Willyum who had gained the reputation as the bunny who bit everyone.

We were reminded of our Gordon, who 8 years ago came to us as an adorable month-old bunny who proceeded to bite both of us on numerous occasions, spray our ceilings with bunny pee, and intimidate our dogs. With, patience, love and neutering, Gordon has grown into a playful, amazingly intelligent rabbit who kisses upon request. We hoped we could nurture a like transformation in Willyum, so we offered to foster him.

Willyum came home with us; we quickly realized his most pressing need was for play space - hundreds of square feet outfitted with boxes, crates, branches, and tunnels. He blasted from one to the other, crawling under crates, leaping onto trunks, attacking branches, shredding boxes and zipping through tunnels. Willyum was so agile and athletic he seemed to fly. Boundlessly energetic and unceasingly curious, he was one fun bunn! EXCEPT for the biting.

Mike was the caregiver and I was the playmate. Willyum would snuggle on the couch with Mike, then leap at me, biting my ankles. He pursued me across the room, flinging his tiny body, teeth barred, at my knees. I once bent over to pick up a dropped papaya and he leapt on my head from a nearby trunk. I hate being bitten, but can't help laugh as I'm being chased by this tiny fluffy white bunny who's wearing too much eyeliner.

Believing Willyum would probably not be adopted by sane people, we requested to do so. Nancy agreed and offered to try to pair him. Fortunately, an adorable female dwarf Dutch mix was at CHRS. Sparkle is as sweet as Willyum is wascally. She tolerates his outbursts, romps with and cuddles him. She joyfully bounds toward the refrigerator when she hears it open, sure she will be rewarded with a papaya, raisin or Cheerios (her favorite).

A year after Willyum came home, he cherishes the company of Sparkles, revels in his play space, enjoys his toys and tunnels, adores Mike, and delights in terrorizing me - nothing like witnessing a grown human run, screech, recoil and curse to give a bunny a good laugh. So even though he is our "Attack Rabbit", and has the sign to prove it, we treasure our tiny, terrible tyke, the irrepressible Willyum!

I was lonely, depressed, and bored in home school and needed a fuzzy companion and someone who would follow me around and kiss me gently in the night. I took in Foo Foo from a lady who had lost her home. Once I got him, Foo Foo went everywhere with me before I paired him with Jo Beth. He wasn't caged and he even slept under the covers with me. Being new to rabbits, I made the mistake of trying to pair him with another male. I didn't know they need to be neutered and that they would pair more easily with the opposite sex in most cases. Since he seemed to fight with all males, and I decided maybe he needed to be neutered to reduce his aggression levels.

That wasn't the only problem however; he just wanted a female who would love him and kiss him. I took the males back to their old caregivers and got in contact with my fiance's MOM! I remembered her saying she volunteered at a nice House Rabbit Society where Nancy pairs rabbits with each other and places them with proper people to give them all loving homes; that's where Jo Beth popped into the picture... (Foo Foo is tan and Jo Beth in multi-colored.)

One morning I woke bright an early taking Foo Foo up to the CO-HRS. He and I were determined to find him a lovely girl bunn to make his life complete! He decided to have a honeymoon with Jo Beth and he fell in love with her! In the meantime, I'm at home setting up their new home and personal space, I got all the supplies they needed from Nancy and even some fun toys to play with, too.

Foo Foo and Jo Beth came home a week later and seemed content to have each other and nobody else in their area. They loved their new home and most important, the parsley and cilantro they got every morning from me. We all three became good friends!

Now, they live in a 2 story cage, nibble hay all day, and beg their new daddy for papaya every time he's here! Their cage is right beside me while I do school and sure enough, they stick their little noses through the cage all day and can't wait for their evening play-time once school is done.

Without my bunnies, I'd be lost! My rabbits go wherever I do and I love them more than anyone will ever know. I think having a bunny is a privilege and they should always be cherished. I will never regret adopting Foo Foo and Jo Beth because they've made me a happier person!

In 1999 an abandoned Easter Bunny, only 7 months old, came to live with us. Her "owner", just six years old, didn't like her anymore since she didn't want to be squeezed and held whenever he felt like it. She was then relegated to a cage in the carport until my husband just had to bring her home. We named her Jane Doe, and my newly re-covered antique couch became her chaise lounge.

After being educated by the Colorado House Rabbit Society website, we realized Jane Doe needed to be neutered and introduced to rabbit society. As a new debutante, off she went to the Colorado House Rabbit Society and that wonderful rabbit lady, Nancy. Nancy introduced Jane Doe to many potential suitors, including Pierre, a young black and white rex mix, who was a native of the Colorado House Rabbit Society. He had been born into a large litter and then lived at the Rabbit Society for about two years. Upon meeting Pierre, Jane Doe immediately bit him on the head and sent him cowering to the corner of the pairing cage. But Nancy, dedicated and caring, had a talk with Pierre and he came to understand that if he played Jane Doe just right he would have a wonderful, loving, forever home. Somehow, with Nancy's guidance, Jane Doe and Pierre fell in love and came home together.

They spent many wonderful years, binkie-ing around, grooming, chewing cardboard boxes, crabapple branches, opening the mail, and loving their custom backyard, a wonderful rabbit-proof place they could dig, roll in the dirt, and eat anything they wanted in the organic garden. At night they slept together at the end of the bed! Jane Doe was definitely in charge, but Pierre, sweet and calm, didn't mind.

Jane Doe passed over the Rainbow Bridge in August 2007. Pierre grieved, lost weight, and stopped doing binkies. After a few months we decided to bring him back to the House Rabbit Society, hoping he was ready for a new companion. Again, Nancy went above and beyond any match making service, introducing him to some lovely single lady-bunns looking for a well-trained husbunn. All seemed to go well at HRS between Pierre and a lovely red rex bunn we all fell in love with. Dear Nancy delivered them home together, with new toys, treats, and yummy grains. The lovely red bunny knew she wanted to stay immediately, having the run of the entire house, her own litter and hay box, and a wonderful look-out point under the living room sideboard, where Pierre loved to hang out.

She was Johnny-on-the spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all treats. She was confident, curious, and an exceptionally intelligent rabbit. She loved being petted and would come when called. Soon, however, she realized she did not need a husbunn at all and dismissed Pierre to the back bedroom! He could not even peek around the corner of the door before this lovely red bunn let him know it was now her house. PERIOD! After several consultations with Nancy, it was back to the House Rabbit Society with the both of them. Nancy, in her wisdom, determined the beautiful red rex was really a single, due to her superior intelligence and confidence. We were very sad, but understood that some bunnies really are meant to be "the only one". Pierre stayed at the House Rabbit Society for several weeks, with all those wonderful volunteers taking care of him, and Nancy counseling him, but he was through with "women"! It was back home to Colorado Springs to be a bachelor - or so we thought.

Two months later I read a classified ad of someone giving away a 7 month old Florida White because her son had outgrown it. Well, you know that ad had to be answered! I emailed her and advised her to take the bunny to the House Rabbit Society or somebody would be feeding it to a large snake! Next thing I know, she is in the lobby of my office with the bunny in its cage, so I could take it up to Broomfield! Of course I called Nancy, who suggested I just put the cage in my living room and see what Pierre would do. He started sleeping next to the little bunny, she in her cage, and him on the outside next to her. He started grooming her through the wire! What was happening here?!? Could this be a case of a May-December love developing? So it was off to the vet for little Cocoa to be neutered. After a few weeks of recovery, we cautiously allowed Cocoa and Pierre time together in the pantry every day to get to know each other better.

What do you know? They fell in love and are a very happy couple today! Cocoa's youth and enthusiasm is delightful. She runs through the house, around the garden, up and down the stairs, and can binkie about 4 feet straight up in the air. They snooze together under the sideboard for their afternoon naps and groom each other each evening. Pierre has taught Cocoa very nice house rabbit manners and she doesn't even eat the fringe on my Turkish rugs. Even though both bunnies have free run of the entire house, they are always together. It's a wonderful life for all of us! Our endless thanks to the House Rabbit Society for such a marvelous bunny as Pierre.

The start of our wonderful little herd was when Bonbon came to live at the Savage family home on February11, 2006. He was a free baby bunny in a box at a Petco store as a baby at risk of becoming snake food!

Then our mommy brought Kya home to live with Bonbon on October 18, 2007. While we lived together for five months, she contemplated putting us with another of her pairs because Kya was an opinionated girl with lots of opinions about LOTS of things. She liked to be boss and would only let Bonbon kiss her eyes while she was asleep. If he woke her up then, he'd get bitten!

So in February 2008, Mommy put us with Poptart and Lilly and everything seemed to work okay, until our little Poppy went over the Rainbow Bridge. Poptart was the glue for our smaller herd and molded everything together. Without him, Lilly would not have let Kya be in the group. Our strong personalities clashed without our calming Poppy.

Then Mommy came upon a bunny named Jamal, who'd been found starving at the side of a road in Utah. She hoped he would help us all get along even better. He was very grateful to be at our house! Of course, Kya did not let mommy off that easily though. At first, Jamal lived in between us in his own run.

It took quite a while to get us to be a group again. We had to take several field trips to various neutral areas such as friends' yards and PetSmart adoption booths. All of us have always liked to demonstrate how nice bunnies can be. Kya was a great Big Bunn advocate, while Jamal is a good advocate for Angora Bunns. Lilly and Bonbon are just good bunny ambassadors by being friendly so friendly.

Mom put us together for several days before she went on a vacation and, much to her surprise, we didn't hurt each other. When mom called home to check on all of us, she was so surprised she could hardly believe what she was hearing! All her bunnies were in a pile snuggling. We had all finally decided we wanted to be a family. Kya was still an opinionated girl and let others know when it was okay to snuggle with her since she was the queen bunny and you never wake the queen. But she always liked having her sisters and brothers near to snuggle me when she so choose. But she let Lilly think she is boss most of the time. Mommy just loves all of us and has had special names for us.

Our beloved Kya recently traveled over the Rainbow Bridge to live with Poptart and Poppy. We miss her and it's been hard to carry on, but we're all glad Mommy got us altogether to share our fun and our love in our little herd.

As empty-nesters with plans to move to a mountain community an hour's drive away from the nearest rabbit-savvy veterinarian and to use that home as a base for extended RV trips, we were concerned about providing experienced and prompt medical care for our bunnies. When we were on the road, we were worried about finding a veterinarian in an unfamiliar city. The thought of making frantic Friday afternoon - before a long weekend in the snow - trips down the mountain for emergency bunny care was just too stressful to imagine. We certainly did not want to jeopardize the bunnies' health because we could not get medical care in time.

With that in mind, when Max, our 10-year old bunny lost his partner, as difficult as it was, we decided to stick with the plan of "no more bunnies". Max became blind with cataracts and then suffered an e-cuniculli-related stroke which caused him to be confused about where he was. Max would run frantically in circles until his back legs got tangled beneath him and caused him to fall. Seeing him like this was absolutely heartbreaking. We felt if he had a sighted partner he would be more secure and less frightened when he woke up from a nap and did not know where he was. So we put our "no more bunnies" plan on hold and decided to find a helper-rabbit for Max.

We wanted a mature, calm bunny who would be a loving companion for our old guy. Frankie, a bunny who had faced unspeakable adversity, seemed a likely candidate. Frankie had arrived at CO-HRS starving and sporting a huge abscess covering his forehead from ears to nose. Nancy LaRoche spent hours and hours tending to Frankie, gently cleaning his wounds and administering treatments. After many months of medical care, including weekly surgeries to clean his incision, Frankie was declared adoptable. Frankie has an endearing way of insinuating himself on every two and four-legged being he encounters. With a head bump and nose presented, dare I say "shoved", under chin or hand, Frankie demands to be petted, groomed or otherwise acknowledged. He is active and curious with humans and cats but gentle and attentive with little Max. Frankie grooms Max lovingly as if he knows exactly what he needs. Maybe Frankie remembers the love and care he received from Nancy and is now giving that same thing to Max.

Whether cheek-to-cheek or nose-to-toes, they are always together. When Max awakes frightened, Frankie is nearby to lean against him for support and reassurance. Sometimes, I find Frankie lying across Max's back as if to say, "I've got you, brother. Hang in there, bro!"

Mingus and Ella (Dugan, the chinchilla, and Heidi, the white) adapted really quickly to their new home! They both have such strong personalities that, from the start, they were little people to us, not just new pets. Ella felt a little unsettled at first, so for two weeks she compensated by nipping whenever I picked her up, picked her mate up, went in their pen, cleaned the litterboxes... in fact, every time I wasn't offering food! (Of course, she didn't nip my husband once - bossy little girl.) Mingus was simply a shy boy, moving quietly and slowly - or so we thought...

On their first vet visit, the doctor floored us by telling us Mingus was completely blind! He can't even see differences between light and dark, and has glaucoma to boot, requiring eye drops twice a day. The vet said Mingus has probably been blind since birth. His hearing is excellent, and he is careful and slow about moving, so no one ever suspected he couldn't see anything!!! He is doing just fine, though. Ella and Mingus get exploring time every day; Ella is my "Curious Motion Machine", zooming around everything. And, again, bossy; if she wants exploring time, she picks up the pen with her teeth three or four inches and drops it, rattling us awake at 5 am.

Mingus, my "Shy Boy", has his own pattern of exploring:  Stretch with the front feet, hop with the back. Sniff around. Repeat. He's so big, you can hear each little foot: Step-step... thud. Wait. Step-step... thud. Wait. He only explores a few extra inches each day. It took him four days to get from the office door to the bedroom door just two feet away.

Ella and Mingus also had to adapt to our three cats- Django, Monk, and Miles. (Um, we like jazz - therefore the names) Mingus never reacts to them, and they repay the favor - I don't know if they know he's blind or different, but they never bother him or get in his face. Not so with Ella; my Curious Georgette tries to sniff the cats, which offends them; my "boss" kitty smacked her across the face with his paw, and Ella just kept sniffing. So he ran away. Monk tries to make friends; she is curious about the rabbits, so she sniffs them and stares at them; plays with their hay; and generally is interested in these new critters. Miles, our littlest girl with a smoker's voice, acts like they're going to eat her; but that's her reaction to most things.

So everyone is settling in nicely. We really enjoy the addition of rabbits to our jazzy little group.

Some of you might remember me as Tracy; now my name is Meadow. At this time last year I was adopted by a CO-HRS volunteer. I enjoy hanging out in my loft, snuggling, being kissed and petted, playing with my wire ball, and digging. I often keep busy shredding phone books on the bottom shelf of the bookshelves behind a chair. I have a passion for papaya tablets. I'm very feisty about them and even growl occasionally.

In the daytime I enjoy lounging in the sun next to the deck door. At night I like to hide and play between the curtains and the door. When the weather's nice I enjoy supervised outings on the deck for fresh air and more digging. I live in Boulder with my guardian, my partner Clover, and an old cat who tolerates us and is probably mildly entertained by our antics.

Some people might remember Clover as Tammy, who also lived at the House Rabbit Society for two or three years before her adoption. Clover looks like me except she is bigger and has lighter spots. She's the alpha female in our home. Although she grooms me frequently, she sometimes chases me and has even tried to chase the cat. She's the "watch-bunny", always alert to anyone walking by outside and listening for any action. Clover is bold, quick to sniff and explore any new item within her reach; she's just jumped up on the coffee table as this report is being written

Clover made herself at home very quickly, doing binkies within an hour after her arrival and now, every day. She always looks up to make sure any humans in the room are watching her athletic prowess as she dashes madly across the living room, zig-zags in circles and shows off her pirouettes.

Clover recently suffered a bout of GI stasis. We are so grateful to Nancy and the House Rabbit Society for saving her life and, of course, for rescuing both of us and taking care of us in our first few years. Binkies and bunny kisses to you!

Hello to all of you who loved me during my time at the shelter and to my fellow bunns who are still there. This is Lightning! I have been a lucky bunny! My new Mom-slave, who volunteers at CO-HRS, fell in love with me in August 2007 and decided I might be perfect for the Queen-bunn of her house, Maggie. So she brought Maggie in, Nancy put us together, and - I'll be darned - Maggie was the first girl I ever really liked! She's bossy, nosy, and she gets into everything, but that's okay with me! She shares the pellets and papaya tablets, and I learned really quick to eat faster so she wouldn't take my veggies from me. (But it's okay when she does; Mom gives me more!)

Mom and my new Dad-slave decided early on I wasn't really much like lightning, and tend to call me "Bug", short for Lightning Bug. I like it, especially when Mom calls me and gets down on the floor and gives me love - I toothpurr REAL loud and I could stay there with her for hours! She says I'm the "bestest bunny ever", and I don't cause any trouble at all (unlike my girl-bunn, who's a real pistol)!

I have two cat-siblings who don't bother me at all, but Maggie likes to chase them out of our room, which is the whole downstairs.

We live in a big, two floor condo which Mom says will have a third floor when we get a bigger place. When Mom and Dad are home, Maggie and I run all around - through our tunnel, into our box house that I love to deconstruct, and onto my blanket, which I love to scrump up all across the room. We have tons of toys and fresh hay and Mom's real picky about keeping our house clean.

Our intention is to make them complete "house rabbits" by leaving their cage door open and letting them have run of the house some day soon. We are slowly working our way there and, aside from a couple little accidents on the carpet, we've been marching steadily toward that goal. They are also almost completely litter box trained now - using it almost all the time for everything. Very smart bunnies!

And we are seeing their individual personalities show through - Angus does not like green beans but will do ANYTHING for a piece of parsley and Janet prefers to have the slinky in the water dish. She also has a routine of grooming him every night before bedtime. They are so loving toward each other and quickly becoming very affectionate toward us as well - coming to us and hopping on our laps for some good petting time. They are just blending into our family better and more quickly than we could have ever hoped.

Not knowing the first thing about how to care for this rabbit, who Mom named "Camden", Mom did her research and learned the Denver area had its own magnificent chapter of the House Rabbit Society, so she signed up for a bunny tune-up class.

So impressed was Mom, she signed up after the class as a volunteer and became part of the crate-cleaning crew. While volunteering, she learned bunns are sooooo much happier as a pair; she decided she'd find Camden his Life Partner. This is where I finally come into the picture.

They called me "Rosewood" during my stay at HRS. I had a reputation for, shall we say, being just a tad feisty. Mom found herself cleaning my cage frequently during her volunteer stints because some of the less hearty (a.k.a. brighter) volunteers avoided the task.

For kicks, when someone neared my cage, I'd stand up and attempt to engage said individual in a boxing match of sorts. If that didn't scare the person off, I'd lunge and sample what the person's hand tasted like. Because my Mom is a little twisted at times, she was amused by my antics rather than put off by them. She decided I just must meet this Camden fellow she was always gushing about.

After spending several days together at HRS under Nancy's watchful eye, it didn't seem like Cammie and I, (now dubbed "Payton" after Walter, the football player, of all things) were making a love connection. I just had to let him know I wasn't a push-over, and he didn't seem to take a shine to we modern women types who don't want to be dominated by their men.

Undaunted, Mom insisted on taking me home. Camden and I lived in a duplex for more than a month where we could see each other, but I couldn't taste him. Several times a day Mom dutifully placed us together in the kitchen, and I dutifully reminded Cammie who was the fairer sex.

So completely did Mom believe in our destiny as a couple, she turned to Nancy for more help. Nancy suggested we return to HRS for some "marriage counseling". Sure enough, all it took was some stern words of warning from Nancy, and I relented and allowed Camden to claim my paw in marriage. It's been wedded bliss ever since.

Mom and Dad uprooted us and our dog and cat brothers and sisters a year ago. We now reside in a rural area instead of the 'burbs. This has turned out well from our perspective, as one of the first home-improvement projects undertaken was the construction of an outdoor enclosure where we bunns and the cats can enjoy fresh air and watch the birds and other critters, and yet be safe from the dangers outdoors.

In the above picture, Cammers and I are chillin' in our new digs. There are two separate enclosures; Mom opted to have a tunnel connecting the two, so the cats can invade our space (to my great annoyance).

In the second photo we are shunning our brothers Fenway and Rocket by hiding under our cardboard box. You can tell how hurt they are, can't you?

If you're wondering if my feisty disposition has changed, you'll just have to ask my Mom next time you see her........ (a girl has to keep her mysterious side, don't you think?).

Huge loves to all at HRS, who saved my life and allowed me to find the love of my life in Camden.

Paytie Olson

If our parents are home, we get free run of the entire apartment, although the kitchen still scares us - we just can't figure out those slippery floors. But jumping on and off the bed time after time is great fun and never gets old. We have two kitty-cousins, Raisin and Tommy, but we don't really pay attention to them. They're pretty boring if you ask us. Although, Tommy really pushes our buttons when he drinks our water- that is NOT cool.

Mom says in December, we have to move to Madison, WI. We're not too thrilled about that. We are worried about the long car trip, and we're also sad Auntie Nancy and Rachel will be so far away! But mom claims we will have an even bigger home, and lots of outdoor time, so maybe it won't be so bad. And with all the extra space, we might be able to have more bunny friends! (Or enemies - we'll find out!)

We're really thankful for everyone at the CO-HRS who helped raise us from tiny little babies to the big monster bunnies we are today! And future bunny parents should check out the monster bunnies like our parents did, we're just as cool as the little guys, if not better!

Well, we are happy to say that in the time we have invaded our new home we have become spoiled rotten. We have already trained Mommy and Daddy to make us fresh salads everyday, give us yummy papaya pills and even treat us to the occasional banana slice. We get to live in a huge condo with two floors (one fully carpeted), two bathrooms, stairs, underground parking and even a garage that leads us into our very own bunny lodge! And what a grand lodge it is, since it is equipped with toys galore to keep us busy all day and night long. We even get to go outside to smell the fresh air. Of course, these jaunts are supervised by our human slaves.

We wanted to send you some pictures of us playing. The slaves were not able to catch our binkies, since we are just so fast. We want to thank all the House Rabbit Mommies for taking care of us until we found our forever Mommy and Daddy!

We HOP to see you soon...

Breck and Copper

Although my mom was really nervous about leaving me for a few days, she and Nancy planned it very well. I would pack up and stay in Broomfield for a few days before Spring Break. My mom said that she wanted to be home with me and my new friend as much as possible, so Spring Break would be the perfect time!

I really didn't know WHAT to think when I got to the shelter. There are so many friends there - big, small, black, grey, white, lop-eared and uppie-eared! How would my mom choose just one friend for me?

Alliey (aka Bertie) writes:
They chose ME! I am a caramel-and-white-colored lop. I am about 2 years old and I love Tobey. I was so happy to be chosen. I am lucky, too! Tobey and I sleep downstairs in a great big place of our own. We get up in the morning to a plate of veggies and a yummy papaya treat. I am such a good girl and I don't chew, so I'm allowed to roam the whole downstairs all day long until bedtime.

This is SO much fun, because I can do great big binkies and run as fast as I can, all day long. My new mom tells me we will be taking some trips this summer and we will be staying at hotels. Wow! I don't think I have ever been to a hotel before.

I really miss Nancy and all of my friends at the shelter, but I sure do love my new family!!

Then I noticed Buffy starting to get depressed, and she would often cry herself to sleep at night. If you have never heard a bunny cry, it is the most heart-breaking sound you will ever hear! I decided Buffy was in need of a companion, so I took her to Colorado HRS to meet some bachelors. After a few unsuccessful pairings it was love at first sight for Buffy and Emerson. They are inseparable, and love each other whole bunny-heartedly!

Whomever said fairytale love story endings don't exist have never met Buffy and Emerson. They are completely devoted to one another, and are so happy to be together! Little Emerson is quite the character. He loves to dance and run in the living room, and he welcomes me home every evening with a little kiss on the nose!

Thank you for bringing us all together!

Amanda, Buffy and Emerson

Still, the best was yet to be - a roomy 5 story condo cage, toys, treats (never enough of these, but I keep hearing words like "Obesity" and "GI Status"). Amazingly, it wasn't long before I had the run of several rooms and boy, I really took advantage of all that space. LuEllen and Dave think my mad dashes and elaborate happy dances could win awards. Best of all, my new slav...er...humans couldn't seem to get enough time with me!

The only glitch happened the first couple of weeks when my bunny-pal Fiver and I had a tough time sorting out the details of our new relationship. Living with another bunny - morning, noon, and night - was a little more complicated than we first thought. But our humans gave us time, space, and a couple of car rides (they also got a lot of support from Nancy and Rachel at HRS) and before long we had become the best of friends. Now we really are a family and things just get better every day.

Thanks, friends at HRS, for taking care of me until I could get to the family I was made to be part of!

Bunny kisses from Chloe (Joni)

Life was good. Good food, a big place to hang out, and let me tell you, those gals could snuggle! Then Caesar and Pumpkin got called away; they went over that Bridge we'll all go over sooner or later. I sure do miss 'em. Bebe's still here; she's my best gal now and we have some great times runnin' and eatin' hay from a big bin. Well, I gotta be hoppin'. Bye, now!"

From Mom:  When Nancy brought Ritchie and Caesar, they were together in a big carrier with my two rabbits, Pumpkin and Bebe. It was all she could do to bring them in the house they were so heavy! Ritchie weighed twelve pounds and Caesar weighed eleven.

Ritchie is a delightful big guy; His fur is so soft and plush it makes me wonder if he isn't part Rex. He's very gentle, likes attention and hunkers down for a good petting session. He completely fills my lap when I brush him, but he doesn't mind being held. He's very active and has managed to jump right out of the pen several times.

I was very sad to lose Caesar when I'd hardly had time to get to know him; he was very gentle and dignified and always made me smile when he sat up tall with his one upright ear sticking up like a feather.

Our daughter's yellow Lab, Max, loves the rabbits and gets very excited when its time to dish out the pellets or salad. He whines and runs to the pen to supervise. Once he happened to be there when Ritchie had gotten out; Ritchie wasn't a bit afraid and the two sniffed noses before going their separate ways.

Apollo came to live with the Freund family by himself. He was an offspring of the famous "Pueblo bunnies". He and his siblings had lived at the Colorado HRS for quite a while waiting patiently for homes. They all have names from space ships and they all look about the same.... grey mini-lops!

Apollo was a bit shy when he came to live with us. He had spent his entire life (he was about 2-½; years old when we adopted him) in a cage and wasn't quite sure what to think about his new-found freedom. But as time went on, he decided it was fun to be able to hop around in the family room, laundry room, and bathroom! He enjoyed feeding time a lot and he still does! He has never met food he doesn't like! He began to trust us and consider us his friends.

Apollo was very interested in our cat, Cassie. He would follow her around, trying to get close. Cassie acted like she was fairly disgusted a rabbit would want to be friends with her. In fact, Apollo got a bop on the head once in awhile when he was a little too friendly! But he didn't let that deter him.... he just went back over by Cassie the next time he saw her!

We decided he should have a furry rabbit friend instead of him pursuing Cassie. We don't know why, but Nancy had said she thought Apollo was destined to be a single bunny. We never found out why she said that. But, we took him to CO-HRS and Nancy very patiently tried him in a pen with Georgia (our daughter, Hilary, chose Georgia). The fur certainly flew at the first encounter! I don't think Apollo was even sure what Georgia was! So it was not the greatest start. But over the course of a day or so, Nancy told us she thought it was working and we could take the pair home.

It's been several years now (I've lost track how many!) since the two have been together. Georgia is a little demanding of Apollo's attention some times, but when Apollo needs a break, he just hops away and finds his own peaceful place to rest. He still gets excited to see Cassie, but not the second cat that we got last May. His heart will always belong to Cassie, but don't tell Georgia!

Georgia is very friendly, also, but she's a bit on the ditzy side. She gets so excited to see us that she runs up to us and right into us most of the time! We laughingly think she needs glasses!

I think the two of them are very happy. Recently, I brought the big cardboard castle I've had for many years inside from the garage. They are having a great time using that as their "second home" when they're out of the cage. They have toys and chew-things in there and they keep quite busy while they are inside.

These bunns have brightened our lives and I hope we've brightened theirs. We can't imagine a home without bunnies!

We got Elle from a shelter when she was just a little baby. She was precious; and she is solely responsible for the beginning of what is going to be a very long love affair with bunnies. She introduced me to bunnies and their strong personalities. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have found Oliver. Elle got me involved. She got me looking up ways to be a better bunny mom; and she led me to the Colorado House Rabbit Society. From there, I started volunteering. I brought my husband along to clean bunny cages one bright Saturday; and introduced him around to all of the rabbits. Oliver caught my husband's eye and he fell in love with him! Our next goal was simply to get Elle to feel the same way. If only all arranged marriages could work out so beautifully!

Oliver saw Elle and he was in LOVE. Elle took some convincing. One of the volunteers at the shelter was quite sure she had already chosen her mate - ME! Since that is simply not possible, Nancy helped Elle to decide Oliver was oh-so-much better for her than I could ever be. I am sure Oliver's kind, good-natured, easy-going attitude helped!

My bunnies are complete opposites. I have a sweet, adoring little man of a bunny with a soft demeanor and a charm that could warm even the coldest heart. Whenever company comes over who doesn't really understand my love for my bunnies, I let them hold Oliver. He wins them over every time. Then there is my feisty, busy, Queen Bee of a bunny, Elle. She keeps everyone on her toes, except my adoringly precious Oliver. He takes her antics with a grain of salt. He is truly perfect for her.

Oliver is a light in my life. When I get home from work, he shyly, softly (not really gracefully - Oliver is not graceful) clumps up to me for forehead tickles and reminds me of the importance of unconditional love. He is a good man; and he is doing well. Thank you to Nancy and to everyone who helped with Oliver. Together, Elle and Oliver are my pride and joy. I couldn't have imagined better bunnies.

After one quick look at the available bunnies in the shelter, we knew Annette was the one for him. But she had other ideas! What a feisty little ball of fur she was. No one was going to tell her who her mate was going to be!! It was obvious that she did not trust humans or other bunnies either.

It took two sessions of marriage counseling at "Dr. Nancy's" to get Annette to fall in love with Sugar, but she finally did. It took her a long time to fall in love with her humans, too, but we were already in love with her! Seven years later, she is still a feisty ball of fur, but that is what we love about her.

Sawyer has the softest coat. It took him about six months to fully relax and come out of his shell. I remember the day I finally got a kiss from him! Finn is a major kisser! When I lie on the floor, he grooms my entire face! Talk about love! I am so happy to have the two of them in my home. They bring joy every day.

Moe is my little throw rug! He is so fun! We have had Moe (known as Moses while at HRS) since the summer of 2006. He came with beautiful Sophie, who sadly passed away at Thanksgiving this year. We were all devastated and heart-broken. Fortunately, it didn't take Moe to long to bounce back. The result is that he has bonded more strongly with us. Moe lives upstairs and enjoys his free-range lifestyle. He is very curious and follows right behind us to see what's going on. We have to be very careful not to step on him because he is always underfoot!

Moses jumps up on our bed and hangs out for petting and treats. He's the first bunny to ever take a nap with me! He laid his little head down right next to mine. That was a very special moment with Mr. Moe. And we are hoping to find a great new girlfriend for Moe soon.

We have lots of room to run and we are often let outside to play in the grass and/or the snow, as the case may be. Our Mom is a wonderful artist, so she has done several paintings of us. You can see some of her bunny paintings on her website. That's us right there in the middle. One time a gallery wouldn't take the painting of us outside in the grass. They said they couldn't sell paintings of bunnies with pink eyes. Mom says they were idiots, 'cause all the paintings of us sold very quickly. She has told us the story of how bunnies got pink eyes and how we are so special. We always thought we were, but it is nice to know why.

She tells us we are beautiful and often calls us "the Boyz". Besides being artist's models, we are also television stars! We went on television to help educate people about how wonderful bunnies are for companions. We never got scared and we really liked all the attention that day. And now, Mom says we're going to be on the World Wide Web.

Gem mentions, "My brother Scout has a tilted head and no tail. You can see the tilt when he looks up at you. I think that makes him hop a little differently, but he sure manages to do awesome binkies. Some people might think a tilt is a problem, but Mom and Dad think it gives him character and it never seems to bother Scout at all. He thinks it just gives him a different view of things, and just maybe everybody should try it. Scout is also the kisser of the family! I am very lucky and glad to be with my brother; we take very good care of each other."

Right now we are waiting to move into a new home. We heard Mom say we will have even more room and we will even have an outdoor area we can get to through our very own Bunny Door. We will be carefully supervised, but we think it sounds like a lot of fun to run in and out. At that time, we may even decide to join a group other bunnies who live with us. There are nine bunnies here, many from CO-HRS. They will be sending their stories soon, so be sure to check back to read about them, too.

We want to say, "Thank you, CO-HRS, for all of the great care we received until we came to our Forever Home. We really appreciated all the love and attention you gave us. You took great care of us and we want you to know we are happy and healthy, not to mention we are greatly loved! Binkies to all!"

XXXXOOOO
Scout and Gem

There are lots of reasons we think we must be in "Bunny Heaven". Our new lady comes to us several times a day and EACH time we get a treat - our pellets, some hay, or salad. We each get our own salad served on our very own plates! And, WOW, we get lots and LOTS of bunny-candy. We get an acidophilus, a Critter Cranberry, a Critter Carrot, and four papaya candies - every single day! We just love to see our lady coming 'cause we know she'll give us something yummy and she'll pet us, too!! We can tell she really loves us.

But that's not all! We NEVER have to stay in our cage. The cage is always open to our 8' x 5' playground! It's great for us to stretch out full-length without bumping anything. Brandon likes that so much, he never even lays in the litterbox anymore (unless he goes in there to pout.) Once we got left with sitters overnight. Brandon was so mad, when the lady came back he decided to just sit in the litter with his back turned away during snuggle time. But he knew Bridgette was getting petted, so he finally just had to come out for his share of attention.

Another really cool thing about our new home is when we get to play in the "Wild Blue Yonder". Our lady opens our playground door and then we get to run all over two big rooms. Bridgette thinks she's a little overweight, so she just runs and runs and runs. Her nickname now is "Princess Prancing Pony". Brandon has a great time running and exploring, but then he flops down on a low shelf to supervise Bridgette's exercise program. He doesn't have to work out; he's sure he is "The Prince of Everything".

We're really happy to be here and we are happy we got to live at the shelter when we needed a home. Some bunnies aren't so lucky and don't end up having a very good life. We think our "Aunt Nancy" and all her wonderful volunteer friends at the shelter gave us a chance to be some of the luckiest bunnies ever!! We thank everybody we ever met there.

They were soon adopted and had a good home. Unfortunately, Emily's beloved Ty died and there also were changes in her person's life situation - so Emily, renamed Sugar, was returned to CO-HRS in 2005. Sugar had suffered some type of illness and was sparse in body but enormous in spirit. She was thin and frail and unstable on her feet. The first time I saw her I said, "I think I know this rabbit. She reminds me of Emily." It was a couple of visits before I learned indeed it was the same Emily going by the name Sugar.

Sugar was introduced to Carmie, an older rabbit needing special care, and Jerimiah, an elderly rabbit with arthritis. Carmie cuddled with Sugar and Jerimiah kept her company as Sugar leaned against him, grooming his little body. Before long Timmy had joined the group to make a foursome.

Jerimiah and Sugar went to a foster home to receive love and therapy. Jerimiah must have known Sugar would be safe and cared for. He gave up his struggle with a body which couldn't respond anymore like the grand rabbit he was. Sugar missed him but she was brave and took advantage of the love she received. She got stronger and steadier on her feet. She bonded with the dog at her foster home and followed her new friend around. But then she had a setback of severe GI stasis and while she was spending a week under the care of Dr. LaBonde, her foster mom realized she was badly allergic to rabbits.

Sugar couldn't be happy knowing her foster mom's health was compromised. Sugar returned to CO-HRS and rejoined her old friends Carmie and Timmy. She spent much of her time sitting at the front of her space smiling at passersby. She was often propped up against the corner with her front legs in the water bowl when I would go to visit or feed. My heart melted every time I saw her. One day Nancy said, "'I wish you would take Sugar." I already had five rabbits of my own and was fostering three. I knew I couldn't take on three special needs rabbits, but just one might be possible. So the one was Emily-now-Sugar

I think being separated from friends and going to yet another home was difficult for her. She was ready to give up. She began having seizures. As they became more frequent and more severe, my heart sank. It was hard to watch her tiny body withstand the jolts. Medication, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and Healing Touch were all tried, each making a small improvement. The most noticeable difference came when I gave her a nursemaid. My head-tilt bunny, Fiona, was often left behind when Jack, Jill, and Ferrari hopped off to play. I decided Fiona might like to sit with Emily Sugar for company. They might exchange stories about headaches, dizziness and falling over.

Fiona has blossomed with this new assignment. Fiona is thrilled to have a captive audience (Fiona is a very vocal rabbit) and Emily Sugar likes having a friend to groom. It is less frightening when there is someone nearby during the bad times and to cuddle with while sharing the good times. Emily Sugar doesn't seem to mind it when Fiona bends Emily Sugar's ears up over the top of her head or when she pushes Emily Sugar over to eat her mush. Both girls are doing much better since Emily Sugar came to our house. Every night when it is time for bed I tell Emily Sugar, "You are loved, you are safe, you are home."

In attendance were adoptive family member Mom, Dad, Charlotte, Ben, Adam and Beth - a friend. Thirteen year old Charlotte (mother of the groom) planned the big event for days prior. The petite bride didn't seem to mind wearing a flowing veil adorned with dainty pink silk roses acquired from a Build-a-Bear birthday party.

The handsome, though portly, groom sported a rhinestone-studded white satin bow tie with somewhat less enthusiasm. Though in one of these photos the groom seems to have wedding jitters as he hops away, the couple was joined forever in matrimony. They vowed to love snuggle, and groom each other 'til death do they part.

Following the ceremony, the couple was presented with an elaborate "cake" created by Charlotte and her friend, Beth. This amazing bunn-friendly, three tier non-confection consisted of assorted veggies, and treat tablets. Gracing the top were carved carrot likenesses of two sweet bunnies who warm our hearts each day with their undying love for each other!

Josie was on death row for growling and lunging, as no doubt she would kill any human who came in contact! She came home first, and had no trouble settling in. I failed to find a vicious bone in her body. She loved snuggling and posing. She was, however, deathly afraid of other rabbits.

Spirit's back legs were bound with bailing wire and he was tied to a tree without food or water. Attacked by an animal and so dehydrated he had to spend three days in intensive care, Spirit was rescued just in the nick of time!

Spirit won the hearts of everyone at CO-HRS the day he arrived. He's a happy rabbit with a fierce will to live who wants to be known as someone strong, forgiving, and kind. Who better to hook up with a little girl terrified of other rabbits?

Upon coming home, he quickly made new friends, and had no trouble winning the heart of one scared little girl (within 2 days, I might add!) Now may they snuggle at will, and live in green pastures, happily every after!

The bunny gods were smiling on all of us, because on our way home, we stopped off at the local shelter to look at a beautiful blonde girl bunny who had been picked up off a railroad track. It was love at first sight. Bonding Bambi and Tristan was a breeze, and proved the Pueblo bunnies could be paired. Tristan and Bambi are the featured models for the CO-HRS July 2006 calendar!

These bunnies have such a wonderful life together that we asked them to share that life with two more rescues, Joey and Snow. We were unsure whether two bonded pairs could peacefully coexist, especially in the same space, so we are submitting these pictures so you can decide for yourselves. Now dear Tristan is not only happily married, he is the patriarch of a herd! Bambi and Tristan's generosity has made life for another bunny pair even that much sweeter.

Tristan's life is a true success story. It just doesn't get any better than this!

He was worth waiting for! He has so much personality; everyone in the house loves him! Our African grey parrot even gave him a nickname - she started calling him Starbucket - a nickname that stuck. Although our female bunny, Tribble was born the same spring as Starbuck, she lived with us as a single bunny the first six months of her life. Imagine her delight at having such a wonderful, cuddly new playmate! These two are very loving companions with neither of them being aggressive towards the other - although either one is certainly willing to snatch a choice morsel of food from their friend's mouth given the chance.

Handsome as he is, Starbuck is much more than a pretty face! He's adept at manipulating his environment. He is notorious for "the look" illustrated in the photo on the bottom left. He can stare at me so hard I "hear" him behind the newspaper. This form of communication is very effective for him - it gets him his treats. If I'm not delivering the treats and he knows I can see him, he leans closer and licks his lips until I just simply must surrender and give him what he wants. It has taken Tribble three years to master Starbuck's "silent shouting" trick and she isn't nearly as intense about it as he, but she's clearly learned this behavior by watching it work for him.

We've always had the sense Starbuck realizes and appreciates he now has a home and a family. He does things and looks at us to see if we've noticed. If we praise him for binkies or running, he shows off even more. He has a special toy he enjoys having us watch him play with, and of course he expects his regular petting session before bed. He is attuned to all of us and we think he's knows he's the star!

Griz and Annabelle were adopted into a group of four other bunnies. While they have lots of new friends they play with, Griz and Annabelle remain a strong couple and spend a lot of time together. However, Chico also is strongly bonded to Annabelle.