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-#&189; 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 statis 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 bowtie 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.