Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Ann Bernabe lives in the same apartment building as Toombs. She has a story about Benjamin the Bunny: Bernabe’s grandson was admitted to the hospital several years ago with meningitis. His right side was paralyzed. Anderson brought her rabbit into the boy’s room, day after day after day, and placed Benjamin on the boy’s left side. The boy was told he was allowed to pet Benjamin only with his right arm.

Little by little, the boy started using his right side again.

For the full story, see the Des Moines Register.

Below is an excerpt from the article:

She’d found a place to hole up. There was no heat or running water, but there was a roof and four walls. The gashes and bruises from the last beating were beginning to heal. She was feeling a little more secure, a little more capable of thinking ahead to more than just the next morning. But when a sudden cold snap hit, she knew there were time pressures that couldn’t be ignored. She worried the rabbit — her only friend, really — wouldn’t survive months of hard winter. She had to figure out a way off the streets, something more permanent.

Read the full article here at USA Today >

Ruby Angel

For those of you who read My House Rabbit’s blog this past spring, you will remember that we hosted Audrey from Audrey on Tour for a few days here in New London, CT.  Audrey then went on to Bow, WA with A Houseful of Rabbits.

You can see photos and descriptions of other places Audrey toured on the All About You site by clicking here.  It looks like they are still gathering photos, so if you hosted Audrey but you’re not listed on this page, send an email to audrey@allaboutyou.com with a photo of Audrey’s stay in your area.

From their press release:

On Monday, November 23, 2009, Kathleen Olsen, Executive Director of the Tacoma Humane Society, agreed to allow Rabbit Haven of Gig Harbor, WA., to take Copper. Copper was picked up and brought to Rabbit Haven by Sue Brennan, the rescue’s founder. “We are thankful that we could work with the Tacoma Humane Society to find a solution for this very famous rabbit,” said Brennan. “The Tacoma Humane Society does wonderful work and has found homes for many bunnies and other animals, and we’re grateful for what they do. At Rabbit Haven, we have bunny specialists well-equipped to handle even the most terrified and anxious rabbits, who sometimes bite out of fear and because they’ve been so mistreated in the past. Copper is a healthy, rambunctious teenage rabbit who will get the love and care that he needs to turn into a good house bunny.”

“This was a potentially sad story that had a very happy ending,” said Brennan. “House rabbits are wonderful, intelligent pets with great senses of humor. They can be litter-trained, do tricks, and more and more families are finding out how fun it is to share their homes with a house rabbit. We hope that Copper’s story will inspire more people to learn about house rabbits, and to support the work of animal shelters.”

Copper has already started to show progress at Rabbit Haven. Under the care of highly experienced rabbit experts, he has even started to ‘purr’ when held (rabbits purr by chattering their teeth.) At Rabbit Haven, Copper will continue receive the attention and care he needs to recover and learn to trust and socialize with humans. He will be neutered and, if possible, he will eventually be ‘bonded’ with a spayed female rabbit, as rabbits are happiest when they live in pairs and groups. Rabbit Haven will continue to work with local rescues to find homes for abandoned and mistreated rabbits.

For more info, visit Rabbit Haven’s website.

Copper purring in the arms of Chris, one of Rabbit Haven’s most experienced volunteers.

A story about a rabbit scheduled to be put down after biting a shelter volunteer has gathered attention from around the world.  Copper the rabbit was living at the Pierce County Humane Society in Tacoma, Washington. A few days ago, he bit a volunteer so severely she needed to seek emergency medical care.

The shelter decided Copper must be euthanized.  Although scheduled for death yesterday (Sunday), the unavailability of a vet to perform the euthanasia procedure bought Copper one more day.  After an outpouring of protests and pleas from rabbit advocates worldwide, the shelter officials finally agreed today to let Rabbit Haven of Gig Harbor, WA take Copper in as an alternative.

For more info, see:
KATU.com
KomoNews.com
TacomaKomo
Rabbit Haven

The babies are 4 weeks old in the pix and the adults are doing fabulously after everything they went through. Notice the bunny that has a heart on its side!

We have a pair traveling to a rescue in TN this weekend via the Bunderground Railroad and another pair going to a rescue in Tampa Thanksgiving weekend. It has been so heart warming to meet so many nice people who all share the same interest of helping the bunnies.

Thanks Megan and Luv-A-Bun for all your hard work!

I found this story on Twitter posted by @Houserabbit about Carolyn Schapper, an Army sergeant serving in Iraq, who took a pet bunny under her wing.  The rabbit had been maltreated and suffered from singed fur and whiskers, and so Schapper decided to take him in.  Once on base, the rabbit was giving the name, Combat Infantry Bunny or CIB (pronounced “sib”).  The name is a play on the military acronym CIB which stands for Combat Infantry Badge.

As time went by in Iraq, Schapper came to realize how important her bond with CIB had become.  Although she knew she could depend on her fellow soldiers, she had lacked an emotional connection to anything.  CIB filled that void.

For more info, see: American Public Media.

Listen to the full story here.

One of the most recognized rabbits in the world will be returning to the world of literature today. Rabbit, along with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and the rest of the gang, invite readers back into the Hundred Acre Wood with new stories.

The book, Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, is the first authorized sequel to the classic stories by A.A. Milne. The new book, by David Benedictus, includes 10 new stories and a new character named Lottie the Otter.

For an excerpt, visit The Telegraph.

For more on Lottie the Otter, visit BBC News.

For more on Rabbit, visit Return to the Hundred Acre Wood.

Her owner, Coleman Rogers, has had house rabbits for pets for the last 17 years. His first was left at his house by a friend, and he was soon hooked on raising rabbits. Each of his rabbits has been litter box trained and cage-free. Biscuit spends most her time in Rogers’s kitchen.

For more on Rogers and Biscuit, visit North Fort Myers Neighbor.

Harriman found that there was little information out there on how to raise a rabbit as a house pet. She learned everything about indoor rabbits from her own bunny, Herman.

The article also discusses misconceptions still held by many regarding house rabbits. The article interviews a woman, Jennifer Lee, who took in her friend’s rabbit only to learn that everything her friend told her about rabbits was wrong.

Read the article at SFGate.com.

Purchase Marinell Harriman’s book House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live With an Urban Rabbit