The Des Moine Register recently published a piece about a therapy rabbit named Benjamin who helped many people at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.  He died earlier this month at age 10.

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.

USA Today published a very touching story about a woman who fled from her abusive husband with nothing but her rabbit (named Ruby Angel). She had been living on the streets since October.

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

Kathy Smith and Lucile Moore, authors of When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care, have recently released a new rabbit book.  A collection of 39 stories, Touched by a Rabbit puts a spotlight on house rabbits’ unique personalities and the special bond between rabbit and rabbit owner.

Here is an excerpt from the story “A Rabbit for All Seasons” by Lisa Ivers:

Within a year she was unrecognizable as her former self. Jasper blossomed to a healthy 10 pounds, and was sporting twelve pounds six months later. At the same time she developed a very strong opinion of who she liked and disliked. When my husband went away on business, I decided to order a pizza for dinner. Imagine the delivery man’s surprise (and mine, for that matter) when a black blur of a rabbit bolted for the door, lunged at his feet and chased him to the driveway. The poor guy jumped through the open window of his car, begging me to call off my “dog.” “What kind of dog is that?! I’ve never seen ears like that on a dog!” I think I heard his testosterone levels crashing to the asphalt when I told him she was a rabbit. Granted, he didn’t get a very good look at her while he was running away…but he got a hefty tip that night.

To purchase Touched by a Rabbit, visit the rabbit-friendly retailers listed on the Touched by a Rabbit website or go to Buy Books on the Web.