Hoppy Endings

Our goal at the Gainesville Rabbit Rescue is to find a “Hoppy Ending” for every bun. Each bunny that comes through the rescue has a special place in our hearts. Here are some updates and stories on some of the rabbits who have found a furever home or that are way too remarkable to leave out. Enjoy!

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Angel  [formerly Saree]

Good morning! This morning I gave my little Angel her greens and a little banana. As I enter her room she gets all excited and wants to see what I brought her. After eating a bit of parsley she wanted to be pet.  So, after a few minutes she goes and licks my leg then comes back up to my hand and lays with her legs sticking out (trust). After a few minutes of petting, she gets up and really shows trust – she “flops” down on her side exposing her belly. She allowed me to rub her belly a little. From my experience with bunnies, flopping down and allowing you to rub their belly shows a lot of trust. It makes me happy to know that by licking me and grooming me – she likes/loves me and that she is trusting me. It warms my heart that she is happy and content and that she feels safe and loved.

Hope you have a great day, Cal
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Izari  [now bonded with Marnie]

I just wanted to give you a little update on Marnie and Izari.  They seem to be becoming good friends.  They are free in the house now and Izari usually follows Marnie wherever she goes.  I think they’ve agreed that Marnie is the boss….ha ha.  During a good part of the day they are under the bed in the guest room having their quiet sleep time.  Early morning, late afternoon, and evening, they are out and about playing, eating, etc.  We’ve had them outside a couple of times on leashes and Izari seems to really enjoy the time hopping around outdoors and digging.  Izari has made himself at home and seems to be comfortable learning his way around the house.  I think the bonding is going well.  They don’t spend 100% of their time together, but probably close to it.

Kim
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Boo Boo [ formerly Malibu ]

We wanted to give you an update on Malibu – or “Boo Boo” as she is now affectionately called by us.  Boo Boo has totally captured the hearts of our entire family.  It has been so neat to see her change from a pure white bunny with all the really cool black and gray markings.  She brings us incredible amount of joy and entertainment, whether she is hopping and sliding across our hardware floors, or standing on her hind legs by the refrigerator to beg for a bit more cilantro or parsley.  She loves to be petted, craves snuggles and freely give kisses.  If you let her, she will even lick your entire face!
We are so grateful to GRR for allowing us to adopt our Boo Boo.
~ The Hazel Family

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Cinny   [ formerly Peanut ]

Just wanted to up date you on how Cinny is doing. She fits into this family perfectly! She has become relaxed around us (even falls fully asleep!) and does amazing binkys and bunny 500s all around the living room. She loves it when I wake up and feed her yummy breakfast of a spinach and cilantro. She is even learning to come when I call her and has made under the Christmas tree, behind grandpa’s rocking chair and under my bed her special hang out places. It took some time to teach her that carpet and mats are not bunny food, but after some training and cardboard substitutes she seems to have figured it out. She and I have had some really nice bonding time; I lay next to her and rub her head and listen to her purr, and when I stop she wiggles her head back under my hand which makes me so happy. She is an absolute joy, she brings smiles to all of the family and has become a special member of this family. Thank you so much for your help and for bringing her into our lives.

Sincerely,
The Dyer Family

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Willis & Binker [ formerly Willis & Jewel ]

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Keeper

Keeper has been such a blessing to us.  We still find it amazing that someone could have dumped her at the local pound.  She is a smart, big, beautiful bunny with so much love to give.  She loves showing off her tricks and cuteness to the customers that come into our store and we can’t help but brag about all her endearing qualities.  She brings joy to us and to all of our customers. Thank you so much for taking her into GRR and for allowing us to adopt her.
~ Faith and the Generations Crew

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Ranger (Now Remy)

Hi! Just wanted you to know that Ranger aka Remy is doing very well. He loves to come out in the den with us in the evenings and is just great with his litterbox. He is eating a good variety of foods, including Timothy hay, and enjoys his fruit bit treat in the morning. Really a sweet bun and he’s got his own special personality.
If you are ever in Jax for a Petsmart event , let me know if you’d like some help.
Sincerely, Mary Ellen Cook
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Baby Bear

Baby Bear was found and rescued from a retention pond by State Prisoners out mowing.  He was taken to the nearest house as they thought he belonged there.  While this was not his family, it still was his lucky day as the woman who lived there worked with one of GRR’s foster moms and volunteers.  She just brought him to the elementary school where they worked.  The little ones in first grade named him Baby Bear and were very happy to share their morning Cheerios with him. Baby Bear (Bear) is now adopted into a great home and is still the sweetest bear we know !

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Holland and Java

Holland and Java are doing GREAT! They have settled in really nicely and are super comfortable with us now. They also get along with the other pets. Holland even likes to torment the cat! He hops all around the apartment when we are home. He will follow us into the bathroom or the kitchen. I’ll turn around and he’ll be right there behind me. Java is a little more reserved. She goes under the couch a lot but she does come out to play quite often, it just takes her longer to get warmed up. She is such a sweetheart though! It’s funny too, for some reason she really doesn’t like hopping on the linoleum so she sticks to the carpet while Holland inspects every inch of our apartment We love our bunnies so much! I hope the two of you are doing well!

-Libby and Jason
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Lightning Bug –> Penny

Dear Leslie, I just wanted to update you on how we are doing. I renamed Lightning Bug, her name is now Penny because I thought the name really suit her and I have always liked it. Penny is such a joy to have around and my mom, brother, and I love her so much. She has been welcoming me home after work and school and she runs around in my room until she wears herself out. At first she was very nervous and scared but it didn’t take her long to warm up to her new home. Whenever she is out of her pen she loves to thump and binky around or lay down being my mirror, she is so adorable. You probably already know, but whenever I take a treat bag out she loves to jump and sniff all over me until she gets a treat, it always makes me laugh.

I am eternally grateful to the rescue and especially you for letting me have her, she is just what I was missing and I am so happy to have her. I attached some pictures to this email for you to take a look at as well. I hope you enjoy and you will be hearing from us again soon.

Thank you so much again.

Love, Sarah and Penny

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Leroy

I just wanted to drop you a line and say hi from me an’ tha buns. That Leroy has absolutely stolen our hearts! He’s such a sweet boy. And he and Miss Willis are such a loving couple…..nary a spat between ‘em! I planted a garden for us in a baby pool that was being thrown out…..so I’m sharing fresh cilantro, parsley, kale and lettuces with them. I’ll attach a photo for you.
One of Leroy’s favorite games is “come chase me out of the garage”, where I “accidentally” leave the door open, he runs in and heads for some back corner under a shelf and I come in and flush him out of his hiding spot and chase him back out to his area. I think he would do it all day long if I indulged him! Even my husband has been won over to the bunnies… and he was originally a hard sell on them. And even though it makes him crazy sometimes, he is fairly tolerant of the bits of hay and layer of fur that decorates much of the house.
Thanks again, Kathy, for what you’re doing for the rabbits and for making it possible for us to have sweet Mr. Leroy in our family!

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Butterscotch

Butterscotch was rescued by the Gainesville Rabbit Rescue when her ‘time was up’ at another shelter.  My husband and I were looking for a bunny and saw Butterscotch at an adoption day.  As soon as I held her, I knew she would be ours.
There wasn’t much known about her past, but I vowed to make her future a bright one.  She has done the same for us.  Butterscotch is a happy and playful bunny.  She has a roomy condo and play area where she loves to run around.  I can’t begin to tell you how much she has enriched our lives with her charming and sweet personality.  In the morning, she greets me and waits for her fresh greens.  If I am not fast enough for her liking, she boxes me to let me know her disapproval.  She is also great company for me when my husband travels.

We adopted Butterscotch a year ago today and can’t imagine our lives without her. Her real birthday is unknown, so we picked today since it’s the anniversary of her adoption.

Happy Birthday, Butterscotch.  We love you!
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We are having sooooo much fun with Miss Tickle.  Now she has picked up a new trick.  The purple pillow that you see in the picture above is my travel pillow, it has beans in it.  It just happened to be on the floor one day and she started playing with it.  She rolled it all the way over to her favorite spot in the room and laid her head on it for a little bunny nap.  Then she rolled it right back out in the middle of the floor.  LOL!  I am amazed at how smart she is.  Now she likes me to throw it out in the middle of the floor and she will roll it back up to me.  She is the smartest rabbit I have ever seen.  I am going to get it on tape and send it to funniest videos.

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Vinny Bunnerino

Vinny came from a local shelter with a mouth that our vet described as a “train wreck” He had numerous health issues and our vet determined he had been neglected for the first five years if his life. When we rescued him he was the saddest, sickest bunny we had ever seen.Due to his ongoing dental issues, Dr. Emerson made the decision he would be a sanctuary bunny and stay in permanent foster care as he was now a special needs bunny. I was honored to be his “Foster Mom”.

After numerous teeth extractions, dental surgeries and a host of other procedures…he came through like a champ. His personality shone brighter and brighter. This once sick, shy boy was gaining a reputation! Everyone loves Vinny…and he loved everybody!

He attended many of our events and was featured in many articles and videos. In the midst of his “popularity” he continued to need surgeries and was and stayed on a diet of mush formula because he was unable to eat hay. He always popped back and was called our “Superstar”. He greeted visitors at the door and knew no strangers. He was our mascot.

He was so loving we brought him to nursing homes for pet therapy where in spite of his own special needs, he brought much joy to the residents! He brought many smiles to their faces. He was just the most loving little boy. He never showed pain and if I thought he was just a little off it was usually a large abscess. He was a trooper…well one last surgery to remove the last five teeth…… After numerous kisses and hugs and well wishes from his Face Book fans…sadly our “Superstar” didn’t make it. It was a long surgery and there were numerous abscesses this time. We were devastated. We are still mourning.

My husband and I are blessed to be able to have loved and care for this special needs boy who loved despite his own issues…if only for a year and a half, he was loved. .He truly had a gentle heart and a valiant spirit….we miss you Vinny.

Liz and David  

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Tiffany and Family

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Bosley

Bosley was adopted by us.  He was abandoned at a vet’s office in Orlando.  He was a ticklish ex-show rabbit.  Because he twitched when he was touched he was abandoned.  With love and care he no longer twitches when he is handled.  He has an extreme dislike of white animals which is amusing to us since he is primarily white.  He loves to sit on top of Zippy (the parakeet) who is fond of pulling Bosley’s whiskers.

Susan Ann Tipton and Family

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Imo

Imo was owned by a lady who became pregnant and was unable to clean his litterbox so she was going to dump him.  We fostered him for over a year before he was adopted by a young man and his girl friend in Orlando.  They wanted an active bunny.  He is that for them.  He now has a free roam of their apartment with his own condo area.  They say he loves to snuggle.  He does not understand when they want to sleep in and bangs his food dishes until they get up.
Susan   _________________________________________________________________________________

Daisy

We had the most wonderful 12 pound floppy earred rabbit named Peanut Bunny. Peanut Bunny was very special.  She bonded with my son, who was 12 at the time we brought her home. Every night Peanut Bunny would sit beside Aaron and groom him. After 3 1/2 years she became sick and was sick on and off for about 9mos. While she was sick, I did a lot of internet searches on rabbits to see what I could do to help her. In those internet searches I came across the Gainesville Rabbit Rescue site. I thought what a nice idea to rescue rabbits.  I vowed to make sure the next bunny I bring into my home would be a bunny that did not have a “forever” home. In February of 2010 we lost our Peanut Bunny at the age of 4yrs old. In March of 2010 we adopted Daisy, a black and white bunny with helicopter ears. Daisy was scheduled to be euthanized due to aggressive behavior before the Gainesville Rabbit Rescue took her in.  Her foster moms took very good and loving care of her, showing her not to be afraid, and thus stopping the aggression. I have to say they did a wonderful job. Daisy is the sweetest bunny ever! She wants to be loved on all the time. Daisy has become a central part of our family. Every morning she rushes to me to be pet and fed greens- okay to be fed greens and then be pet. Every evening she comes over to us and lays down beside us as if to say, “it is time to pet me!” She will want you to pet her for hours on end, yawning and stretching every so often and then settling down to be pet again. What a great addition to our family. After some consideration we decided to open our home to help other rabbits. Currently we have 3 forever bunnies and 4 foster bunnies. Our home is filled to the brim with bunny love!

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Star & Shadow

Star was transferred into rescue from a local shelter because her time was up there.  As we did not have a foster family available, she was placed in our emergency facility which is a farm setting.  As she was unspayed and was unable to get the personal attention that she needed there, she developed aggressive tendencies.  When a fosterer became available, Star was placed in a loving home and was spayed.  From that point on, she quickly blossomed into one of the sweetest, cuddliest bunnies ever.

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Jasmine:

I’ve had Chester for nearly a year and I adopted him from a rescue in Tampa. I was drawn to him because he was a mere 2.5lbs and he had an adorable white nose. When I realized he really needed a companion I began searching. For a few months I owned a 7lb rabbit that a friend gave me but the two buns didn’t seem to get along, even after several months. They merely tolerated each others existence (and the 7lb rabbit had a tendency to steal Chester’s food no matter how much I gave her). After passing her on to another friend I began my search for Chester’s perfect wifey. I needed a bun near his size and I was ecstatic when I found Jasmine. The two buns together look like bookends. Their white markings run in opposite directions and they both have that trademark white nose! Not only are they adorable but they are perfect compliments. Chester is extremely active and barely tolerates being held and groomed but he’ll sit forever getting head rubs. Jasmine is wonderfully cuddly and exactly what I was looking for in a compliment for Chester. I can’t believe I was lucky to find such a wonderful bun. Even after just a few days they were snuggling and grooming each other. I couldn’t be happier.

From New Mom Carrie Bow

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Molly

Molly Bunny was abandoned in a return bin for dogs. She was taken to the shelter extremely dirty, urine burns on her feet, underweight, and pregnant. Within a day she gave birth to seven babies. Molly and her babies were placed in foster care the next day. Although the babies did not make it, Molly did. She was a very sick and shy bunny at first. With urgent medical care, plenty of love, and much attention Molly blossomed into a carefree, curious, and outgoing bunny.

Her new mom, Alisha, is wonderful. Alisha says Molly’s doing great!!  Molly loves the kids. She sleeps under the table and comes out to explore every now and then, but when the kids come home she follows them around playing and looking to be pet. She is hopping around the house as a super cute pumpkin for Halloween, not minding the costume a bit.  Anson, Molly’s dad, came home one day from after work and found Molly passed out sound asleep on her back with her legs stretched out. He had to wake her because he was worried that she was dead. Molly’s definitely gotten more comfortable in our home flopping about, although this includes taking control of the remote control. She definitely loves to eat the rubber buttons off remote controls making it guessing game as to which buttons are which. We accidentally left it out. She turned it into her chew toy and fast too. I think she got most the buttons off in less than a minute. She has brought lots of joy to our home and done great with other people. We had two of our friends over the other night for dinner and cards. Molly bounced around the living room making sure to visit everyone twice, if not more. She is really cute when Anson’s not home, I’ll be sitting in the living room with her and she loves to sit up on the living room window sill looking out. I always send Anson pictures of her telling him to hurry home, Molly’s looking for him.
We found a great match for our family though the Gainesville Rabbit Rescue and you guys are amazing for what you do.

From Mom Alisha

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Hoppy Ending for Blackjack

Hi my name is Blackjack. I am a black, male, mini rex and I was adopted in August of 2010. I now live in a small, 2 bedroom condo with my new family consisting of my mom, my grandma, my cat-brother Moe, my cat-sister Squeaky, and my new foster sister Poppy! I am so happy that I finally have a family who knows how to spoil me! I stay really busy running around the house, chasing my siblings, and playing in the yard, but I recently went out into the workforce in effort to recruit volunteers and potential foster families. I have been working hard at spreading the word about rabbits, the common misunderstanding people have about us, and the lack of homes there are for all my adoptable friends. I have to say that I am really great at what I do. People of all ages are drawn to me and I tell them all about Gainesville Rabbit Rescue. I cannot go 5 minutes in public without someone approaching me in the store, driving by, or in the parking lot. I put in a lot of hours, but I really do not mind the attention. I figure it is about time people realize how great we all are… I am very excited that fall is approaching and am looking forward to the cooler weather. Halloween will be here before we know it and I already have my costume. I am going to be a pumpkin and I cannot wait for you all to see me in it. Yesterday while I was working I ran into a photographer and she begged me to do a photo shoot with her. There were so many good shots it was really hard to choose. Expect to see my new headshots in the next couple weeks. I am so happy to have a forever home and will continue to work hard so that all my furry friends can have the same happiness and success that I have had.

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Hoppy Ending for Marley

Hi, my name is Barbara, and i am the college student that adopted
Marley from you guys about 5 months ago. I just wanted to give you guys
a quick update on how Marley is doing. To start off, i guess i should
say that we are very grateful for being able to adopt Marley, as he is
the most lovable, fun bunny ever. He is so active, and it only took him
about a week after coming home with us to start showing his true
colors! He is always so excited when we come home and let him run
around, and he is quite an explorer! Every chew toy we ever get him is
always gnawed through in less than two or three days, and when he
destroys his toys, he goes hopping around, looking for other things to
gnaw on. He learns very quickly, and he even learned to hop on my
chair, then onto my table, and from there onto my bed! He doesn’t enjoy
being held too much, but he loves being petted, which is the most
adorable thing ever! He loves to eat, and we always make sure to have
plenty of tasty snacks for him. I recently took him on a trip to visit
my family, and he thrived with all the attention he was getting from
everyone! He is a joy to have, and we just wanted to let you know that
he is healthy and happy!

~ Barbara R.