“I'm looking forward to many more years with my long-eared, snuggly muppet of a bunny and I'm so glad that the ASPCA gave her a chance!” –Robyn S. of New York, NY

As Easter Sunday approaches, thoughts of bouncing bunnies and egg hunts tend to fill our minds. For the ASPCA, the past two years brought us an abundance of our very own Easter Bunnies—340 of them to be exact! It all began on a cold night in January 2015, when the ASPCA assisted with the rescue of suffering rabbits from a Gowanus property in Brooklyn, New York. Up until March 2017, numerous teams from the ASPCA and Animal Care Centers of NYC, along with various shelters and rescue organizations, helped treat and rehabilitate the ailing rabbits. The rescue and care required immense efforts from all parties involved, not to mention the continued effort from law enforcement and the courts to bring justice to these innocent victims of cruelty. Now that justice has been served, these special rabbits have begun settling into their new comfortable lives.

One of these rabbits was an orange-and-white bunny that lived up to her affectionately given nickname: Miss Bossy. While volunteers worked round-the-clock to assist in daily care for Miss Bossy and her bunny friends, one volunteer began to take a special interest in the sassy rabbit.

Robyn S. is a longtime volunteer for the ASPCA, and at the time, she was a pet parent to two senior pets, a 19-year-old cat named Tippy, who sadly passed away last summer, and a nine-year-old rabbit named Bun Scott. When Robyn got the call to assist with the newly acquired rabbits, she hopped at the chance. “I was thrilled to be able to put my bun-wrangling skills to good use,” she says.

Unfortunately, about a month after Robyn began caring for the bunnies at the ASPCA, Bun Scott also passed away. “Even though I knew that I had given him a great, long and happy life, I was still heartbroken,” she says sadly. “It was the first time in a very long time that I had no pets to take care of.”

However, Robyn’s grieving over her beloved Bun inspired her. “That's why it was even more important to me to spend time at the rabbit nursery playing with the new babies, and working with the grownups to make sure they would be able to go home to the same kind of loving homes that Bun had. Plus, I really missed my Bun,” Robyn says.

As Robyn dedicated her time to the ASPCA rabbits, she couldn’t help but find herself drawn to Miss Bossy. “Bossy lived up to her name, and was very clear about what she wanted. She would toss her empty food bowl my way when it was time to refill. She would nudge my hand when she wanted a pet,” Robyn says, adding that Bossy was never rude about it, and would never bite or scratch. “Bossy would also cuddle up in my lap like a cat for a snuggle, and when she was done she'd nudge my hand again as if to say 'Thank you, that will be enough now.'”

Soon, it was time for the rabbits to begin their journeys toward new lives, and Robyn knew that she would miss Miss Bossy greatly. At the time, Robyn hadn’t planned on bringing a new rabbit into her home so quickly after losing Bun. She’d also adopted another cat shortly before it was announced that the bunnies would be leaving. “But still, I thought, if only there was a rabbit who was sassy enough to hold her own with a sweet but curious cat, and still be snuggly,” Robyn says. Then, as if a light went off, Robyn’s decision became obvious. “It was clear that I couldn't let the rabbits leave without taking Miss Bossy home.”

Robyn made the adoption official in mid-March, and Miss Bossy bounced into her new home with her new family. Robyn tells us that Bossy has adjusted beautifully to their home. At first, Robyn expressed concern about how Bossy and her new cat, Penny, would react to one another. Luckily, after a slow integration, Bossy and Penny exceeded Robyn’s expectations. “Miss Bossy's enclosure is in the living room, and she and Penny touch noses and have "girl talk" without any swipes, thumps or hisses,” says Robyn. She’s even been letting them have supervised playtime outside of the enclosure now.

Overall, Miss Bossy, Penny and Robyn have found a perfect sort of harmony in their family. “Miss Bossy is like a big stuffed animal come to life, and she is a charming addition to our household of ladies,” Robyn tells us.