Greeley proves that if you Respect the Rabbit, good things will happen

At Red Door, we believe rabbits should be part of the family, kept indoors and provided with proper care and lots of love.  But all too often, bunnies are purchased impulsively by parents as an Easter gift. Soon, the novelty wears off, the kids get bored, and bunny gets neglected. In early 2013 we rescued a gray lop from a family who no longer loved him. 

After being vetted and neutered, "Greeley", was posted to our adoption site, and the applications flooded in. Who wouldn't want this sweet, handsome boy? One family stood out as the best potential home. With a thorough interview and training, they soon accepted Greeley into their family. 

This is their story...


We decided to get a rabbit around Easter last year. The Easter part was just a coincidence, we had been talking about it since December.

So we got online to check out buns on the Red Door website.  My girls and I (I have three daughters, 11, 9, and 6) looked through all the different rabbits – we read their names and personality descriptions.

But we immediately became attached to a little gray bunny named Greeley.  His picture made him look like he was posing; he seemed so sure of himself. 

He had been surrendered in February, and it was March. I felt like we already knew each other and we had this plan to come together…I didn’t really pay attention to any of the other pictures after I saw him.

The adoption interview process at Red Door is thorough, and we live in Elmhurst (about a 40 minute drive) so it took us awhile to finally get there to adopt our bunny.

I remember parking and telling the girls to not have their hopes up about Greeley, he may have been adopted already. I was saying it to them, but I was really talking to me. I was nervous.

When we walked in and found out he was there it was true relief – Jeremy (our adoption counselor) brought him to us and we were done.  Greeley was going home with us!

And what a year it has been.  We originally created a room for him in the basement, but very quickly we realized we wanted him on the same floor as us.  He has a pen, but most of the time he roams the house.  He likes to hide under the couch and sit on the vents – he has his own special places.

My daughters give him extraordinary amounts of attention, and he is deeply loved every day. When my oldest was sick, he laid next to her for hours.  When the girls friends comes over, he stays still and lets everybody pet him.  When I watch TV he sits on my lap and enjoys the calm.

Of course, he is still a rabbit.  He eats our paper off the fridge, he tries to chew my husband’s work folders. And he lets you know when he needs space (with a nudge or a nip).  I always tell the girls to respect his “rabbitness”. He is not a dog or cat, he has his own way of being, and it’s our job to understand and respect him.

Greeley goes with us on trips to Galena, he loves spa days at Red Door, and he also goes by the name “Zen Bunny” because he’s the mascot of Zen Parenting Radio, a podcast that my husband and I have doing for several years.

His birthday (or adoption day) is the day before my oldest daughter, so we had a great celebration a few weeks ago.  Our extended family loves him; he fits so naturally into our environment.

We found Greeley at the right time and the right place and we could not be more grateful. 
Big thanks to Red Door for keeping him safe until we could be together.

Red Door sends hugs and kisses to the Adams' for giving Greeley a wonderful, loving home and proving that rabbits do make excellent pets if the family is well informed. Respect the Rabbit!