Grumbly bunny finds lifechanging friendship

Sometimes, making friends gets trickier with age - whether you’re a person or a bunny. As kids, it can be as easy as spotting someone on the play­ground and saying “hi.” But for Martin, a small black-and-white adult rabbit with a big personality, finding a friend was anything but simple.

Martin enjoys a meal with his new buddy Jared at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s Bunny House. Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society.

Martin arrived at the Bunny House at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary alongside his brother, Steve. Cute? Undeniably. Social? Not exactly. The two didn’t get along, and despite hopes that neutering would mellow their rivalry into brotherly bonding, Martin just wasn’t having it.

Because rabbits are naturally social crea­tures, the hope was that Martin could find comfort either with a different bunny com­panion or with people. But Martin wasn’t keen on either - at least not at first.

His caregivers no­ticed that Martin’s body language was a little bossy - assertive in a way that confused other rabbits. If he nibbled at a bunny and they responded like most bunnies would (they weren’t happy about it), Martin often took it the wrong way and things escalated.

Still, the Bunny House team kept try­ing. One by one, they introduced Martin to potential companions with all sorts of person­alities. Eight bunnies in total and not a single match - until Jared.

Jared came to the Sanctuary after a kind person found him hopping around her backyard. Calm, curious and easygoing, he seemed to get along with just about every­one. And somehow, that included Martin.

From their very first meeting, something shifted. When Martin gave Jared a little nibble, Jared didn’t get upset - he simply asked for a grooming session instead. Mar­tin obliged, and just like that, a friendship bloomed.

Even better, Jared’s steady presence helped Martin grow more com­fortable with people, too. He even started to “sploot” - that sweet, stretched-out bunny sprawl that only hap­pens when a rabbit feels truly at ease.

For a bunny that once struggled to make a single friend, Martin has found something steady, soft and true. And that makes all the difference.

Introducing the one and only Dolly Parton - a young bunny with heart, sass and enough personality to light up the whole room. She’s sweet when she wants to be, spicy when she needs to be and always, always fabulous. To inquire about Dolly Parton, please contact adoptions@bestfriends.org or call (435) 688-2327.