Spring 2017 | Issue 12 Summer-Autumn 2016 | Issue 11 | Page 15

Best Bunny Buddies: Story and photo competition In honour of this year’s Rabbit Awareness Week, we ran a photo and story competition to highlight the importance of keeping rabbits in neutered pairs or groups. The winner of the competition was Angie Golding who shared some lovely photos and the story of how Snowy and Cookie came to be best friends: “Snowy and Cookie have been together for a year and they are very much part of the family, Snowy is the white and black Netherland Dwarf, she is approximately 4 and we rescued her from RSPCA West Hatch along with her bonded buddy Lilo in March 2013. Sadly Lilo became ill and passed away in June 2014, nothing could have prepared me for the huge loss we felt at his passing. We lavished time and affection on Snowy during the weeks that followed and she loved spending time with us in the garden and would groom us! I knew that she really needed a bunny companion however and began to search for a suitable friend for her. In July we found Cookie, a gorgeous tri-coloured lop at RSPCA Taylor’s rehoming centre in Dorchester. I quickly fell in love with him, he was about 1 year old and had cataracts but was otherwise a healthy bun. There were a lot of ups and down during the bonding process, Snowy really wanted to be in charge and so did Cookie, but after having some marvellous help, Snowy and Cookie fell in love and are now inseparable. They have a lovely routine and love snuggling up together, they have free run of our enclosed garden every day and a huge hutch outside plus free access to the kitchen when we are home if they wish. They love their hay and veggies and will do anything for a nugget or fenugreek crunchie, often working together to get them out of enrichment toys and boxes. Snowy often will groom Cookie until he is so relaxed he does a bunny flop. We all love them very much.” 7