When Jenn Eckert had her daughter, Bailey, last June, she never could have dreamed how quickly her rabbits, Alfie and Amelia, would fall in love with her.
Upon their first meeting, there was no denying Alfie and Amelia loved their new baby sister. They stood tall next to the infant in her carrier at the hospital.
The two giant rabbits may be nonchalant at times, but whenever their precious sister is in the room, they definitely become affectionate older brother and sister. Eckert shared how Alfie tried to jump into the car seat while Amelia just sniffed. “They were both so gentle, though, so I knew they would be best friends,” Eckert added affectionately.
“She is always their center of attention,” Eckert said. “They will lay by her when she is sleeping. They tend to hover a bit, like they immediately saw her as their responsibility to protect.”
Since Bailey has been around rabbits her whole life, she loves them right back. She’ll often roll over to watch Alfie and Amelia when they come into the room, and also loves feeding them treats. The rabbits are both Flemish giants, who can weigh upwards of 20 pounds, so they’re the perfect-sized friends for her.
Other than her family, Bailey has her two zealous giant bunny friends that keep watch over her. Alfie would thump if Bailey is crying. It may be his way of showing disapproval towards the person or object that made his little sister upset. Both of them tend to sniff Bailey just to check if she is awake.
Unfortunately, many families rehome their rabbits because some people don’t believe they can coexist with kids. While children should always be supervised and gentle with rabbits, the animals can make wonderful companions for people of all ages and often have plenty of affection to offer their humans.
Because Alfie and Amelia are so gentle with Bailey, Eckert has begun training them as official therapy rabbits, working with an organization called Pet Partners. After they become certified, they’ll begin paying regular visits to hospitals and nursing homes to meet and snuggle with patients.
