When temperatures plunged below freezing in Ohio last winter, two tiny shapes huddled together in a front yard — barely moving, clinging to each other for warmth.
They weren’t wild rabbits, as passersby first assumed. They were Apple Juice and Cow Tale — two domestic bunnies who had been dumped by their family and left to survive alone in the bitter cold.
For weeks, they stayed in the same spot, pressed tightly against one another as snow piled up around them.
Thankfully, one kind neighbor spotted the pair and called Snickerdoodles’ Rabbit Rescue for help.
“[They’d] been out there for a couple of weeks with temperatures dropping lower and lower,” said Lauren Keller, the rescue’s founder and a veterinary social worker.
The rabbits were stranded near a busy street, surrounded by stray cats and speeding cars — dangers they had no instincts to escape from.
Domestic rabbits, Keller explained, aren’t like their wild cousins. “They can’t survive outdoors,” she said. “They often die after being dumped.”
Rescuers Cody Keller and his team rushed to the scene with treats and nets, determined to bring the frightened pair to safety. It didn’t take long before both bunnies were secured — still side by side.
“From the way they groomed each other and stayed glued together, it was clear they were bonded,” Keller said.
Back at the rescue, relief hit all at once.
“[We’d] never heard a bunny whimper and scream from despair and relief before,” Keller recalled. “Apple Juice knew he was safe — and when he saw Cow Tale come out of her carrier, he realized she was alive and with him too.”
Exhausted, Apple Juice flopped onto his side — the first peaceful rest he’d had in weeks. “He was finally at peace, safe indoors and able to rest his sweet mind and body from constant chaos and trauma,” Keller said.
After receiving medical care, flea treatment, and spay/neuter surgery, Apple Juice and Cow Tale moved in with a foster family — who quickly fell in love. It wasn’t long before they became foster fails, officially adopting the inseparable pair.
Today, the two bunnies are thriving. They spend their days cuddling on soft blankets, munching hay, and basking in the love they always deserved.
“They’re as happy and healthy as can be,” Keller said. “And they’ll never have to be cold or afraid again.”
To help save more animals like Apple Juice and Cow Tale, you can donate to Snickerdoodles’ Rabbit Rescue here.
