Adoption Success Stories: It’s Swell to be Chunky Nel
It was love at first sight.
On a winter’s day this past December, Kelly Guagenty and her two daughters, Cheryl, 13, and Macaela, 10, walked into the House Rabbit Network shelter with eager anticipation. “We really didn’t discuss what breed of bunny we wanted to adopt,” says Kelly. “We just knew that ‘the one’ would pick our family.”
The Guagentys immediately spotted Nelson, a 9 ½ pound chinchilla bun. Four pairs of eyes met as humans and bunny took each other in. Kelly and her girls asked to play with Nelson, and, says Kelly, “he started doing binkies right away!”
Nelson moved home with the Guagentys and met his new dad, Mike, and his new brother, a 9-year-old rescue pit bull mix named Toby. “We had taken care of our friend’s bunny last fall,” says Kelly, “partly to ensure that Toby was a bunny fan.” He is.
Nelson’s name soon changed to “Chunky Nel,” and he found a best friend in his big canine brother. “Oftentimes Toby will bring a tennis ball over to Nel, which is Toby’s way of saying he wants to play,” says Kelly.
These days, for Chunky Nel, it’s love at first bite, especially if you are a banana. “Chunky Nel LOVES to eat (shocking, I know!),” says Kelly. “His absolute favorite treat is bananas. If you are eating a banana in our house, he will find you and hunt you down.” That is, unless you are in the kitchen or the bathroom, because there, as every bunny knows, the floors are made of lava and cannot be crossed. Otherwise, Chunky Nel will hop about his entire kingdom, the rest of the house, where he is free to roam to his heart’s content while his family is home.
Chunky Nel will at times stake a claim on a very important piece of his territory, “The Land Under Cheryl’s Bed,” where he rules over his subjects, the dust bunnies. If his family tries to dethrone him by attempting to bring him out from under the low platform bed, he will give a small but dignified growl, much to the amusement of his family.
During the daytime while his family is away at work and school, Chunky Nel naps in his pen. “When Nel hears us walk in the door from work,” says Kelly, “he jumps up and down in his pen, banging to get out. When we lift him up, he immediately settles down and enjoys a few minutes of cuddling time.” And then it’s snack time!
Toys aren’t a big hit in Chunky Nel’s world, unless they’re filled with treats, in which case those toys meet with his approval. Chunky Nel is also fond of couch cuddles with his family and watching his favorite TV shows. “We just adore him beyond belief,” says Kelly.
— Jess Riel
Photo caption for image of bun and dog:
Nel and Toby lounging on the couch. Photo courtesy of Kelly Guagenty.