Dog From Viral Video Needs A Forever Home

Photo Credit: SevaDog
Photo Credit: SevaDog

More than three million people have watched the sad but hopeful video of a pitbull who was left to die in a remote location in California. Named Bunny and shy and wary of strangers, the dog was lured into a live trap with some cheeseburger by her rescuers. Now Bunny has made her way to Eugene, where she is searching for a forever home.

The L.A.-based Hope for Paws has become internet-famous for its heartstring-tugging videos documenting the rescues of abandoned dogs on the street. Local rescue SevaDog has teamed up with Hope for Paws and Rescue from the Hart to find Bunny a permanent home here in Oregon and to educate the public about “bully breeds,” according to Mandy DeGuc, SevaDog’s co-founder and executive director. She says Bunny is an example of the resilience of abandoned, neglected pitbulls.

The video shows a sad and scruffy dog behind a fence on government property in the desert where she was left to die. Unable to get through the fence, the rescuers draw Bunny closer with food. The scared and cowering dog is then taken back to the rescue, where she is let out and, when offered a drink of water, instead begins to snuggle up to her rescuers and wildly wag her tail.

DeGuc says SevaDog has a long waiting list but keeps spots for dogs like Bunny. Taking Bunny in also brings SevaDog a donation that supports “a local dog’s emergency surgery or 10 spay/neuters,” she adds. And the calls from all over the country offering to adopt Bunny give SevaDog the chance to urge people to adopt from their local shelter. “There are way too many Bunnys that are slated for euthanasia because no one is coming for them,” DeGuc says.

SevaDog specializes in dogs “who may not know much about living in a home, walking on a leash, going to soccer games, etc.,” DeGuc tells EW. “Bunny needed our program as she had no social skills upon arrival.”

She says Bunny has become a polite family dog, but SevaDog wants her to stay local so the rescue can continue working with her as “she still has feral tendencies.” The video shows Bunny nuzzling a cat, and DeGuc says Bunny is “a love” with other dogs. She wants Bunny to find a “kind and loving home with people who are home often and have time to put into her.”

You can see Bunny’s rescue at http://wkly.ws/1tq and to find out about adopting her please go to sevadog.org.