At Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a one-eyed rabbit moved into an office and became comfortable around two tiny Chihuahuas. Friendship did not remove the need for careful setup.
Girly Girl arrived at the switchboard office with one eye, good litter-box habits, and a recent loss. Her bonded rabbit companion had died. The quiet office at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary offered a different setting—and, eventually, two very small canine coworkers.
One of them, a Chihuahua named Sweet Pea, was smaller than the rabbit.
Quick answer: No, a one-eyed rabbit named Girly Girl did not instantly become friends with two tiny Chihuahuas at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. After losing her bonded companion, she moved into a quiet switchboard office in April 2014 where staff secured the space, provided a litter box, and monitored her closely. One Chihuahua, Sweet Pea, showed interest and sometimes played gently while Girly Girl followed or rested nearby. All interactions remained supervised with careful introductions, as cross-species contact requires constant management to prevent stress or injury.
How a rabbit got an office assignment
Best Friends Animal Society published Girly Girl’s story in April 2014. Her original name was Hawkeye, a reference to the missing eye, but staff used the nickname Girly Girl after she moved into the switchboard office.
The move followed the death of her bonded partner. Rabbits can form strong social bonds, and the loss of a companion may be followed by changes in appetite, activity, and behavior. Girly Girl needed close observation and a new routine.
A caregiver who was transferring to the switchboard helped make the move possible. The office was small and comparatively quiet. Staff secured electrical wires behind a screen, provided a box for resting, and gave Girly Girl room to move. She already used a litter box.
The result was not a novelty desk pet placed beside ringing phones. It was a managed environment selected for an individual rabbit described as laid-back and comfortable with activity around her.
Girly Girl set the office rhythm
The original account shows the rabbit as an active participant in daily life. She approached Kay Sullivan when treats appeared, showed a preference for banana, and communicated when she expected food.
Those details matter because rabbits are sometimes treated as decorative or passive. Girly Girl explored, requested, rested, followed routines, and responded to the people around her.
Food still required limits. A rabbit who eagerly asks for a sugary treat has not written a balanced diet plan. Hay, suitable greens, and veterinary guidance matter more than the charm of a banana request.
The office also offered an outdoor enclosure in appropriate weather. Any outdoor access for a rabbit requires secure boundaries, protection from predators, safe temperature, shade, and constant attention to escape risk.
Then came the Chihuahuas
Kay’s two tiny Chihuahuas spent time around Girly Girl. Sweet Pea was described as especially interested in the rabbit. She tried to play and sometimes crawled or tumbled onto her. Girly Girl remained interested and sometimes followed the little dog.
That is the observed relationship in this one setting. It is not a recommendation to place an unfamiliar dog and rabbit together.
A Chihuahua is small, but size alone does not remove prey drive, overexcitement, guarding, or the possibility of injury. A frightened rabbit can also kick, bite, or injure itself trying to escape. Even apparently playful contact may be too rough.
House Rabbit Society guidance emphasizes evaluating the individual dog and controlling introductions. The RSPCA advises constant supervision when rabbits are with animals of another species.
What a safe introduction requires
Begin with physical separation. The rabbit needs a secure home area with hiding places and routes that the dog cannot enter. Let the animals encounter scent and quiet presence before direct access.
The dog should be under reliable control, initially on leash and at a distance where calm behavior is possible. Reward looking away, relaxing, and responding to the handler. Do not carry the rabbit toward the dog or hold the rabbit in place.
Watch both animals. Concerning dog behavior includes hard staring, stalking, trembling with arousal, lunging, repeated whining, inability to disengage, or attempts to chase. Rabbit stress may appear as freezing, flattening, rapid breathing, thumping, hiding, charging, or frantic escape attempts.
End the interaction before either animal is overwhelmed. A qualified reward-based trainer and a rabbit-experienced veterinarian or welfare organization can help assess the setup.
Do not leave a dog and rabbit together unsupervised, even after peaceful meetings. Management is part of the friendship, not evidence that the friendship failed.
The room has to be safe for a rabbit
Girly Girl’s caregivers screened electrical wires, a detail every free-roaming rabbit household should notice. Rabbits chew. Cords, toxic plants, medications, cleaners, foam, and small plastic objects must be secured.
Flooring should provide traction. The rabbit needs water, hay, a litter area, comfortable resting places, and room to stretch and move. Office chairs, doors, and foot traffic create crush and escape risks.
Noise tolerance differs by individual. A rabbit who settles near phones and conversation may still be frightened by alarms, vacuum cleaners, or unfamiliar visitors. “She is used to it” should be confirmed by relaxed behavior, not assumed because she remains still.
Friendship is an observation, not a shortcut
Girly Girl and Sweet Pea make a lovely picture because the size relationship surprises us: the rabbit is the larger animal, and the Chihuahua wants her attention. The deeper value of the story is its specificity.
Caregivers knew Girly Girl’s history. They modified the room. They watched her response. The Chihuahuas were individual dogs in a supervised sanctuary setting.
The original Molly Wald photographs are copyrighted and must be licensed before reuse. The Chihuahua images in this draft are licensed illustrations and do not depict the animals in the story.
Cross-species friendship can happen. Responsible care begins by accepting that it is never owed, never automatic, and never a substitute for safety.
Featured photograph: JackyM59 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. It is an illustration and does not depict the animals described in this article.
