Otis's days were numbered. He had been at the shelter for quite some time and, in fact, had been adopted three times and returned each time. He was good-looking and well-mannered, so just what was it that caused him to be on the short list for euthanasia?

Katy Riecks of Philadelphia believes it was because no one had the patience to deal with his special needs: Otis is deaf.

She and her boyfriend had both grown up with dogs, but neither of them had had one since they'd been adults. Now the time seemed right, so they began searching Petfinder for one to adopt.

When Susan Gemberling of Glenolden, PA, sits down to enjoy her morning cup of coffee, she can anticipate a rather surprising companion: Chloe, her Silver Martin Dwarf Rabbit.

"Chloe loves company and can't wait for you to notice her and pet her," Susan says. This gregarious rabbit was picked up as a stray by Delaware County SPCA in Media, PA. Susan saw her listing on Petfinder.

Chloe's sociability isn't limited to coffee time. She has run of the living room, and it's not unusual for her to pull on Susan's shoelaces or the hems of her jeans to get attention when Susan is watching TV. If that doesn't work, she headbutts her "mom's" ankles.

When Willow Webster's son brought home a bunny that someone was going to throw off a bridge, she could hardly say the Webster family couldn't keep him.

Eventually, it became clear that the rabbit, whom they named Bun Bun, needed a companion. Webster turned to PetSave Foundation in Hawthorne, CA, and adopted a rabbit named Samantha.

Webster also volunteered to clean cages for the foundation, and eventually adopted two more rabbits, Blake and Angel.

These days, her volunteer work includes posting the organization's rabbits on Petfinder, giving them names and making cage cards. She also lists the adoptable bunnies on her own Facebook and YouTube pages.

When 12-year-old Ernie's bond mate passed away, he was lonely. Laurelin Sitterly of Providence, RI, had adopted Ernie from Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue in Foster, RI, nine years earlier, so that's where the family turned to find him a new friend.

"Knowing that he has always preferred larger buns -- he weighs in at two pounds -- we tried Ashley, a middle-aged Giant Chinchilla," Laurelin says.

Ashley had spent her entire life as a breeder in an outdoor shed where she had regularly witnessed other rabbits being slaughtered. She herself had narrowly missed being someone's dinner, according to Laurelin. The death of her owner saved her, and she ended up at Sweet Binks, awaiting a loving home. How lucky she was when Laurelin saw her on Petfinder and decided to give this big bun a chance at the good life.

At first it was dicey. "She was traumatized, to say the least," Laurelin says, "and spent the first couple of days with us hiding in her litter box, which was larger than her previous cage."