Stolen bunny found alive inside Oregon dumpster

ROGUE RIVER, Ore. — A homeless man’s Monday morning search for empty bottles and cans led to a happy ending for a local preschool whose mascot was bunny-napped last week.

Amos, a beloved pet rabbit of Great Beginnings Preschool, was found by Ralph Rodan of Rogue River. Rodan had been looking in the Rogue River library’s garbage for cans and bottles about 8:45 a.m. when he heard noises coming from another receptacle. He looked inside to see.

“There was a cardboard box in it, and it was wiggling,” Rodan said.

Rodan opened the box and found Amos, a mini black satin rabbit who had been missing since Wednesday. The box also had food and water inside. Amos was unharmed.

“That kind of shocked me” that the rabbit had been left in the garbage, Rodan said. “I thought it was cruel.”

The pet rabbit had been taken from his backyard cage at Great Beginnings sometime between the evening of June 3 and the morning of June 4. The thieves also took Amos’ water bottle, feeder and a nearby book basket. The cage had been latched but did not have a lock.

It was the second rabbit theft from the preschool in three months. The flop-eared Stew disappeared from his cage in March before a Rogue River resident donated Amos as a replacement.

Great Beginnings director Rhonda Schock confirmed the rabbit’s identity. She donated $50 to Rodan for his find.

“I just appreciate his integrity,” Schock said.