{"id":16864,"date":"2026-03-10T13:28:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/how-a-boy-turned-his-dream-of-training-comfort-rabbits-into-a-reality\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:02:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:02:30","slug":"how-a-boy-turned-his-dream-of-training-comfort-rabbits-into-a-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/how-a-boy-turned-his-dream-of-training-comfort-rabbits-into-a-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Boy Turned His Dream of Training Comfort Rabbits into a Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The sun peeks over the treetops, casting a glow inside Caleb Smith\u2019s tent at 6:30 in the morning. The Mississippi River gently laps against the houseboat moored on the sandy bank near the site where he and his friends like to camp out when the weather is nice. A gentle nudge from the edge of his sleeping bag lets the 16-year-old Eagle Scout know he isn\u2019t the only one awake. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cMorning, Huck,\u201d he says, stroking the soft blue-gray Flemish rabbit emerging from where he had burrowed. Huckleberry\u2019s nose twitches as he stretches. Caleb pulls on a hooded sweatshirt over his Peacebunny Island T-shirt. <\/p>\n<p>The large bunny nudges his nose under the teen\u2019s arm. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know, buddy. <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/3-positive-ways-to-greet-the-day-and-yourself-in-the-morning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Big day ahead.<\/a> The start of another Best Summer Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another ball of fur hops out from behind Caleb\u2019s backpack, a rescued dwarf Hotot rabbit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood morning, Tator Tot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-32525\" alt=\"\" height=\"264\" src=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed.jpg\" style=\"float:left\" width=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed.jpg 1712w, https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed-340x266.jpg 340w, https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed-768x601.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/>Caleb unzips his tent and breathes in the brisk morning air. The sand is cool on his bare feet as he walks to the houseboat, carrying his bedding under one arm, his backpack slung over his shoulder. The two bunnies nibble on tender shoots that cover the knoll. Of all the bunnies that live at Peacebunny Cottage\u2014situated on a sprawling farm just outside of Minneapolis\u2014Tator Tot and Huck love coming out here to Peacebunny Island the most. The private 22-acre island nestled in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, just south of Saint Paul, belongs to Caleb, who uses the sustainable sanctuary to train comfort rabbits.<\/p>\n<p>When Caleb was eight, he adopted his first bunny, Snickers, an older Dutch rabbit. They were inseparable. But Snickers died less than a year later, and Caleb was heartbroken. He eventually went online looking for another rabbit and was shocked to see hundreds available, abandoned after Easter. He put on his church suit and made a presentation to his parents about <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/pets\/this-indiana-couple-rescues-small-rodents-in-need-of-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rescuing more rabbits<\/a>. \u201cIt really bothered me that people couldn\u2019t commit to a rabbit\u2019s 10-year life span,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I took in as many as I could.\u201d There wasn\u2019t room at his family\u2019s house in the suburbs for them all. Luckily, a farm family nearby let Caleb keep his rabbits in their barn, now known as Peacebunny Cottage. <\/p>\n<p>By the time he was 11, Caleb knew he wanted his rabbits to not only live out their lives in a happy place but also help others. He spent the next few years taking boating lessons and investing money he\u2019d won in an entrepreneurship contest to buy a houseboat and several canoes. At 14, he discovered an uninhabited island on the Mississippi and convinced the owners to let him camp there for a few months so he could see how his bunnies liked roaming the land. It was the perfect spot to train comfort rabbits\u2014quiet, safe, free of land predators. After securing an investor to help him buy the island, Caleb needed to raise funds for the rabbits\u2019 care plus a mortgage, so the Peacebunny Foundation began to sell rabbit merchandise, request donations and host educational activities at the cottage. One hundred percent of the 2021 royalties from his memoir, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacebunnyisland.com\/book-author-caleb-smith\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Peacebunny Island: The Extraordinary Journey of a Boy and His Comfort Rabbits, and How They\u2019re Teaching Us About Hope and Kindness<\/em><\/a>, made the plan sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>Now Caleb\u2019s rabbits are fostered for short stays by people who need some extra love; many are families with children on the autism spectrum or with other health challenges. Peacebunny Units visit senior centers, provide the ministry of presence at children\u2019s memorials, bring comfort to survivors of school violence. \u201cThey are God\u2019s rabbits,\u201d he says. \u201cAs their guardian, I believe he nudges me where to bring them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other programs Caleb offers include Little Vet classes for kids; Pasture Buddies, where people can volunteer to watch over bunnies; Rabbit Garden Play Date, which is exactly what it sounds like; and Bunny Boot Camp, training on caring for rabbits (find out more at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.peacebunnyisland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">peacebunnyisland.com<\/a>). These activities happen at the cottage, where all the rabbits live. Caleb and his team use the houseboat to take rabbits to Peacebunny Island, where they\u2019re trained to sit calmly with people, be petted and snuggled, and not wander off. Sometimes Scout troops will visit the island to watch the rabbits. It\u2019s also a great place for Caleb to just get away and <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/3-reasons-to-renew-your-appreciation-of-nature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">take in the beauty of the river<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Jacob, one of his fellow Eagle Scouts, emerges from his tent, making sure the embers of last night\u2019s campfire are completely out. Their pal Kaden packs up the hammocks.<\/p>\n<p>Spotting his mom Stephanie\u2019s bright orange canoe in the distanc<img decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-32526\" alt=\"\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed2.jpg\" style=\"float:right\" width=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed2.jpg 1938w, https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed2-340x223.jpg 340w, https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/peacebunnyisland_embed2-768x504.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/>e, Caleb knows they have less than 30 minutes to finish up. The boys have permits to drive the houseboat, but they still need an adult on board.<\/p>\n<p>By 9:30 A.M. the boat is back at the marina where it\u2019s kept.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHi, Peacebunnies!\u201d comes a young girl\u2019s voice from near the dock. She runs over and squeals with delight, bending down to nuzzle Huck with her nose. \u201cWho is the cutest bunny ever?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a Bunny Boot Camp this afternoon,\u201d Stephanie tells her. \u201cWe\u2019d love to see your family at the cottage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They make a pit stop at home, where Caleb showers and changes out of his clothes. It was nice to spend the first few <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/inspiring-summer-quotes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">days of summer<\/a> on the island, but he has work to do.<\/p>\n<p>With a picnic lunch\u2014and carrots for Huck and Tator Tot\u2014in the car, they head to the farm, where Caleb\u2019s dad is already tending to the rabbits in Peacebunny Cottage. On the 20-minute ride, Caleb looks over the week\u2019s schedule. \u201cFive day cares, two libraries, a team to the veterans home, a birthday party, plus the senior home crew and the detention center. Fence repair and science camp.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Soon visitors arrive at Peacebunny Cottage, a foster family ready to take their rabbit home, along with a few weeks\u2019 supply of food.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited you get to help care for this furry friend over the full two months,\u201d Caleb says to the family\u2019s son, who\u2019s eight, the same age he was when he got Snickers. <\/p>\n<p>When Bunny Boot Camp is over, Caleb takes a break in the hammock. Oreo, a Mini Rex with velvety fur, stretches out on top of him. Soon family and friends will be arriving for Pasture Buddies, held every Sunday evening. Dozens of bunnies munch on clover and wildflowers in the grassy fields while Caleb and his friends play catch. Other guests <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/the-positive-power-of-celebrating-the-sunset\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">enjoy the warm glow of the sunset<\/a> while one of them plays the guitar. After the bunnies are returned inside, guests are invited to gather around the firepits for a Bible devotion, singing and sharing.<\/p>\n<p>As dusk falls, Caleb says goodnight to the bunnies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a lot of work,\u201d says Caleb, who still can\u2019t believe he\u2019s guardian to hundreds of rabbits. \u201cBut bunnies <a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/7-ways-to-litter-the-world-with-joy-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bring so much joy into the lives of others<\/a>\u2014and into mine as well.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Huckleberry, always near Caleb, twitches his ears one way, then another. He agrees wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n<p><em>For daily animal devotions, subscribe to\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/shop\/product\/all-gods-creatures-magazine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>All God&#8217;s Creatures<\/strong><\/u><\/a><em>\u00a0magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The sun peeks over the treetops, casting a glow inside Caleb Smith\u2019s tent at 6:30 in the morning. The Mississippi River gently laps against the houseboat moored on the sandy bank near the site where he and his friends like to camp out when the weather is nice. A gentle nudge from the edge of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":27123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[317,16,11,55,51,39,68],"ppma_author":[1197],"class_list":["post-16864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-stories","tag-all-creatures","tag-god","tag-helping-others","tag-inspiration","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-joy","tag-summer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How a Boy Turned His Dream of Training Comfort Rabbits into a Reality - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a Boy Turned His Dream of Training Comfort Rabbits into a Reality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The sun peeks over the treetops, casting a glow inside Caleb Smith\u2019s tent at 6:30 in the morning. 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