First a pig, now a rabbit. Big bunny joins SFO’s Wag Brigade
The Easter Bunny is getting ready to make the rounds. So now seems a very good time for San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to welcome Alex the Great, a 28-pound (and still growing) rabbit to its team of certified stress-relief animals known as the Wag Brigade.
Until now, the brigade has been staffed by a pack of certified therapy dogs – and a Juliana-breed pig named LiLou. But Alex the rabbit seemed to have no trouble at all meeting the brigade's job requirements and nibbling his way onto the roster.
Alex is a Flemish Giant rabbit, which is the largest breed of domestic rabbits and a breed known for being docile and patient when being handled. Those attributes help make Alex well-suited for Wag Brigade work, which includes visiting with often stressed-out passengers in the terminals.
Like the other animals on the Wag Brigade, 15-month-old Alex has gone to a special school and earned an Animal Assisted Therapy license through the San Francisco SPCA.
No doubt is also helps that Alex the Great is already quite the celebrity in San Francisco. The big bunny first leaped into social media prominence last April when its owners, Kei Kato and Josh Row, took their therapy bunny with them to a San Francisco Giants baseball game and he got noticed.
Since then, Alex the Great has been named the Giants' official Rally Rabbit and the Lucky Rabbit's Foot for the Golden State Warriors basketball team. The handsome hare has also appeared in commercials for a variety of products and happily hops his way to many other events around town. On social media Alex now has more than 8,500 followers on Instagram.
Not bad for a sickly baby bunny rescued from a central California rabbit farm.
Related: These 9 Adorable Airport Therapy Animals Will Calm Your Nerves
"We were able to talk the farmer into sparing him from that life and we took him home after a significant amount of money," Alex co-owner Josh Row told TPG via email. "He was covered in fleas and the fur was matted everywhere. We cared for him, and he got healthy, and we quickly saw he had a one-in-a million type of personality."
After Alex earned his Animal Assistance Therapy license, he was eligible to apply for a spot on the SFO Wag Brigade. "But since the requirements and training for the brigade was designed for dogs, it seemed unlikely a rabbit would qualify," said Row. But Alex the Great lived up to his name and passed without an issue. So did his humans, who needed to go through security background checks and a badging process.
Now, as an official member of the SFO's Wag Brigade of trained stress-relief animals, Alex the Great will be hopping through SFO's terminals two to three times a month, between the hours of 10:30 and 1 pm. You'll know he's on duty because he'll be the giant rabbit wearing a "Pet Me" vest. If you're traveling through SFO, check the bunny's Instagram account to see if he's due to appear.
Related: A comprehensive guide to traveling with pets
SFO's Wag Brigade first launched in December 2013 to bring trained animals to the terminals to make passenger travel more enjoyable. Paused during the pandemic, the program returned after a 20-month absence in October 2021 after all the participating animals were recertified by the San Francisco SPCA.
The Wag Brigade is just one example of dozens of therapy dog programs operating at airports across the country. Most are staffed by dogs and their humans, but Denver International Airport's Canine Animal Therapy Squad (CATS) is made up of 80 dogs and a cat named Zelee. And a therapy cat named Stitches is on the team with more 90 dogs on the Animal Ambassadors team at Minneapolis International Airport (MSP).
Related: 9 Animals Around the Globe Worth Traveling to See
Airports with pet therapy program have information on their websites about scheduling, along with profiles of the animal team members. Some airports even have trading cards for each animal. And quite a few airports have charming names for their canine crews. For example, it's the Navigator Buddies at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), the Miami Hound Machine at Miami International Airport (MIA), the K9 Crew at DFW International Airport and Paws4Passengers at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
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