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Rabbit, run: Tennessee family seeks giant bunny that escaped from cage

An east Tennessee family is hoping to locate their pet rabbit, a Flemish giant that weighs nearly 20 pounds.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An east Tennessee family is searching for its pet rabbit that escaped from its cage Monday, particularly since the weather has turned snowy and the animal is “very spoiled.”

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The rabbit, named Barley, should be easy to spot. He's a Flemish giant, considered to be the world's largest breed of rabbit, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

"He's as big as a dog," Knoxville resident D.J. Corcoran told the newspaper. "He probably weighs about 20 pounds."

Corcoran is the spokesman for the Knoxville Fire Department. Barley, who is just under a year old, belongs to Corcoran’s son, Connor.

Corcoran's wife, Wendy Corcoran, went on Facebook to share the news of the family's missing pet.

"Our grand bunny is missing in North Knox Fairmont Blvd area," she wrote. "Please keep an eye out. He's very large and loving and we love him and want to find him. He's very spoiled so we don't think he can survive on his own."

The post already has more than 1,900 shares, and other animal lovers have joined in the search for Barley.

"We've had nice people show up that we don't know who have been searching," D.J. Corcoran told the News Sentinel. "Everybody's been showing up with pocketfuls of carrots."

Wendy Corcoran said Barley has been a comfort to the family in the wake of the death of her youngest son, Pierce, who was killed in an automobile crash last month, the newspaper reported.

"He's kind of been our comfort rabbit for the past month," Wendy Corcoran told the News Sentinel. "We've really enjoyed it. He's a big baby."