LOVE is a bunny thing. A greyhound which spent years chasing rabbits around the track has made an unexpected best friend – in the form of this fluffy bunny.

Zara, a 10-year-old retired racing greyhound, lives in Weymouth with owner Natasha Roe.

But there’s also another occupier of the household, whose name is Brambles, a three-year-old rabbit.

At first Natasha was wary of introducing the pair as Zara had spent years being trained to chase little creatures like Brambles. But it seems they’ve fallen in puppy love.

“At first Zara did try and nip Brambles.

“Then throughout the summer we had Brambles in the run and Zara would lie next to it,” said Natasha.

“Then we took the lid off the run and Zara took no notice at all. So then I let them be together and they have been best friends ever since.

“Brambles often hops over Zara and she just doesn’t care.”

The pair have gained national attention after Natasha entered their photo in to the Retired Greyhound Trust’s annual calendar competition.

The organisers posted a photo of Zara and Brambles on its Facebook page and it attracted thousands of likes and comments.

A spokesman for the Retired Greyhound Trust said: “We absolutely fell in love with the photograph of Zara and Brambles, which was sent in as an entry for our annual calendar contest.

“Greyhounds are trained to chase a small, fluffy lure so it is really heart-warming to see this rather unusual friendship.

“It just goes to show that greyhounds make wonderful, adaptable pets that are suitable for all kinds of families.

“There are lots of misconceptions about greyhounds as a breed. For example, that they need lots of exercise or that they are totally unsuitable to be homed with smaller animals or children.

“They’re actually very gentle, laid-back dogs that need minimal exercise and, in many cases, can be homed with other breeds of dogs and sometimes cats (or even rabbits).”