Let this heartwarming tale be the end of what turned out to be a remarkably tough week for all in the family Leporidae. Miss Cooper, the show-stealing bunny kidnapped by cowboys from the window of Alexander Berardi's SoHo boutique, has been returned to her rightful retail home.

Today I had the chance to talk to Miss Cooper's owner, designer Alexander Berardi about her heroic rescue. During the ordeal, Mr. Berardi was visited by famed Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein (his wife's a shopper there) who christened the ordeal "Bunnygate." Sounds about right.

This is how the events of Bunnygate 2012 came to a close: Berardi reports that the culprits, a homeless man and woman, were found out by one of their own after the man had seen a news story featuring the missing rabbit. The homeless bunny savior approached the stetson-wearing bandits and issued the brave ultimatum: "If you don't return him, I will." He then scooped up Miss Cooper, and transported her to the local police station inside the plushest of bunny lodgings: a fish tank filled with Apple Jacks cereal.

The perpetrators were arrested and charged with petty larceny. When asked how he felt after the whole ordeal with his rabbit, Mr. Berardi was sympathetic: "We're just happy to have her back, and hope [the suspects] get the help they need." As for Mr. Berardi: he'd just like to get back to making clothes with his rabbit frolicking up front in the spotlight.

[Image via Alexander Berardi and Kellogg's]