One man and his bunny are on a mission to bring smiles to the faces of Florida’s elders, one song at a time.
Bruce Russack and his bunny Boo Boo are the stars of “Brucie B and the Boo”, a singing show that travels to assisted living facilities around the state to brighten the lives of senior citizens, many of whom are struggling with anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness while living in assisted living or nursing home facilities. The show aims to provide seniors with a new and different form of entertainment - something more engaging and visual than your average guitar player or pianist, with the added benefit of the warmth and softness that Boo Boo the bunny brings to every performance - “almost like a show-and-tell”, according to Russack.
Despite being trained in singing from a young age, Russack admits that he mostly stumbled into performing with Boo Boo on accident.
In 2010, while working for the Department of Homeland Security and undergoing a year full of personal losses, his fiancė Sharon first brought up the idea of getting a bunny, ironically to act as his own emotional support animal at the time.
“I said ‘Sharon, I don’t want a bunny, don’t do it,’” he recalled. “But she kept calling about this three-month-old bunny, and so I said, ‘okay, Sharon, fine.’ She brings Boo Boo (the bunny) home, and the next day, the pet shop had a fire that killed most of the animals. If I had said no one more time, there would be no Boo Boo.”
In 2018, Russack would retire from his job with Homeland Security to form “Brucie B and the Boo”, claiming that his true calling was to “make seniors smile.”
He and Boo Boo would go through two years of training, with the Mellerud bunny learning how to climb stairs, not chew wires, and sit on Russack’s shoulder for shows, where he entertains seniors with songs from the 1950s and 60s - songs that they would have known well in their younger years.
Having performed at over 30 assisted living facilities to date, “Brucie B and the Boo” has received glowing reviews, with assisted living facilities calling it “a standout top performance” that’s “uplifting and heartfelt”.
Russack shared a variety of memories that have come out of his interactions with seniors, with many of them coming up to him after shows to ask if Boo Boo is a real bunny (which he is) and if they can pet him (which they can.)
“You can see it, sometimes - it’s like electricity coming out of Boo into them, and they get so happy,” he said.
While his main mission is to bring even a small amount of joy to assisted living facilities, Russack also likes to work in talks about responsible bunny ownership, especially around Easter.
“I sometimes manage to break away from a song, and tell them, ‘Folks, bunnies are not toys,’” he said. “‘If you’re thinking of buying a bunny for the grandkids for Easter, get them a chocolate one. Bunnies are a commitment, and they need money, and space.’”
Aside from spreading the word about bunnies, Russack has said that he wants the main message of Brucie B and the Boo to be about treating elders with respect.
“We’re all going to become seniors one day, if we’re lucky,” he said. “If you see [an elderly person] struggling…take a step back and think about how one day, that’ll be you. Would you want someone disrespecting you, or would you want someone to reach out a hand and be kind?”
Moving forward, Russack has plans to write a book, titled “If Only Bunnies Could Talk”, highlighting the importance of emotional support animals for seniors battling loneliness, depression, or Alzehimer’s.
Anyone interested in connecting with Brucie B and the Boo or booking a show can contact him at @thefoom on Instagram, or by phone at 954-649-6443.
