House Rabbit Society - The front line of Rabbit Rescue

Anne talks about the House Rabbit Society and her journey and passion that helped become a part of this amazing endeavor.  - Jennifer

Making a Direct ImpactMy partner is allergic to cats, but we were interested in having a companion animal.  After visiting the rabbits at Oakland Animal Services and discovering he wasn't allergic, we adopted our first rabbit, Chibi.  When we were in the process of adopting a second rabbit to keep Chibi company, we started volunteering at the shelter.  I could quickly see how helping the animals in the shelter directly saved their lives, and I knew I could use my skills to help the animals.  After volunteering for Oakland Animal Services for a few years, I volunteered and served on the board of Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary.  During this time, I was working on my PhD in City & Regional Planning - I was tackling big societal issues and not feeling I was making a big impact in my research.  In both working directly with animals, in advocating for them, and encouraging people to move towards a plant-based diet to be kinder to animals, I could see the direct impact of my work every day.  When I completed my PhD, I had the opportunity to join House Rabbit Society as the Shelter Director, and am now the Executive Director - I can see the many ways House Rabbit Society helps animals (and people!) every day.

House Rabbit SocietyHouse Rabbit Society is a 501c3 non-profit rabbit rescue & education organization.  Rabbit.org is widely-considered one of the top resources internationally for rabbit care information.  Our headquarters is located in Richmond, CA, and we have chapters (independent 501c3s) across the country and internationally.  At our headquarters, we have rabbits available for adoption who have all been rescued from the euthanasia lists of local shelters, we operate a low-cost spay/neuter clinic for rabbits for the public, we produce the House Rabbit Journal publication, and we provide small grants to other rabbit rescues & shelters dealing with emergencies with large groups of rabbits.

Anecdotes - Saving RabbitsA month ago, I was contacted by a staff member at a local shelter - a rabbit had been surrendered by his family with the request to euthanize him because he had an underbite, causing his teeth to grow very long quickly, and they were hoping House Rabbit Society might be able to rescue him instead.  We took him in, and we had his incisors extracted a few days later.  Rabbits do great without their front teeth - they can eat hay, pellets, and greens normally, they just need carrots cut smaller for them.  He made a quick recovery and after a follow-up exam, he was cleared for adoption.  Last week a very nice family came in and met him, and they took him home this weekend.  One month changed this rabbit's life completely!But it takes a village to help even just one rabbit - from the staff and volunteers at the local shelter who help the animals and reach out to rescue, to the volunteers who drive to pick up the rabbits at the shelters & take them to vet appointments, to the staff and volunteers at House Rabbit Society that buy the greens, care for the rabbits, give them medications, and take their photos and post them online, to the vet who does the surgery on short notice and provides a rescue discount, to the donors and supporters that make these expensive surgeries possible, and to the adopters who open their homes to these rabbits.  Each of us can make a difference to help animals, and none of us can do it alone!

Getting involvedWe're always looking for adopters, fosters, and volunteers!  Check out rabbitcenter.org for adoptable rabbits, and foster and volunteer information!Join House Rabbit Society as a member - only $20/year - and you'll get the House Rabbit Journal in the mail, discounts on rabbit supplies, discounts on boarding at HRS, and you'll help support our rescue & education work!  Learn more about the benefits of being a member here.

Spread the Idea of Community and CompassionWe depend on a wide community of people who care about rabbits to make our work saving their lives and educating people about them possible.  All of the events hosted by House Rabbit Society headquarters are vegan - it doesn't make sense to hurt some rabbits for food to fundraise to help other animals.  We find that when people fall in love with rabbits, they often think about animals differently afterwards - when you fall in love with an animal that some would eat, it causes you to think about your own diet and whether you want to participate in eating animals.  Many people who fall in love with a house rabbit become vegans & vegetarians.  And it's fun living with an herbivore - you can share salads!

How do you think we can live more compassionately?]I think if everyone adopted a house rabbit as a companion, they would see the world through a more compassionate lens!  Rabbits are one of the most exploited animals - for meat, fur, animal testing, cosmetics, entertainment, and the pet trade.  Once you fall in love with a rabbit, you want to not only protect them, but also protect other animals that suffer in these ways, too.Facts about Rabbits! Rabbits are basically long-eared herbivore cats!  They use a litterbox, hop around your home, and play with toys.  They are the 3rd-most surrendered to animal shelters after cats & dogs, so always adopt if you bring a rabbit into your home - you'll save a life.Donate and Learn moreYou can make a donation to directly support the bunnies here.

Rabbit.orghttp://Rabbitcenter.org

From our Family to Yours...