Oh my goodness! I volunteered in the Rabbit Room for the first time yesterday. So many things happened!
So first off, I managed to pick the HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR to take the subway all the way into the city. To be clear, at one point it was 101 degrees out. :grumpy:
I get to the shelter and call Jane to come and get me, and we walk in through Intake, and there's a bunny in one of those glorified guinea pig cages that had just been surrendered. I felt just awful for him, I could see he was shaking with fear from four feet away (and I'm blind as a bat). My first job? Sorting through the only pellets they had, removing all of the corn and kibble crap. I don't understand why they make food for rabbits with 30% food they can't digest. I mean, how much crueler can you be?
So I'm sitting there sorting through pellets, and Mary Cotter strolls in and asks if she can borrow me to bring a Leith condo up to the Rabbit Room! (This is where I realize I'm basically the equivalent of a rabbit fangirl, instantly recognizing her name) So Mary immediately puts me to shame, as she easily takes the heaviest piece and effortlessly gets it past the desk and up the stairs and I follow awkwardly with the lighter piece and still manage to almost die tripping over a cat trap. :rollseyes:
Jane asked Mary to check on a couple of the newer rabbits. One lop was classified as a chryptorchid male (meaning his bunny ballies were on the inside). Mary flipped him over with no protests from the bunny and started clipping at matts he had on his feet. It was crazy! The bunny was so calm while she was basically shearing him, and at one point he started to lick her hand! She also looked at a chubby female lop that had been housed with the male and found a big huge scab over her tail that no one else had spotted. It was great to watch her. I was still sorting the pellets across the room, and she called me over to show me. She carefully removed most of the scab, explained that what I thought was an infection was actually a sign that it was healing nicely, and cleaned and applied Healex to it. Again, the bunny didn't seem to mind, only seemed grateful! I also got to hear alot about how heat during surgery and recovery helps buns bounce back significantly quicker, so I'll be asking Dr. Stanzione if his surgery table is heated. Apparently most are.
Mary had to leave after an hour or so, and then it was just me, Jane, and the bunnies! And they were SO great. In honor of their being the first bunnies I worked with, I'm going to mention each. Because who doesn't want to hear about bunnies? :clapping:
Reba! Reba was the first bun I recognized from my Petfinder research. XD I walked up to her cage and offered a finger for a sniff, and she licked my whole hand! Such a sweetie. Reba is TEN AND A HALF POUNDS. Easily the biggest bun I've ever met. XD
This little guy is Rabby. He was the bun that was surrendered while I was there. You can't tell from this picture, but he has the most gorgeous markings! He was pretty chill for all he'd been through, too. He was in a room with dozens of people coming and going, then went to medical to be poked and prodded, carried up to the RR past a ton of dogs who were all barking, and what did he do when we let him out? A big ol' bunny flop.
This bunner is Raoul. Raoul came to the shelter with a big bite on his lip, most likely from another bun. He seemed skittish at first in the pen, but he enjoyed sprinting figure eights through my legs and when I started to pet him, he loafed. I get the feeling he'd really enjoy a nice quiet home.
This little sweetie is Jessica. She's very young, only six months old. She was very curious about me walking up to her cage, and when I let her sniff me, she chinned my hand. XD She had such beautiful big eyes!
This is Frankie, the "chryptorchid". It's in quotations because Mary felt there was a good chance he'd simply been neutered. There were NO ballies in evidence, which would be very rare for an actual chryptorchid. (I know I'm spelling that SO wrong, someone feel free to correct me)
Tosia and
Zuzia were originally housed with Frankie. They were both adorable, of course. I'm 90% that Tosia was the chunky one with the big scab over her tail. When I first went to say hi to these girls, they were both face first in their box, practicing their synchronized digging. XD
Now I've saved my favorite for last....even though normally I hate to play favorites, I just couldn't help it. No one in the Rabbit Room could.
This is Jessy. Jessy was found wandering the streets in the Bronx, that gray marking on her back is actually a big grease stain. She most likely got it from hiding under cars. Jessy, without a doubt, has the biggest personality of any bun I've ever met. She shredded the paper lining her cage and was doing bunny 500's with a piece hanging out of her mouth. We took her out and put her in the pen, and she wasted not one second in doing laps around the whole thing. I got in with her and she immediately began circling me. I sat down, and she did like five binkies in a row, ran around me a couple of times, then hopped right onto my lap! As if that wasn't friendly enough, she then put her paws up on my chest and gave my nose a little lick! She was the spunkiest little girl ever! List of adjectives used by Mary, Jane, and myself to describe her: Insistent, vivacious, demanding, spunky.....she was just such a character!
I loved all the buns, but Jessy....I wanted to bring Jessy home. XD Jessy would be a fitting princess, indeed. And she would LOVE a cotton tail cottage! She was having so much fin bouncing around her cage and hopping on and off of her box, I know she'd be going crazy from one level to the next.
So basically, I'm a regular volunteer from this point on. XD And it's probably too early to tell, but I think I'm making the right choice in going back to school to be a Vet Tech. Sure, seeing animals that have had horrible things happen to them is incredibly depressing, and you CAN'T save them all, but being able to help SOME, and knowing you do everything you can for them....I think I would be ok if I could do that much for them.
