Captured a loose rabbit....

[TinysMom]

Amy - can I just say that Finley sounds like a real keeper? I like his attitude and the fact that he supports you in this.

 

[JadeIcing]

Finley rocks! Make sure he knows we think this.

 

[Haley]

Let me think on it...not sure with so many wedding expenses. Hazel is the dutch girl I bonded to Max and Basil before they died. She needs a buddy and won't bond to Biggie Max (he is very independent and wont snuggle or lick her so she gets mad).
Is he heating ok? Just wondering if skinny + licking lips could mean possible teeth issues??

 

[LuvaBun]

JadeIcing wrote:

Haley would be an awesome mommy to this little guy. We know how she is a sucker for the dutch bunnies.

I agree . The little guy would be so spoiled and loved!

Jan

 

[undergunfire]

No email back yet from the person who matched his description. I'm hoping they email back, so we can know his real age!

Haley....his teeth look normal and he eats like a champ . When I send him in for his neuter (thinking about doing so next Monday), then I can have them check for spurs - and also just give him a total check-over. Of course, if you do want to adopt him and would prefer him to be neutered when he gets to you, then we can wait. No pressure though - I realize it is a big decision.

We are thinking about calling the little bun "Sawyer" (like from "Lost"), "Bryson", or "Riley". All of my fosters get names, the buns especially - they get people names.

 

[Violet23]

OMG he is sooo cute, and so far away from me Otherwise I'd take him in a heartbeat, I love's me some Dutchies! Hope the vet appointment goes well too

 

[undergunfire]

For anyone who is interested....I am going to be updating pictures, information, and stories on this bun in my blog (which you can click on the link under my avatar). I'm about to post up a lot of pictures and such right now .

 

[dainerra]

remember that, depending on your area, you can be charged with theft if you decide to keep or rehome the bunny. Most areas have a requirement for listing found animals so that owners can reclaim them - just like the holding time at an animal shelter.
Unless you can get the owner to sign the bunny over to you, they could call the cops and have them come take the bunny from you. Provided, of course, that they can prove that this is most likely their bunny - location it was found in, etc etc
Just wanted to point this out because I know more than a couple people who have tried to do this with lost dogs. My husband used to be a cop and he has had to go out on more than one call like this - though dogs and not bunnies.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We had neighbors behind us that had a little bunny in a hutch in their backyard. I came home one day and she was in my front yard and came right to me--she was a real sweetie. A couple days later I caught them in their front yard and asked them how their bunny was--"some friends of ours took her and have her now". They just dumped her, so, we kept her. If you can get the little here or near here we have a great place for him.

 

[undergunfire]

dainerra....The person has no idea who I am and hasn't responded back to me when I had emailed them back. So, I really have no worries of someone calling the cops on me about a "stolen" bunny.

Larry and Nancy....I can definitely keep you guys in mind! Haley has first dibs if she is interested, but if not then we can discuss it. We could even come to Vegas and make it a trip if there is something going on out there....drive out there in the morning, spend the night, then drive home the next day.

 

[dainerra]

yeah, I hope that you can get the bunny a great home.
I just wanted to be sure that everyone knew that you (generic you) can't decide that a stray animal is better off with someone other than the owner. It's sad that the laws are so lax regarding what counts as taking care of a pet.

 

[Ponyta]

I've skimmed this a bit, some of it was to lengthy...

But, I feel it's very wrong for you to keep the rabbit based on it smelling like Cedar and being loose. Perhaps the owner didn't know that Cedar is bad for rabbits? Someone even admitted in this thread they didn't know. You should give them the benefit of the doubt, and educate them.

If I were that rabbits family, I would be very hurt and offended if someone found my rabbit, posted an ad, inquired further and then didn't return it. That isn't animal abuse, that's ignorance.

There was just a story a month or so ago about a man who's white husky bolted out the front door and ended up being posted on craigslist and re-homed, despite the person who found the animal receiving an e-mail from the owner claiming her.

I disagree fully with your decision. If there's already a home for the bunny that needs a minor lesson in bedding, don't take up space in a shelter that another homeless bun could use.

 

[petalfuzz]

I have to post because we rescued our Chestnut and she is a black/white dutch too! We snatched her up from out of my parents yard.

We did not post a "found" ad anywhere. My parents live in the country and she would have been eaten by hawks within hours--or hit by a car or whatever. When she escaped or was abandoned I figured that was the last chance for her owner/breeder. No regrets!

He is so cute! I love him. He sounds like a really sweet bunny though. I'm sure he'll get better care with his next owners.

 

[BooLette]

Ponyta wrote:

I've skimmed this a bit, some of it was to lengthy...

But, I feel it's very wrong for you to keep the rabbit based on it smelling like Cedar and being loose. Perhaps the owner didn't know that Cedar is bad for rabbits? Someone even admitted in this thread they didn't know. You should give them the benefit of the doubt, and educate them.

If I were that rabbits family, I would be very hurt and offended if someone found my rabbit, posted an ad, inquired further and then didn't return it. That isn't animal abuse, that's ignorance.

There was just a story a month or so ago about a man who's white husky bolted out the front door and ended up being posted on craigslist and re-homed, despite the person who found the animal receiving an e-mail from the owner claiming her.

I disagree fully with your decision. If there's already a home for the bunny that needs a minor lesson in bedding, don't take up space in a shelter that another homeless bun could use.

You're entitled to your opinion, but you should really read the whole thread before making such accusations. She isn't taking the bunny to a shelter. In fact a couple of people have offered homes to the little guy.

I think you're doing the right thing Amy. I wouldn't hesitate to do the same, and I'm sure that little Sawyer is glad for it.

 

[JadeIcing]

I also want to mention that the bunny was under weight.

 

[Ponyta]

BooLette wrote:

Ponyta wrote:

I've skimmed this a bit, some of it was to lengthy...

But, I feel it's very wrong for you to keep the rabbit based on it smelling like Cedar and being loose. Perhaps the owner didn't know that Cedar is bad for rabbits? Someone even admitted in this thread they didn't know. You should give them the benefit of the doubt, and educate them.

If I were that rabbits family, I would be very hurt and offended if someone found my rabbit, posted an ad, inquired further and then didn't return it. That isn't animal abuse, that's ignorance.

There was just a story a month or so ago about a man who's white husky bolted out the front door and ended up being posted on craigslist and re-homed, despite the person who found the animal receiving an e-mail from the owner claiming her.

I disagree fully with your decision. If there's already a home for the bunny that needs a minor lesson in bedding, don't take up space in a shelter that another homeless bun could use.

You're entitled to your opinion, but you should really read the whole thread before making such accusations.  She isn't taking the bunny to a shelter.  In fact a couple of people have offered homes to the little guy. 

I think you're doing the right thing Amy.  I wouldn't hesitate to do the same, and I'm sure that little Sawyer is glad for it.

All relevant information should be posted in the OP. I'm not obligated to read every reply. In fact, I read all of the replies from the OP, and anything other then that is moot. You're correct, I do have the right to my opinion, and how I come to my conclusion shouldn't be moderated by anybody.

I don't care whether it's a shelter or somebodies living room, it's still wrong. If you would like to discuss why it may or may not be wrong, with some relevant points, then please feel free to challenge it, but I'm not going to argue semantics so don't waste my time.

Perhaps you find that defensive, but I'm not interested in being attacked because I didn't hop on the gravy train. Take it as you may.

 

[Happi Bun]

Relevant posts continue after the original. This is a touchy subject ... should you consciously look for and then return an animal found lost and neglected? I say animal ownership isn't a right but a revocable privilege. Amy has made up her mind. Currently there is not anyone actively claiming ownership or that can prove it. So technically she has not even denied anyone their animal.

 

[Nela]

I know i will get a lot of crap for this but here goes...

Someone clearly came forward about the bunny, asking if it was a black and white dutch which it is. If she had been honest about the bunny in her possession, probably that would have been that bunny's family. Also, just the sheer fact that someone bothers to look for him means that they care enough to do so. Now, without having given him back or having spoken to them, you may think you have saved this bunny but it's also possible that they will go ahead and simply 'replace' him if they are those types of owners after all. In the end, it might have been better to find a way to educate them and work with them instead of against them.

Also, if you look at the pictures, that bunny looks very clean and healthy enough to me so to downright claim it was neglected enough to merit not being given back is not something I will do.

So many unknowns...

- Is it their first bunny? Did they just not know about cedar? Did they run out of litter and used cedar as a backup til they could get something else? Did they get him from someone recently and haven't gotten properly equipped? Who knows. When I first started out, my own bunnies were on cedar because I thought it was fine. Many of us thought the same when we started out.

- Is this a child's bunny? Is there a child out there sobbing because his or her bunny is missing?

- Did this bunny really have just a tiny standard hutch? Maybe this bunny was quite loved and had more than you assume it had. Was it actually kept outside or did they bring the bunny outside to play and things went wrong?

-If it was kept outside, why did they choose to keep it there? Maybe there were reasons for it.

- Is it at all possible that it be an indoor bunny that got out somehow?

- If he was missing for a few days, is it enough to make him a bit skinny? Is it possible he is recovering from something he had and hasn't put back all the weight on?He really doesn't look like he was starved from what I could see in your pictures.

- If the owners were actively looking for posts about a found rabbit, wouldn't that mean they cared enough for him to look?

I think this may have been a good oppurtunity to share your knowledge and concerns with the owners. It's not like you've seen his hutch, his care, his owners to actually have enough to decide that he was not loved enough. It also really really irked me when you decided that because he is an outdoor bunny, he could not be happy. As you know, my own bunnies are housed outdoors. It's hard not to take offense to that statement. I'm not going to bother arguing with you about it. However, I respect that you have your opinion butI do not respect anyone deciding it's their way or no way at all.

It would have been a very different thing if no one had come forward. But knowing that someone did and you chose to lie to them, when you have such little information to go on, makes me sad.

I could only hope that their isn't a child out there crying for their bunny. I couldn't imagine keeping my neighbor's rabbit because he got out inmy yard a few times and noticed his nails could use a bit of a trim. As much as they may have made certain mistakes, I clearly remember the panic in the little's girls voice when he got away from her. She plays with him everyday after school, and during her lunch break. It's the first thing she does when she gets home.

I think it is very unfair that you have made so many assumptions. Even if his care was left to be desired as per your standards, there are proper ways to handle things. I do not think this was it. You're a cool girl and I like you, but I think you might have jumped the gun in this situation. It's my opinion though and itdoesn't matter what I think in the end...

I just hope that anyone facing a similar situation in the future will consider the unknowns and not jump to conclusions without having any facts.

Just like people can't simply kidnap kids because they think they aren't being raised to their standards, you can't keep a rabbit that isn't yours for the same reasons. There are procedures to follow if you feel there is need to get that bunny out of the family. At least with those procedures, care would be taken to find out if the owners really deserve to lose the bunny or not.

 

[Nela]

Happi Bun wrote:

Currently there is not anyone actively claiming ownership or that can prove it. So technically she has not even denied anyone their animal.

She's rendered it impossible for anyone to do so by giving the wrong information about the rabbit. Someone already came forward looking for a black and white. She recanted and decided to lie and say it was all black instead.

 

[irishbunny]

:yeahthat: