Volunteering at a shelter soon

[kirbyultra]

My husband went to Petco last week and said he found 2 rabbits up for adoption at petco and the lady running the event said there are rabbits who can use volunteers at the ACC uptown. Side note - some Petco stores here have started to let rabbits live at their location while they await someone to adopt them. Petco did the right thing and stopped selling rabbits last year and are now partnering with shelters to promote rabbit adoption

The woman there is going to help hook me up with someone who runs the rabbits at the shelter to let me volunteer maybe on Saturdays. I'm excited to do this. She said a lot of thewomen who are involved with rabbits there are really knowledgable and I can learn a lot from them.I really look forward to doing something for the poor buns who don't have a forever home. I'd be helping to clean their cages, exercise the buns, and assess health, etc. I didn't know there were organizations with establishments in the city where I could volunteer exclusively to work with rabbits. Plenty of dog and cat shelters, and there are rabbit orgs that are more like a network of foster care homes. I'm glad we came upon this Petco event.

Husbun and I have been donating money to various rabbit shelters we've encountered but I am excited to now do something actively to help. I just have to resist the urge to take them all home...

 

[jessicalovesjesse]

inkbouce:
Good for you!
I wish I lived near any shelters that housed buns, we are all dogs and cats around here.

 

[slavetoabunny]

That is so wonderful for you and, of course, the bunnies. Our Petco in Ocala has a habbitat for our bunnies, but our lcoal store here in Daytona is old and very small. They apologized for not having room for an adoption center, but are extremely accommodating for our twice-monthly adoption events.

 

[pla725]

It is well worth it volunteer. I volunteer twice a monthat the only no kill shelter in the area. The rabbits enjoy the time I spend holding them. Most of the time I bring veggies which they don't get very much of. I like spending the time there and am looking to adopt at least one bun from there.

 

[irishbunny]

Congrats! I would love to do something like that but there are no buns in shelters here, but I guess that is a good thing

 

[Maureen Las]

Two of our rabbits at the shelter live at our local petco. I think this is great.; you will be able to determine whether the applicants are appropriate rabbit owners and also will be able to do a lot of teachingto newbies which will really help the buns.
I am involved in all of this at our shelter. you will love it and it is extremely rewarding . You really will be helping those rabbits get the right homes.

 

[BethM]

That's awesome! I don't think any of the shelters in my area take volunteers for any specific animal. There is a chapter of HRS here, though, and I volunteer with them.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

It can be addicting. I am going in atleast twice a week to feed and care for the bunnies. On average, the shelter has 50 rabbits, but totals can run up to 200 rabbits. I made arrangements with one of the local grocery stores to pick up fruits and vegetables, so I can give to the rabbits. Whatever the shelter needs, Iget them wood pellets, bales of hay and treats.

Recently I became a foster, and took in three sick bunnies to care for.

I just spent 5 hours at the shelter today.

 

[Maureen Las]

Pet_Bunny wrote:

It can be addicting. I am going in atleast twice a week to feed and care for the bunnies. On average, the shelter has 50 rabbits, but totals can run up to 200 rabbits. I made arrangements with one of the local grocery stores to pick up fruits and vegetables, so I can give to the rabbits. Whatever the shelter needs, Iget them wood pellets, bales of hay and treats.

Recently I became a foster, and took in three sick bunnies to care for.

I just spent 5 hours at the shelter today.

LOL Stan

it is addicting because the bunnies need you!

Ithink that is just wonderful that you provide for so many.


Absolutely wonderful!
We only have a few rabbits

at a time and yet I am always doing something .. I help with rats , guinea pigs , hamsters rats and rabbits etc .. all the little critters

Ioften spend a lot of time there also

 

[kirbyultra]

I am so excited!!

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Atta girl, Helen! :hug:
Thanks to all you foster moms/dads and volunteers. What you do is amazing!

 

[kirbyultra]

Hiya!

I went for the first time this past Saturday and I am going again this Saturday. It was sort of odd in the beginning. It was my first Petco adoption event and I was expecting to sort of help the main lady who does the event at that location. 2 things happened - the coordinator forgot to tell her I was coming anda bunny vet emergency at the shelter meant the coordinator had to take the bunny to the vet and left her to take care of things at the shelter....leaving me alone at Petco!

Er, so the Petco staff didn't know me and it was interesting how they just let me in and set up the rabbits, handle them, and so on. I put the buns out in their pens and people started to come by. It was awkward because I didn't really know their procedure and what adoption entailed per their policy. One of the buns didn't even have her adoption papers present because she was new (replacing a bun who got adopted last week).

The lady finally came a couple hours later and was shell-shocked to find the bunnies already there.She and Igot along well though, andI learned from her what to tell people... I was really quite surprised at how many people own rabbits, how many of them are parents who got them for their kids "recently" (read:holiday present) and have no idea how to care for them.We did a lot of advising, everything from basics ("what do I feed my rabbit?" "What kind of cage or carrier should I buy?") to tricky stuff ("My bunny gets sick all the time, what am I doing wrong?")

The experience was very positive. Even though it was shaky in the beginning, it felt so rewarding because I felt like I indirectly made a difference in somebuns' lives. Some owners literally had no idea what they should be doing to sustain a rabbit's life. Some owners were doing generally the right thing with some bloopers. Some people had some misconceptions about house rabbits. It was so cool to talk about rabbit care and see people's eyes light up as they took in the info. And as people ask for advice, bystanders get to hear some information just by standing there and admiring our beautiful bunnies.

Speaking of the bunnies... my gosh, there was one BEAUTIFUL silver marten mix bun that had my heart. Her personality is just fantastic. I think she'll win some slave over very soon. My husband didn't help. He kept telling me that if I walked out of there with her that he would be ok with that. Sheesh! :shock:

I felt so generally bad for the bunnies though. I mean, if one volunteer forgets to go to Petco to feed them, they just ... don't eat The timmy hay they eat is Petco brand, which is better than nothing, but it's really not great quality and the pieces are very short. They hardly get any veggies it seems. Their GI tract in general could be better. For the 4 hours I was there with them, all 3 of the buns up for adoption pooped really smushy, misshapen poos. One of them unloaded some cecals. It just didn't seem really right... I know their health could be better. I know they're shelter buns. I just feel so terrible that they don't have a home to call their own The lady rushed over from the shelter to Petco so quickly that she forgot to bring the buns who live at Petco their greens. So they didn't have any greens to eat I brought some parsley with me that day since I had extra after making salads for my boys, but it was only a couple springs per bun. They were so happy munching on the greens. It breaks me heart to think about them being there all alone, sitting in the locked bird room all day. I forgot to ask if the volunteer who feeds them daily also takes them out for an exercise. I hope so They have decent size cages, but ... it's just a cage.

It wasn't the shelter volunteer experience I expected, but this Petco adoption program is a different twist on things. And it is really wonderful to know that I am making a difference in somebun's life. Even if it is one day a week.

I went home and couldn't wait to hug and kiss my bun buns!! They are so lucky. They are SO spoiled

 

[NorthernAutumn]

:hug: I am so happy you are there. You truly are making a difference in the lives of these buns. Glad you are so confident and able to communicate well with new bunny parents! You've got the "magic touch", Helen!

:hugsquish:

 

[kirbyultra]

Hehe thanks Autumn. I don't know about communicating "well" but I'm learning. I think every little bit of info ulimately helps however well or not I try to deliver it. Helps owners if they have a bun, helps prospective owners get familiar, helps the organization get the word out about house rabbits... And helps the buns out there possibly get a new home. I hope to get better at educating the general public (aka "anyone who'll listen" lol) about rabbit care, with what I've learned so far in my one yearish experience with Kirby and Toby and of course all the knowledge I've picked up from everyone on RO.. I already bombard everyone in my family, circle of friends and at work with bunny info!!!

 

[hln917]

Great job Helen! I was really expecting to read that Kirby and Toby has a new sibling!:biggrin2:

 

[kirbyultra]

Don't think I wouldn't have taken that girl home if only I had space!