How to rehome the world's sweetest rabbit?
December 12, 2018 11:07 AM Subscribe
I need a holiday miracle, Boston/rabbit edition: a friend is caring for the world's sweetest pet rabbit but can't keep it and also can't find a rescue group to take it. The pound will euthanize it. Help.
(First of all I want to say that my friend is an animal lover extraordinaire. If there was a way for her to keep the rabbit, she would. She cannot.)
This adult rabbit is astoundingly friendly, cuddly, and well trained. It uses a litter box reliably. It allows itself to be petted, cuddled, picked up, carried, etc.
Rabbit's current situation: It is in a horrifying living situation because he family that owns it keeps it caged almost always 24/7 in a cage barely bigger than its body, in a dark and cold basement. (These a-holes bought a new dog, and now the dog gets all the attention and the rabbit is forgotten.) THEY SOMETIMES FORGET TO FEED IT. It's straight-up abuse.
My friend is able to spend hours each day with this rabbit and is willing to tell the family they have to give it up. She is making sure it's fed each day. She's literally rearranging her entire life to spend as much time as possible with this poor animal. But she can't keep it, and after January 1 she will not be in this area any longer.
Trying to rehome it she's coming up with dead ends. Rabbit rescue groups say they adopt out only. The pound tells her they basically euthanize all rabbits. She can't find a Boston-area no-kill shelter that takes rabbits.
I need concrete resources for someone who has about 15 days max in which to make this happen.
We don't have a lot of money but we are willing to pay to have a (good) person or group take this amazing animal.
HELP.
(First of all I want to say that my friend is an animal lover extraordinaire. If there was a way for her to keep the rabbit, she would. She cannot.)
This adult rabbit is astoundingly friendly, cuddly, and well trained. It uses a litter box reliably. It allows itself to be petted, cuddled, picked up, carried, etc.
Rabbit's current situation: It is in a horrifying living situation because he family that owns it keeps it caged almost always 24/7 in a cage barely bigger than its body, in a dark and cold basement. (These a-holes bought a new dog, and now the dog gets all the attention and the rabbit is forgotten.) THEY SOMETIMES FORGET TO FEED IT. It's straight-up abuse.
My friend is able to spend hours each day with this rabbit and is willing to tell the family they have to give it up. She is making sure it's fed each day. She's literally rearranging her entire life to spend as much time as possible with this poor animal. But she can't keep it, and after January 1 she will not be in this area any longer.
Trying to rehome it she's coming up with dead ends. Rabbit rescue groups say they adopt out only. The pound tells her they basically euthanize all rabbits. She can't find a Boston-area no-kill shelter that takes rabbits.
I need concrete resources for someone who has about 15 days max in which to make this happen.
We don't have a lot of money but we are willing to pay to have a (good) person or group take this amazing animal.
HELP.
Here is where I would call - https://www.hopline.org/contact-us/ -
It's the local chapter of the house rabbit society, and they may be able to either take the rabbit in or connect them to someone who can.
posted by needlegrrl at 11:17 AM on December 12, 2018
It's the local chapter of the house rabbit society, and they may be able to either take the rabbit in or connect them to someone who can.
posted by needlegrrl at 11:17 AM on December 12, 2018
My friend just adopted a rabbit from a shelter in the burbs; I've asked her which one and will let you know.
posted by gideonfrog at 11:18 AM on December 12, 2018
posted by gideonfrog at 11:18 AM on December 12, 2018
I now see that you said the rabbit rescue group says they only adopt out - apologies if you have already reached out to that one.
posted by needlegrrl at 11:19 AM on December 12, 2018
posted by needlegrrl at 11:19 AM on December 12, 2018
Are there any small petting zoos around? It wouldn't hurt to email/call and check to see if there is one that would take her.
posted by fourpotatoes at 11:27 AM on December 12, 2018
posted by fourpotatoes at 11:27 AM on December 12, 2018
Do not put animals on Criagslist in December. Do not do it.
Post bunny pics on Facebook and offer to your friends or friends of friends only?
If the rabbit is litter trained, can you take him as a foster while working with a rescue that will adopt him out? You will have to rabbit proof your house or get a foldable play fence but a box trained bunny is about a 2 on the 1 - 10 scale of pain in the ass animals.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:30 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Post bunny pics on Facebook and offer to your friends or friends of friends only?
If the rabbit is litter trained, can you take him as a foster while working with a rescue that will adopt him out? You will have to rabbit proof your house or get a foldable play fence but a box trained bunny is about a 2 on the 1 - 10 scale of pain in the ass animals.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:30 AM on December 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: We are trying every bit of personal connection we have -- social media, aquaintances in Boston, etc. There is literally zero ability to keep this rabbit in any way after January 1. Not as a foster, not caring for it in its current circumstances. Zero.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:33 AM on December 12, 2018
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:33 AM on December 12, 2018
What about a local elementary school that might want to teach a unit on rabbits, and would adopt it as a class pet? Not the GREATEST situation for a bunny but better than the alternative. And then maybe a student's family will adopt him afterwards. That's how my family got our sweet Mr. Bun many years ago - we adopted him from my sister's classroom.
posted by silverstatue at 11:45 AM on December 12, 2018
posted by silverstatue at 11:45 AM on December 12, 2018
Hey there, I'm sorry to suggest this in case they told your friend they couldn't help, but if not, it might be a better-than-nothing resort. I've seen rabbits at MSPCA Angell. They are apparently not completely no-kill, but they say on their website that "[i]t is important for you to also know that we do not make euthanasia decision based on length of stay or space. Euthanasia decisions are made when an animal is not thriving in the shelter setting, is unsafe to manage in the shelter, or is not medically or behaviorally sound for adoption." In other words, not ideal, but it sounds like leaving this rabbit in its current awful home would be much worse, and at least at Angell the animal might have a fighting chance. I wish I could take in this bun myself, but we have a tiny apartment with a predator-in-residence.
posted by prewar lemonade at 11:53 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by prewar lemonade at 11:53 AM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
A shelter doesn't have to be no-kill to accept rabbits and not euthanize them just for being rabbits. That might be the policy of the local municipal pound, but other nonprofit open door (the correct term for "kill" shelters) are likely to accept and adopt out rabbits. The Humane Society shelter in my area will basically take anything and try their best to adopt it out. Chickens, reptiles, rabbits, you name it. Google for Boston area SPCA, Humane Society, Animal Rescue League. I googled Boston Animal Rescue League and they even have pigs available for adoption right now.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:04 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:04 PM on December 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Are there any vegan groups who might be able to help? In my experience, vegans tend to be pretty passionate about animal rescue and might know someone who can adopt or foster.
posted by corey flood at 12:21 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by corey flood at 12:21 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not sure which organization you mean when you say "the pound." The largest adoption/animal welfare organization in the Boston area is the MSPCA Angell facility in Jamaica Plain. They definitely do adopt out rabbits (I see 6 listed as available for adoption currently).
posted by firechicago at 12:37 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by firechicago at 12:37 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I can't recommend arl boston enough. They will take very good care of the little fluff ball as soon as she can get it to them.
Feel free to memail if you'd like more info on them.
posted by bowmaniac at 1:11 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Feel free to memail if you'd like more info on them.
posted by bowmaniac at 1:11 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Came to say something similar to silverstatue- maybe ask if the local elementary schools could put an ad in their Xmas newsletter and see if any of the parents would be able to take it.
Hope you find somewhere!
posted by EatMyHat at 1:13 PM on December 12, 2018
Hope you find somewhere!
posted by EatMyHat at 1:13 PM on December 12, 2018
Post on Nextdoor. YMMV, but my neighborhood is extremely animal friendly and people always seem willing and able to help out animals in need.
posted by kitty teeth at 1:43 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kitty teeth at 1:43 PM on December 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't personally have any moral/ethical issue with taking any abused animal away from its owners--far from it! I think you guys are doing God's work here and as a vegan I thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring about and prioritizing the kind treatment of non-human animals.
All that said, I do feel like it's important to note that the rabbit has owners, neither of whom are your friend. As such your friend has no legal right to remove the animal from the owners' home or surrender it to a shelter without the owners' permission. And despite their shitty neglectful abusiveness, the actual owners may need some time to decide whether or not to give it up. It would be terrible to go through all the work of finding a placement for the rabbit only to have the owners decline to relinquish it.
I understand that there is no way your friend can keep the rabbit after January 1. But can she take it between now and then, thus securing ownership, while she looks for a home for it? That way, if bringing it to a shelter is the only option, she can bring it to the ASPCA or ARL as the animal's actual owner. Otherwise she'll basically be stealing the animal, and shelters are generally not OK with receiving stolen animals under (morally sound but) legally questionable circumstances.
posted by jesourie at 1:46 PM on December 12, 2018
All that said, I do feel like it's important to note that the rabbit has owners, neither of whom are your friend. As such your friend has no legal right to remove the animal from the owners' home or surrender it to a shelter without the owners' permission. And despite their shitty neglectful abusiveness, the actual owners may need some time to decide whether or not to give it up. It would be terrible to go through all the work of finding a placement for the rabbit only to have the owners decline to relinquish it.
I understand that there is no way your friend can keep the rabbit after January 1. But can she take it between now and then, thus securing ownership, while she looks for a home for it? That way, if bringing it to a shelter is the only option, she can bring it to the ASPCA or ARL as the animal's actual owner. Otherwise she'll basically be stealing the animal, and shelters are generally not OK with receiving stolen animals under (morally sound but) legally questionable circumstances.
posted by jesourie at 1:46 PM on December 12, 2018
Response by poster: Luckily it turns out my friend has been laying the rehoming groundwork with the owners, and they (a married couple) are now on-board with the idea. So we won't have to steal or otherwise kidnap the rabbit. We probably will have to finesse it as "LOOK AT THIS GREAT HOME WE FOUND!!!" but we can make that work.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:16 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:16 PM on December 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Hi. So we are rabbit people who live in the Boston area. Our previous three bunnies (Grendel, Robocop, and Dr. Beef Wellington) passed on a few years back (ages 13, 14, and 11 respectively) and we'd be willing to look into taking a new fuzzbutt family member. Our eight year old is willing to give up his toy bin so we can make space for an indoor hutch. Most of our rabbit stuff went out in the bin when Beefers passed, but it shouldn't be too hard to build a new setup.
No promises, but drop me a MeMail?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:27 PM on December 12, 2018 [99 favorites]
No promises, but drop me a MeMail?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:27 PM on December 12, 2018 [99 favorites]
Response by poster: Many, many thanks to people who have responded with ideas, leads and Memails. Several of you offered supplies and money to help with the process.
We have made contact with robocop is bleeding, and...I don't want to jinx anything so I'm going to leave it like this for now. Will update as I can.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:10 PM on December 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
We have made contact with robocop is bleeding, and...I don't want to jinx anything so I'm going to leave it like this for now. Will update as I can.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:10 PM on December 12, 2018 [15 favorites]
Please do keep us updated! Fingers crossed for you, the bun, and robocop.
(Also we may have to implement a bunny tax to go along with the cat tax)
posted by tzikeh at 10:02 PM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
(Also we may have to implement a bunny tax to go along with the cat tax)
posted by tzikeh at 10:02 PM on December 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
MSPCA Nevins Farm in Methuen always has a lot of small animals at their shelter. They are a fantastic facility and we have adopted three rabbits from them. I have to stop myself from visiting too often because I want to bring them all home. I'm not sure how far away they are from your friend but I would definitely look into them.
posted by Bresciabouvier at 5:42 PM on December 13, 2018
posted by Bresciabouvier at 5:42 PM on December 13, 2018
Put me down for financial assistance to ensure robocop is bleeding and crew acquire this fuzzbutt. This is what askme is for. Also I vote RIB gets full renaming rights given the proven track record of excellent attention to detail in this area.
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:57 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by allkindsoftime at 8:57 AM on December 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yes! I can help financially to get bun to Robocop! Drop a MeMail if you need to!
posted by tzikeh at 11:32 AM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tzikeh at 11:32 AM on December 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: The bunny has been rescued by robocop is bleeding!!! I'll leave it to him if he wants to say more, but he and his family have adopted the bun.
I am so grateful to them, and to Metafilter in general for being a place where nice things like this can happen.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:22 AM on December 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
I am so grateful to them, and to Metafilter in general for being a place where nice things like this can happen.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:22 AM on December 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Best answer: Yeah, he's currently chilling in the site of his future hutch while my son reads Elephant and Piggy books to him. His porch setup should be arriving soon - I'm converting a closet into a half-in, half-out multi-level hutch so he has privacy and company as he desires.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 1:17 PM on December 22, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 1:17 PM on December 22, 2018 [31 favorites]
Best answer: (some pics)
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:04 PM on December 22, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:04 PM on December 22, 2018 [14 favorites]
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