for domestic rabbits
Foster homes sought
for domestic rabbits
Easter is just around the corner, and there’s no better time to publicize the plight of domestic bunnies in need of a loving home.
The New Jersey House Rabbit Society, a nonprofit welfare organization whose mission is to improve the lives of domestic bunnies, will make a stop at the Old Bridge Public Library this Sunday in hopes of recruiting permanent foster families for the state’s hundreds of abandoned bunnies.
"We would like to build foster homes in the Old Bridge area," said Shelley Stack, the founder of the national House Rabbit Society’s New Jersey chapter who currently houses 14 rabbits in her Matawan home. "Our mission is to educate the public that rabbits are a companion animal. These animals are very smart, even though the public perception is that they are not very bright. They have personality and they have a sense of humor. … They are so cute when they’re in love."
The society has 30 chapters across the United States and aims to educate the public and assist animal shelters through publications on rabbit care, workshops and telephone consultation.
Stack, a lifelong animal lover who became owner of her first rabbit, "Harvey," at age 5, said she established the New Jersey chapter in 1997 after coming across The House Rabbit Handbook, an official bunny care bible written by the national House Rabbit Society Founder Marinell Harriman. "Touched" by the book, Stack immediately contacted the author and asked how she could help.
"She said to me, ‘We don’t have a chapter of the House Rabbit Society in New Jersey. Do you want to start one?’ — I had no clue what that meant at the time," Stack said.
Nearly seven years later, Stack’s organization has found permanent New Jersey foster homes for nearly 300 rabbits.
Because of a lack of volunteers, Stack has fostered hundreds of rabbits in her own garage, including bunnies who are ill, suffer from blindness, or who have experienced animal cruelty.
"My rabbit, Reggie, had his ears cut off," she said.
Stack has also established Bunny Babysitting, a 24-hour hot line for rabbit owners, established a detailed Web site, and organized Bunnyfest, a once-a-year expo in Matawan that provides free nail clippings for bunnies and advice for rabbit owners.
Although the society will provide foster families with money for medical bills and some food, Stack said adopting a bunny is a time-consuming endeavor that requires the care of a diligent foster family.
"You have to let them out of their cage for several hours a day, and you have to supervise them," she said.
As Easter approaches, Stack also warns people not to give a bunny as a gift.
"No animal is a gift," she said. A potential owner "must have the impulse to learn about them."
The House Rabbit Society Volunteer Drive will be held at the Old Bridge Public Library on Sunday, March 21 from 2-4 p.m. Bunny treats will be available. For more information, log onto www.njhrs.com.
— Sandi Carpello