rabbits

Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Best Friends Network
No More Homeless Pet program
Kanab, Utah

HRS
Buy a bunny a little time.
Foster a rabbit and find a home for it.

See a picture of Emma here. She is not a rabbit.

The section below - about Best Friends - needs to be updated. In June 2005 I spent 4 days with the rabbits!
Rabbits

I love animals, but especially companion animals - especially pets. I have 2 cats, 2 finches, a hamster, and a dwarf hamster. In the past, as a middle-aged woman having her second childhood, I also had gerbils, guinea pigs, cockatiels - and house rabbits. If my living arrangements allowed it, I would have all of those again. Especially rabbits.

There are many misconceptions about rabbits that I would like to clear up -

Rabbits have individual personalities and can be just as affectionate as a dog or cat.
They can and should be neutered. They like to use a litter box and can do well with cats and dogs.
They need contact with at least one other rabbit, and humans - but not young children.
They will not be happy confined to a cage or hutch. Well cared for, they can live to be 10 years old.

After cats and dogs, there are more rabbits in shelters in this country than any other animal. Many shelters don't have the facilities or knowledge to care for them. Untold numbers or them are destroyed every day. Having a house rabbit is a commitment. The rabbit should be no more disposable than a cat or dog in the event of job transfers, leaving for college, etc.

Having a house rabbit means making some adjustments in your home - with electrical cords and carpets. It means educating yourself about their digestive system and what they cannot eat. Some like to be picked up. Some don't. Some will sit beside you, snuggled close. Some will climb into your lap or jump up on your bed.

HRS was founded by Marinell Harriman, author of House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit. She just came out with the 4th edition. In the past I have bought this book and given it to people who had a rabbit but didn't know much about it. It is a delightful read even if you don't have or want a rabbit.

House Rabbit Society

HRS has chapters all over the world, but their headquarters is in Richmond, California - about 45 minutes from my home. That facility does not accept rabbits from individuals - only from shelters in the area. Fostered rabbits can come in to meet people. Pet rabbits can be boarded.

In the last year, I have spent a number of afternoons there, cleaning habitats, changing litter boxes, petting the boarders who miss their humans, etc.

Learn much more at www.rabbit.org

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

In June 2004 I saw a brochure about this organization. I was immediately struck by the upbeat tone - went to their website and read many many equally upbeat pages. I have been trying ever since to get a job there. That would involve moving to Kanab, Utah - a pathetic little town. But I would do it in a heartbeat.

Last fall I finally got to go visit. That involved three days of driving including a scary windy desert. When I arrived in mid-afternoon, I met with the volunteer coordinator, watched a video that made me cry, and took the official tour. The guide was delightful and the tour informative - but to see any animals up close you need to volunteer. The next 3 days I volunteered in the Bunny House, Feathered Friends, and Cat World.

There are some pictures below, but I am a lousy photographer. I suggest you subscribe to their magazine.

Best Friends

Learn more about this amazing sanctuary, the animals, and the staff at www.bestfriends.org. If you find it interesting, check in often and the content changes. I am a member of the Best Friends Network. Two of their programs are catch-neuter-release, and No More Homeless Pets.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located in Angel Canyon, just outside Kanab, Utah - in the southwest corner of the state.

The picture at the left is the Visitor's Center. In this part of the canyon are horse pastures, burros air-lifted from the Grand Canyon, and some pigs, goats, etc. Of those, the tour includes only a few horses. The scenery all around has been used for many movies and the Lone Ranger TV show.

The main parts of the sanctuary are on the cliffs above.

Scenery on the road from Kanab to Best Friends.

This is Earbie (because of a chewed up ear), who sat in my lap for a long time. He was with 177 other bunnies with a woman who didn't know they can be neutered. They all came to Best Friends and that problem was taken care of.

There are several rabbits in this picture, but you will have to take my word for it. This building will soon be replaced with a new one.

Some of the bunnies are adoptable. Some of them have only known life here, so they would need a buddy or two to be adopted with them. They can all be sponsored.

This is Baby Blue - his eyes are navy blue! He is a Dwarf Bunny, which means he's kind of small. He loves people. The day I was there, he was always under our feet as we went about our chores.

I spent a lot of time in the cockatiel room. At one point, I had one on each shoulder, having its neck scratched.

Seppi and Al

When I was sitting at a table in his room, he (Seppie, not Al) climbed down the outside of his cage, walked over to me, climbed up the table pedestal, and asked me to scratch his back and neck. I was happy to oblige.

I also spent a day in one of several
buildings at Cat World. The one I worked
in had cats with diabetes and with FIV.