Dane County Humane society!

[mocha200]

I was looking at there website the other day and found the cutes bun EVER! She was a blue dutch or somthing and here name was Lula! She is sooooo cute! i showed here to my mom and she thought she was cute to!then i was looking through the pages of buns they have there and she said ” wow do they really have that many bunnies there?” and i was like ” yeah! thats why i want to go there so bad.” and she said ” maybe we can go there next thursday” i was sooooo thrilled! i hope we go!

 

sorry just had to share my excitement!

[jerseygirl]

I had to go look at her and all the others. Sweeties! But don’t get your heart set on seeing Lula as she is marked as in foster care. I though she was a baby but it says she’s been waiting for adoption the longest!

[MirBear]

ooh they are all so cute! such unique looking buns. Yuki is my fav colour though

[mocha200]

oh Jerseygirl i didn’t notice that! how would i be able to see her? could i arrange for her to come to the shelter the same day?

[RabbitPam]

Jersey has a point. I was so disappointed when I found out that the biggest shelter near me, an hour away at least, posted the same dozen pix or so on Petfinder and never changed them out. They have about 80 bunnies at a time, and with understaffing and volunteers they just can’t keep up with posts, so you just call and make an appointment to see whoever is there at the time.

A bit like the 40 year old who posts his college graduation picture on a dating service. Basically accurate, but often disappointing.

[mocha200]

so i just call and ask to see her? the thing is i am not allowed to get another rabbit, but, i am really, really interested in meeting her and seeing her personality.

[jerseygirl]

You could always ask if they have adoption events and if the foster are brought in for that. But if you’re not looking to adopt then I don’t expect they’d arrange a meeting….sorry! There’ll be lots of cuties to distract you though I expect.

@RabbitPam, you’ve mentioned thinking about doing some volunteering….would doing the adoption posters appeal to you?  You’d be really good at it!

[mocha200]

yeah i figured that. oh well. they do got allot of buns there. i can’t wait! i hope we end up going!

[RabbitPam]

mocha, I’m a bit confused. You said you’re not allowed to get another bunny (always a difficult decision 3 weeks after the impulse when you’re struggling with the whole bonding challenge) by your parents I assume. Your mom is giving you a very hard mixed message. If you go look at a bunny, you will naturally want a new bunny. If you go to an adoption fair, you will naturally want about 47 new bunnies. ;0

I think your mom needs to be straight with you. I think you currently have your hands full with your pair. If she is serious about getting another bunny, she needs to talk it over with you, discuss where a new bunny will reside, agree to the expense of care for the long term, and possibly make it her own bunny to introduce to the household so you don’t have the work of making it work. Otherwise, she’s not being straight with you. Does that make any sense? I don’t want to see you get psyched, make a trip there, fall in love, and then have Mom back out by saying “I told you no more bunnies.” It’s like going shopping at your local bakery while on a diet.

The best way to be satisfied with your current family when you find yourself tempted to get more is to avoid looking at those ads and websites. We had some members who learned after serious heartbreak that an impulse bunny often doesn’t work out and they had to say goodbye and rehome really quickly. It was so hard. Please just be very clear with your Mom about what’s going on and where you stand BEFORE you visit.

You can consider volunteering at a shelter in person, or be a volunteer at adoption fairs if they are closer to you, in order to see and interact with more bunnies than your own. A passionate bunny slave can get a cutie adopted out to a good home much more easily than someone who doesn’t know about bunnies. You’d be a miracle sales/volunteer for a shelter if you decided to help get them adopted. But at the end of the day, go home to your own babies.

Jersey, that’s a good idea. I am clueless about how to get in touch with shelters out of state. (Any in Australia you know? That would be so cool.)

[Sarita]

Mocha, if you aren’t allowed, I strongly recommend you resist the temptation to meet any new rabbits. It will just make you sad that you cannot take them.

Also you mentioned how long it takes you to clean Mocha and Lulu’s cage – 1 to 2 hours – do you want to have to do this with a new rabbit – I wouldn’t.

I don’t see a point either in contacting them if you aren’t allowed to get another rabbit. I think you should just enjoy your two especially now that they are bonded. You did such a great job getting them bonded.

[Beka27]

Mocha, you know I have your back and I’m so proud of everything you’ve done with your two babies. But I’m going to give it to you straight:

Do not go look at these bunnies. Rescues are looking for homes for their rabbits. That’s it. They are not a petting zoo, they are not a rabbit exhibit. It is inconsiderate of you to (more or less) waste their time in making an appointment and showing you multiple rabbits if you are not looking to adopt right now.

You said:
so i just call and ask to see her? the thing is i am not allowed to get another rabbit, but, i am really, really interested in meeting her and seeing her personality.

A hypothetical situation for you: What happens if she has the most amazing personality in the whole entire world?! What happens if she knows tricks, can fetch, is littertrained perfectly, is a lap bunny, never sheds, is in perfect health…?

Nothing happens… because you can’t adopt her.

I don’t want you to put yourself thru the stress and heartbreak of finding the right bunny at the wrong time. Please don’t meet these bunnies.

There is a band you’ve probably never heard of called Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Four men with amazing talent. They have a song that goes like this:

“If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with…”

I’m going to twist that a bit to mean… love the bunnies you have. They will not be with you forever. You may potentially adopt many buns over the years. There is always time for meeting bunnies later when you are looking to adopt.

We all care about you Mocha, and we want you to be happy.  You are very lucky to have two rabbits right now, both cared for and bonded.  You have a beautiful home for them.  They are very lucky bunnies.  Count your blessings.

[mocha200]

No No! I totally do NOT want a rabbit. i do NOT want to have more work than i have already. i don’t have enough money ether and i don’t have any space to keep her. the thing is, i have never been to a shelter that had rabbits at it, and my dream is to work at a shelter then when i am old enough to run one. i am just curious. BUT i totally under stand you guys i have never been tempted to get a rabbit sense i got lulu last October, but i will admit i have been interested in Lula but i can’t take her because the adoption fee is like $100 dollars or something and i am saving to go to a camp next summer. My mom is still not sure if we can go anyways.

[Sarita]

Oh, okay, now I understand. Hopefully one day you will be able to volunteer at an animal shelter that adopts out rabbits.

[mocha200]

yeah i hope so to. but this one is the closest to us and it is about one and a half hours away! so i think i might end up volunteering at our local one cuz i love all animals and they sometimes have rabbits or other small animals. but our shelter is picky so i have to wait a few years before i can volunteer at the shelter.

[Beka27]

If you want to see the way a shelter is run and operates, then I understand your desire to go. But I would also explain to the shelter (ahead of time!) that you want to tour the rescue, but you are not going to adopt another bunny. It’s best to be upfront about what your intentions are.

It’s really hard for many of us to see bunnies that need a home and be able to easily walk away from the situation. This is one of the reasons I do not go to petstores that have bunnies for sale, b/c sometimes it’s hard to not want them all. You’re fortunate in a way b/c you have a limit that has been set upon you by your parents. And it’s really good that you learn this level of restraint now. Once you become an adult and can decide for yourself, you don’t want to end up acquiring more bunnies than you can reasonably care and provide for.

[mocha200]

I never want more then 2 buns at a time! way to much. maybe some day and i am a stay at home mom or something but other wise no.

beka: can’t you just go and look? do you have to call? i was planing on just doing what we do at our shelter, just show up and ask to see the cats and bunnies.

[Beka27]

At some rescues you can just go, but some places don’t always have volunteers available. I would prefer going at a time when there were people there to talk with, and you’re not going to know that unless you call ahead and speak with them about what the best time is for them. Also, I wouldn’t want to go and inconvenience them when they were in the middle of cleaning or feeding. ESPECIALLY considering you have to drive over an hour to get there, what if you show up, ask to see them, and the shelter says you’re not able to at that time for whatever reason. Or if they don’t HAVE any bunnies (they all suddenly were adopted or placed into foster homes). That would be a wasted trip. You are going to need to plan ahead.

I think 2 buns is the perfect number. You get your “multiple bunny fix”, you get to see them interact, but it’s not much more work than having one.

[RabbitPam]

I agree with what Beka had to say. Also, it is very important that you let the rescue know in advance why you are coming. I have a different take on it.
I work at a non-profit arts organization. We use volunteers heavily to operate the day to day business, and they are dedicated and fabulous. We always recruit new vols. There are some who show up with a personal agenda, well known to us, to get to see what we do for free, or try to work their way up into a job (possible, but not in a few days!), or want to socialize or complain about their health. That’s all legitimate, but the one who wanted an art show on our walls cut out 2 hours early twice until she quit when she couldn’t do that. Another was there for an hour when she asked if she could put our organization on her resume while she was job hunting. (a shift is 4 hours. Do it once first, please.) Another loved being with her friend, and completely ignored being trained by me, so was useless. Like a coffee shop without the coffee.

My point is that I wasted hours of my work time training people who didn’t follow through. The notion that you can just browse is a problem – interrupting important feeding and cleaning schedules so the people who are short handed can be ready for their open hours and serious visitors who want to adopt. Imagine caring for 20 without enough help.

If you are determined to see how a rescue is run (NOT to see that bunny so be honest with yourself and your Mom) then tell them that up front. They may be willing to let you show up and accompany them for a few hours on their rounds, helping them as much as you can during that time. But if it’s just an idea for your future, start with the local shelter and volunteer with a strong commitment to a regularly scheduled time. Let them count on you. You will learn a lot fast, and they will benefit from your assistance.

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