"Why don't some rabbits get adopted?" we are asked. There are several reasons, the most obvious being medical, but many rabbits are passed over because of temperament, physical appearance, age, or a combination of these factors. We need special members to open their homes to these special rabbits and give them permanent sanctuary. If you have toyed with the idea of becoming a fosterer but are concerned that you'd become attached and have a hard time giving up your foster rabbits when someone wanted to adopt them, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

When you adopt a sanctuary rabbit or a pair of them, they will become yours, but HRS will continue to provide for their medical care throughout their lives. If you are unable to take in a sanctuary rabbit, please consider making a donation toward the considerable expenses of these special rabbits. Our chapter is proud to honor its lifelong commitment to "our" rabbits, and your donation will be of tremendous assistance. Or, if you are unable to have a rabbit in your home, consider becoming a sponsor for the sanctuary rabbit of your choice.

The chapter welcomes your ideas on sponsorship;
contact Kathleen to discuss possibilities.
Thank you!

Sona, Lance and Agatha
Sona, a dwarf girl missing her tail and the tips of her ears, was adopted from HRS in 1996 and bonded with Noel (a rabbit from another rescue group) and a lop named Klaus. But in 2000, their adopters decided they didn't have time for the rabbits anymore when they added a human baby to their household, so they returned them to HRS. Because the rabbits were five and six years old, we knew they would not be easy to place.
All three seemed healthy, but we noticed that Klaus was very clumsy. Then at one of our adoption days, he collapsed. We rushed him to the vet but there was nothing obviously wrong. We decided to have all three rabbits tested for E. cuniculi, a parasite that can infect the kidneys and nervous system. Many rabbits silently carry this infection, yet only 12 percent develop symptoms. Klaus and Sona both tested positive but Noel was negative. Because trios are hard to place, when Noel hit it off with a single rabbit at one of our adoption days, we decided to let her go home with a new family. Klaus and Sona remained in foster care and started treatment for E. cuniculi.

Then, another bonded couple, Jackson and Belle, were returned. Belle had been diagnosed with E. cuniculi and had impairment in the use of her back legs and incontinence. Jackson also tested positive for E. cuniculi, and they both started treatment.

In 2002 our chapter manager lost two of her rabbits, leaving her third -- Palmer -- alone. Since Klaus and Sona had been in her care for over a year, the sensible thing was to see if they got along with Palmer, but first we had to test him for E. cuniculi. He was positive but has never shown any symptoms. She introduced Palmer to Sona & Klaus and then to Jackson & Belle. On a whim, she then tried all five together. That looked like it might work so she began to work on the bonding. Unfortunately, it fell apart when Belle and Sona decided they both wanted to be queen, but it worked to have Palmer spent his days with Jackson & Belle, and his nights with Klaus & Sona.

She still had hopes of getting a fivesome together, however. The breakthrough came when she didn't latch a cage properly and found them all together. Apparently Belle had decided to let Sona be the undisputed queen. A week later, Sona licked Belle's face. Finally, a fivesome!

Sadly, three of the five -- Belle (10/03), Klaus (1/04), and then Jackson (1/05) -- have since died. The fabulous fivesome whittled down to two (Sona and Kathleen's rabbit Palmer).  Sona is amazingly healthy for her 10 years.

And now in addition to sharing her life with Kathleen's rabbit Palmer, she is sharing her life with Lance and Agatha.

Lance and Agatha are an adorable little bonded pair who were returned when their guardian moved and decided not to take them with her. They are senior citizens, being about 7 or 8 years old. When they first came into foster care, Agatha had some health issues and recovered nicely. She has a little arthritis in her hips, but she has no trouble getting up and down in her NIC cage and Cottontail Cottage. Lance loves her dearly and grooms her all the time. If she gets taken out for a nail trim, when she is returned, he runs over to make sure she's ok and grooms her face. They are both very sweet. Agatha is a little smaller and is grey, and her little hubby, Lance, is the black one.

Sona bossed them around a little bit in the beginning but now they have settled in to a nice little foursome.  Palmer loved both of them right away.  Although Palmer has some dental issues he is otherwise happy and healthy.  Unfortunately, our chapter manager, Kathleen, is not in the financial position to officially adopt Sona, Lance and Agatha, but they will have a permanent place here with her and Palmer. With the help of our supporters, we will be able to provide for all their medical needs.
Sponsorship for each of them would be most welcome.

More info: Kathleen Wilsbach 

Guinevere and Fergus are two beautiful mini-rexes. Their fur is so soft, like a cloud! Fergus only has one eye because of an abscess. Guinevere is a serious chewer and needs a very bunnyproofed environment with plenty of projects to occupy her. She also has been diagnosed with glaucoma, and needs eye drops in one eye twice daily and close veterinary monitoring of her eye pressure.They had a case of lead poisoning from chewing painted baseboards but several rounds of chelation therapy has resolved this issue. They are currently living with Judi Lainer but would welcome another bunnyproofed sanctuary home.
Sponsorship for each of them would be most welcome.

More info: Kathleen Wilsbach    

Kira and Luke
Kira, a wonderful fuzzy lop, was adopted to be a friend for Luke back in 2000. She was recently returned with Luke to HRS because her adopter's grandchildren are allergic. Kira is 6-years-old and has had a few recurring bouts with Pasturella Upper respiratory infection.  She has been on antibiotics off and on for a couple of years.  She is a very spirited rabbit.
Luke is 9 years old. Several years ago he had surgery for a jaw abscess. Tragically, shortly after being returned to HRS, the infection returned, maybe from the stress of losing his home. He had surgery in which he lost a large part of his lower jaw to the infection. He was a real trooper, but because of the extent of the infection he has had to have several surgeries a long course of antibiotic treatment. Luckily he has Kira to keep his spirits up and give him lots of head licks.  We seem to have finally gotten rid of the infection but Luke will continue to need molar trims as well as soften food.  Both would love a sanctuary home where they could get more individual attention.
Sponsorship for each of them would be most welcome.

More info: Kathleen Wilsbach     

Holly is a cute little girl who can't decide if she is a large Holland lop or a small mini-lop. She is white with some Himalayan coloring on her nose and ears. Holly was turned in to the shelter as a stray, but we later found out from a shelter volunteer that she was really an outdoor hutch rabbit whom someone no longer wanted. When she first came into the shelter, she was terrified and wanted nothing to do with humans. With lots of TLC she has really turned into a nice rabbit. She will cheer you up with her happy go lucky attitude and she always has time for cuddles and chinning your fingers these days. Since being taken into foster care, Holly has had some bad luck and developed some health problems that made her a sanctuary rabbit. On her way home from being spayed, her foster father had a car accident. Everyone was OK, but Holly broke a front tooth that never grew back properly causing her to need her incisors trimmed every few weeks.  She also developed abscesses in both ears. She underwent surgery for the abscesses and is just just fine with some occasional ear cleaning. Because of the trauma to her tooth and her ears, her eyes weep which is taken care of by routinely rinsing the area around her eyes and applying eye ointment.  Holly has found a sanctuary home with a rabbit friend named Hops at Laurie Kuhn's house. She is doing well but still requires vet visits to have her incisors clipped and occasionally she needs her molars filed as well.  Now that Holly is getting up there in age, she also has arthritis (which makes her limp pretty badly) and problems with diarrhea.  Thorough all this she continues to keep her happy go lucky attitude.  What a girl!!
Sponsorship for Holly would be most welcome, to help pay for her medical costs.

More info: Kathleen Wilsbach

Merlin and Tesla are our newest pair of Sanctuary rabbits.  They were returned by the same people who returned Tommy and Maria to us because of a new human baby in the house.  They held onto Merlin and Tesla a bit longer, but about 6 months later, gave them up too.  Merlin is 9 years old and has lost the only home he has ever known.  Luckily he is a resilient guy who adjusted to his new environment very quickly.  Tesla was adopted from HRS 9/03.  She is having a harder time adjusting to losing what she thought would be her forever home.  She's a shy girl who is looking for some stability.  Tesla is a lovely butterscotch colored rabbit with charming airplane ears.  Merlin is a bigger spotted rabbit with one up ear and one lop ear.
Currently both these rabbits are in good health.  They would love a permanent sanctuary home.
Sponsorship for each of them would be most welcome.

More info: Kathleen Wilsbach

Blizzard has been adopted, YAY!!

Blizzard is a beautiful white angora who came to us from DC Animal Control. She was originally very dirty and matted. After a radical hair cut to remove the filthy mats, she was almost bald. Now, however, she's a vision of fluffy loveliness. But when she was spayed, Dr. Keith Gold found several masses in her uterus and a cyst on one ovary. Lab results revealed that what was removed was cancer (adenocarcinoma). A subsequent x-ray revealed that although most of the cancer was removed at her spay, it had spread to her lungs. Blizzard could be the poster bunny for why spaying female rabbits is so important

It was a dream come true when Christine Klingebiel and her rabbit Cassidy made Blizzard a part of their family. Christine had previously opened her home and heart to several older dogs. She uses Dr. Gold as her regular veterinarian, so he can continue to provide Blizzard's medical care; and she's a professional dog groomer, so Blizzard's extra hair care is not a problem.  Subsequent X-rays have shown no change in the spots on her lungs.  Christine was so happy with her prognosis she decided to adopt Blizzard

Summer and Jody - We were very pleased to have found, within our chapter, a sanctuary home for the returned couple Summer and Jody. Summer was adopted out by HRS to be the buddy of a shelter rabbit who was already with a family. The family later disregarded the HRS adoption contract, which states that surrendered rabbits must be returned to HRS. They turned Summer and Jody in to the shelter, giving as their reason that a member of their daughter's Girl Scout troop was allergic to rabbits. We got both rabbits out of the shelter. Jody was about eight years old and Summer had a health problem that lead her to have a messy bottom.  Summer later developed bladder problems and Jody was diagnosed with a thynoma (an inoperable tumor of the thymus).  They were in loving sanctuary care at the home of Nancy Miller.  Summer died this past summer from bladder and kidney complications. Jody was a tough little rabbit and lived more than a year with his thynoma.  His vets were all amazed.  He finally lost his battle 11/05.   We would like to thank Nancy Miller for her loving care of Summer and Jody.