Special Holiday event- Lots of fun this Saturday in Sunnyvale

Adoptions, goodies, treats and fun. 

Coming up this Saturday!  

 Special Holiday Event and Adoption show  

9-1-2012  11AM-4PM

 At  For Other Living Things in  Sunnyvale

The Rabbit Haven, a rabbit education organization & adoption program is holding a free, special adoption show and holiday event this Saturday in Sunnyvale at for Other Living Things 1261 South Mary Street.

Please come to visit our bunnies for adoption, bring your bunny in for a Nail trims/scent gland cleaning, and enjoy a special presentation (Rabbit Care /Home health checks and basic grooming techniques).  Also check out ideas for housing, enjoy a special Usagi Tatchi Treatment for your rabbit, shop for handcrafted carrier pads, sweet holding blankets and other items offered for sale. 

Enter our raffle and win one of our fun raffle prizes. (Help support the bunnies). Winning raffle prize winners will be called at 3 PM.    Enjoy food and drinks and pick up a free bunny gift bag for your rabbit too. 

This event will be held inside and in back of For Other Living Things under canopies in the back parking lot.

Please join The Rabbit Haven to celebrate Saturday, 9-1-2012 

Address:  1261 South Mary Street, Sunnyvale, CA  

Time:   11 AM to 4 PM.  Call 831 600-7479 for more information. 

Rabbit Haven is a 501 (c) 3 organization.

www.therabbithaven.org

Director@therabbithaven.org

Free admission.

The Situation

The Santa Cruz shelter system (including Watsonville), went well over maximum capacity two weeks ago. Even with ongoing Rabbit Haven rescue and adoption shows we have not been able to keep up and the shelters have an urgent need for rescue. Sadly, the community continues to dump unwanted animals at an alarming rate at these shelters. We have been working as fast as we can to manage the flow at this shelter, but we need fosters, rescue and adopters to make this work.

This is Meyer, he needs a home of his own

Some of the rabbit over-crowding is due to a steady flow of rabbits that started last May and has not stopped. They just keep coming in pairs or groups and we your help to get caught up. This year we are facing a much heavier animal surrender rate at our shelters.

For rabbits at the shelter, this problem has been made much worse because 6 spaces have been eliminated at the Watsonville facility and 1 in the Santa Cruz site. In addition, 6 additional spaces were lost 4 years ago when they moved to their new shelter facility. Basically, cage space at the shelters is decreasing when numbers of rabbits are increasing. A bad situation for rabbits.

The awesome rabbit advocate, Leslie, has been busy emailing and calling all the rescues near and far and to date, we have been able to get out only 5 rabbits. Tragically two more came in Saturday! Haven has contacted everyone we know in the rescue community as well to find space. We definitely have a huge task at hand. To save lives we need to secure additional rescue, increase adoptions and set up new fosters sites.

"Can you help us RABBITS? love, Harper.

There is so much you can do. We need you. The rabbits need you:

1. Foster
2. Adopt
3. Rescue
4. Help in a supportive role
5. Donate

Please see if you have space anywhere to help these little ones. Timmy & Harper need to get out ASAP. They have been at the shelter since April-May. These rabbits are having a hard time in the shelter environment. They are smaller rabbits. Timmy (pictured above) is a tiny dwarf Sable point and Harper is a small white ruby-blue eyed dwarf. Also show are Chip a luscious Rex and Bibbity.
We have only a few days to save their lives. Just fostering for three months will save a life. There are other ways you can help too. You can help transport, pick up supply, put up flyers in the community, assist at the office or even donate. Email me for a complete list of rabbits available at either shelter.
Call us at 831 600-7479 10 AM to 10 PM or email if you want to help director@therabbithaven.org

Urgent: Santa Cruz Area Rescue Needed

The Santa Cruz shelter system (including Watsonville), reached maximum capacity last week.  Even with ongoing Rabbit Haven rescue and our adoption shows we have not been able to keep up – the community continues to dump unwanted animals at an alarming rate. So we have moved into action to get rabbits out to save their lives. 

  

In all fairness, there is just not enough shelter staff to keep up with such a large animal population. Plus now we have only space for 9 and they consistently have 14 and 16 rabbits jammed up at the shelters.   We have lost so much shelter space –and adoption have been very slow. 

In addition the shelter is also receiving many dumps of cats and dogs which create a terrible overload on the entire shelter system.   It is a nightmare. 

Some of the over rabbit crowding is due to a steady flow of rabbits that started last May and has not stopped. They just keep coming in twos and threes and we never can get caught up. This problem has been made much worse because we have lost 6 spaces at our Watsonville facility and one in Santa Cruz. Add to this that we got squeezed out of 6 spaces 4 years ago when we moved to our new facility and it begins adding up to too many rabbits and not enough space.   A bad situation for rabbits. 

The numbers dumped are increasing space is decreasing. 

Our awesome shelter advocate, Leslie, got busy sending letter and calling all the rescues near and far and to date  we have been able to get out 5 rabbits- She is transporting out tomorrow – There is still room in her car if anyone wants to help rescue.  Call me 831 600-7479.   Please see if you have one tiny space anywhere to help these little ones.

I’d like to see little Timmy get out –He is a small dwarf show in this message. He is on the “list”.

Even your commitment to take one of these cuties can save their life now.  Once I let the shelter know a rabbit has rescue they are safe, as long as they will be leaving with in a few days of the commitment. 

Please help these rabbits - All of them are special in their own way. We are asking for your help, your ideas and your support for the little bunnies in Santa Cruz - 

Most rabbits in need are even spayed and neutered.  Haven spayed and neutered 5 of our rabbits that needed it at the shelter so they could be available for adoption or rescue. 

So most you might select are already spayed or neutered. 

The rabbits are very pretty and there are an assortment colors and sizes. So just ask. I will make it happen.

Thank you to the rescue community that has helped so far.  

Getting commitments in the next few days is critical to saving their lives. Transport is offered direct to you. Call me at 831 600-7479 or email if you can help director@therabbithaven.org

Thank you, Auntie Heather 

Dumping and Rescuing

Amelia is safe and loved for the rest of her life, other rabbits are not so lucky

On Tuesday 8-14, the San Jose shelter was already packed with 30 rabbits. The Rabbit Haven had arranged for three rescues that day, which were picked up,  it seemed as if we could manage and efforts were focused on the Santa Cruz rescue.  At 6 PM a major dumping occurred at the San Jose shelter.  It was so fortunate that we had two Haven advocates, Sarah and Kyomi, on duty!  The shelter was slammed with lots of dogs & cats and 11 new rabbits.  It was ridiculous to see the long line of people bring in their pets so late at night. Even when they were told the shelter was full, they still insisted on dumping animals there. Even when it was clear these animals would not have a space and most likely would be euthanized.  Our advocates called the Haven immediately and we all went to work to find rescue and make plans to fit the rest in. 

At the end of late evening, every new bunny got a cage, including the family of guinea pigs.  So no one had to go in a makeshift cage on the floor.  Some had to bunk in together to make it work.  Happily we were able to rescue three last night –one going to Milpitas, the others going to Santa Cruz –Then three out earlier in the day. Also, the guinea pig family is being taken out today by NorthStar rescue – Zoe from Andy’s pet Adoption center will be there at 12 noon.    

 Here's a quick recap of new rabbits & guinea pigs yesterday:

  7 Snowshoe (white w/gray tips) 1 in this group had serious leg injury

  1 Agouti:  young

  1 Hotot: young 

  1 Brown/tan: young

  1 Tan:  young

-----------------------

   11 total!!!  

The injured rabbit is in GREAT danger today – if rescue cannot be found -I will get photo ASAP.

Note:  this count is just the new rabbits-   the shelter was already full.

Guinea pigs 

6 adorable cavies.  Some smooth some with swirly tri colored fur.  All scared but so happy to get some food!  They were snuggled all together – 

I will update as soon as I have more info.

Blessing to Kyomi and Sarah and Lisa of the shelter.  They each worked so hard last night to help these rabbits and to work with me to make space to save their lives. Many thanks to NorthStar (esp. Cynthia and Zoe) for coming to the guinea pigs rescue today!

Call if you can foster anyone or help in any way 831 600-7479  

Can’t foster?  Send a donation -that will help too. www.therabbithaven.org 

(we have Paypal) 

Have an extra pen or Marchioro plastic cage 2 door- 43”?  

 Donate it so we can help these rabbits and those from Santa Cruz too.

We are running short on supplies

submitted by Auntie Heather

  

YOU CAN HELP

YOU CAN HELP

 this little girl keep her rabbit, 

here's one of those on-line petitions, 

that really do seem to work!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE PETITION