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Older Archives: Early 2003 Spring 2003 Topics of This Page: Construction Complete! ... Kind'a ... We Miss Our "Sunday". Don't Be a "Litter-Bug" ... Again, too late. Construction Complete! ... Kind'a ...
If you've seen our facility, you'll recognize what we've done. Previous to the project, we had added another ten-foot section on the "Bunny Barn" (That's "Bunny HUTCH", Angel interjects) and literally raised the roof for better access from the front. The "visible" part of the "new" project was to extend the roof forward for added area for the full length of our kennel area. With the help of a couple of volunteers - Maurice and "Scooter" Belew (believe me, it wouldn't have gone so well or so quickly without them) - we got the extension built and the roof on. We've still got to get the water and electrical extended, place another couple of evaporative coolers, etc, etc, (doing it ourselves, again) but we've been able to move everyone in and the bunnies love the extra space! We haven't heard any more, of late, but we got a "maybe" promise from a contractor to put us up those walls we're still needing - wouldn't that be great?!?  We Miss Our Sunday ... We're very sorry to report that we also lost Sunday, our "old-timer", a couple of weeks ago ... not to death or disease, but to a thief ! Someone came into the Bunny Yard while we were gone and simply took him from us. We're sure that they were not deliberate in taking him, but that he was the most approachable and easiest to pick up. "Sun" was probably the only bunny that we'd vowed would live with us 'til he died .. he was special to us. After all, he'd been with us all but the first year of his life - and he came to us almost ten years ago! ... He's over eleven years old! We pray that whoever has him is caring for him with the love and respect he so truly deserves. Psssst ... If whomever cares to return "Sun" to us, just come by with the over-used "... found him on the street" excuse and we'll thank you without ever asking your name. Please? Don't be a "Litter-Bug" ... Again, too late. We were blessed with kits again - and again - and again. From Jellen, Veronica, Carolyn, and Karina. Jellen had four, now three. Veronica had seven, now six.. Carolyn had four and everything looked good, but none made it over a week. Bunnies need to be in top shape to deliver a healthy litter and, sadly, most of the bunnies we receive are far from that. Poor Karina, another of the many inbreeds we get from irresponsible [place plural expletive here] that do not spay or neuter, was healthy but genetically incorrect. Had she been spayed, she would have had a long and happy life. Instead, she was bred by a brother, uncle, dad (who knows) and had eight extremely malformed and undersized kits - none had a chance of surviving. The birthing killed her, as well - after a 36 hour struggle of trying to stay alive. Which brings us to ... Karina is perhaps the third/fourth generation of the bunch that we told you of rescuing on 01/29 of this year. The people noticed new kits a month after we left - which obviously couldn't happen if we'd gotten all the bucks out of their backyard warren. They brought us those kits and we told them to check and find the "rogue" buck (not too tough when you look between their legs, eh?) so it wouldn't happen again. We were certainly sorry that we didn't get that buck that must have been down in a tunnel or whatever but, except for a few more babies, it was "no harm, no foul". HOWEVER, when she called a month later saying that she had more babies to give us, I asked her why they hadn't found the buck. I was told "I don't really want to pick them up. I just feed them". I told her that somebody had to or this would continue. Well, it happened again the next month and I finally noted that this was becoming more a problem that the animal control laws would cover. They said that they wanted to simply give us all the bunnies (we'd threatened to take them, anyway) so they began what we thought was an earnest attempt at capture. They brought us six more, then three more, then they found "Abraham" - the buck! ... long story short, we haven't heard from them since. Ok, ok ... problem is solved, anyway, right? Not if there's another buck out there from one of the recent litters. Why are we telling you our sordid tale? So far, from this one backyard, we've taken in seventy-three bunnies. We were stupid enough to take them at their word that they would help us from their end. This would have been cage space for "real" rescues rather than a tribute to irresponsibility. |
