Rabbit Love

If you’re looking to add a pet to your family this holiday season, think about adopting a bunny. Rabbits are the perfect pet for people who want a companion animal, but may not have time for daily walks. They are also very social creatures who are easy to litter box train, they eat healthy diets (which can help us humans get healthy!) and like dogs and cats, they can live up to 10 years. Perhaps one of the best reasons to adopt a bunny is that there are so many waiting for forever homes. In fact, after dogs and cats, rabbits are the third most abundant adoptable pet, with more than 5,500 listed for adoption on petfinder alone.

If you live in Santa Barbara, B.U.N.S. is a wonderful organization that is looking to find homes for their rescued bunnies. They also offer nail trimming for rabbits and guinea pigs for just $5. They also teach the basics of operant conditioning in a hands-on workshop using shelter rabbits and guinea pigs. You can teach your rabbit or guinea pig to touch a target, learn to shape a turn, and sit up. For more information on rabbit or guinea pig training, call 805 683-0521.

B.U.N.S. currently has over 50 bunnies available for adoption, with more coming in daily. Just last week, 22 Palomino bunnies were brought in at once. If you are interested in adopting a Palomino rabbit, contact B.U.N.S. If you would like to help with this influx of bunnies (the spaying and neutering alone will cost $1,500), visit their donation page: bunssb.org/donations/. You can also lend a hand by donating fresh greens to the bunnies. This is a great activity to do with your kids!

If you love rabbits, but can’t give one a permanent home, B.U.N.S. is always in need of volunteers at the shelter and there are a lot of different ways you can make a difference. You can volunteer at the shelter taking care of the stray and abandoned bunnies that are waiting for a home. B.U.N.S. also needs volunteers to help shuttle bunnies to and from the vet for spay and neuter. You can also volunteer to become a foster parent and temporarily care for a rabbit in your home. B.U.N.S. asks that children under the age of 18 come accompanied by a responsible adult.

If you think you’re ready to share your life with a bunny, before you shop, please adopt. Pet stores often get their bunnies from “bunny mills” where rabbits are continuously bred and babies are weaned at a very early age. With all the homeless rabbits waiting for permanent homes, it doesn’t make sense to breed them. Kudos to Petco for discontinuing their sale of rabbits. Petco now only showcases shelter rabbits.

B.U.N.S. is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 5473 Overpass Rd., Santa Barbara. For more information, check out their website at www.bunssb.org.

If you think a bunny is right for your family, hop on down to B.U.N.S. today!

Announcements

Wednesday, December 18, California Pizza Kitchen gives 20 percent of your meal (lunch and dinner) to C.A.R.E.4Paws.

Simply bring in a copy of the flyer (listed below) and CPK will donate 20 percent of your meal to C.A.R.E.4Paws. Or your company to cater lunch from CPK that day as a holiday treat to all employees. You will give C.A.R.E.4Paws a most wonderful gift!

care4paws.org/images/cpkflyer.pdf

C.A.R.E.4Paws, short for community awareness, responsibility and education—was created with the mission to help put an end to pet overpopulation in Santa Barbara County, and to inspire a greater sense of accountability, compassion and respect for animals in the process. C.A.R.E.4Paws promotes responsible pet ownership and animal welfare in Santa Barbara County by creating awareness through educational programs and dog training intervention. They also provide the resources necessary to make spaying and neutering a viable option for all. C.A.R.E.4Paws collaborates with private and public institutions in the community to decrease the number of animals that enter shelters and rescue groups as well as to increase adoption rates within these organizations. For more information, visit: www.care4paws.org

Adoptable Pet of the Week

Cody is an adorable adult male lion head bunny who is looking for a loving home. Lionhead rabbits have a wool mane encircling their head (thus the name, Lionhead) and they have wonderful personalities. Lionheads tend to be friendly and well mannered. It is possible to train a Lionhead as they are very smart creatures. To see if Cody is the right rabbit for you, hop on over to BUNS today! All rabbits at B.U.N.S. are spayed or neutered prior to adoption.

Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (B.U.N.S.) is a volunteer organization which cares for abandoned rabbits. B.U.N.S is located at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter, 5473 Overpass Rd, Santa Barbara California. B.U.N.S. works to find bunnies permanent homes, and educates the public on caring for a companion rabbit. You can call the County Shelter at 805-681-5285 or call BUNS at 805-683-0521 and leave a message for someone to call you back. For more information, visit: www.bunssb.org