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Volunteering at a shelter

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Volunteering at a shelter

Friday, 5:00pm. It's the weekend again, time to go to the shelter to spend some time with the rabbits.
I arrive at the shelter and immediately notice that there is an empty cage in the rabbit room. It's Sara.
I wonder if she got adopted? Further investigation reveals that Sara has been temporarily removed from the adoption program to be treated for an eye infection. Sigh. No adoptions last week, and two new arrivals. The rabbit room is full once again.

The above scenario probably paints a pretty bleak picture of what it is like to be a rabbit volunteer
at a shelter. So, why do I do it? What has kept me coming back, week after week for the past 8 years
to visit with the rabbits?
For me, the decision to volunteer was an easy one. I wanted to be able to help, but as my husband always reminds me, I can't give every homeless rabbit a permanent home. Of course, he is right.

So, I do what I feel is the next best thing; provide the shelter rabbits with as much love as I can during their stay, which can span many, many months. Many of the rabbits come in to the shelter knowing only neglect and loneliness. Watching a frightened rabbit learn to trust, or a bunny melt into the floor of her cage as she is petted, truly is rewarding. After becoming a volunteer, I realized that another important role of the shelter volunteer was education. I am always surprised by how little people know about the companion they are about to adopt. But then, I remember how little I knew about my first rabbit.

If, at the end of the day, one person leaves the shelter knowing what it is truly like to have a house rabbit, I feel I've made a difference. And, of course there are also many, many adoption success stories, which keep me coming back. There is nothing quite like the feeling of learning that a rabbit, who had been at the shelter for the past year has found a wonderful, loving home.

Volunteering with shelter rabbits isn't for everyone. Looking in to those cages and seeing the same pairs of soulful eyes week after week IS hard. But, then I remember the 11th hour rabbits like Boomer, Sydney, Tali and Thunder and smile. These rabbits now have loving, permanent homes, thanks in part to a volunteer who cared and was willing to give a part of him or herself to help. Having a regular group of shelter rabbit volunteers is so important. It gives a real presence to a group of animals that are typically over-looked because they are very silent. I would encourage everyone to visit their local shelter. Even if you can't volunteer, donations of hay, litter and food would probably be much appreciated, and another way to show the shelter that there are those who truly care about these wonderful creatures.

Pam Rothwell