Exploring The World of Animal Shelters: An Inside Look At The House Rabbit Connection

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An interview with The House Rabbit Connection from Springfield, Massachusetts.

Introducing The House Rabbit Connection

My name is Doreen Reynolds-Consolati. I am the current Vice President of House Rabbit Connection (HRC), an all-volunteer non-profit rabbit rescue organization. I also serve as the Education chairperson for HRC, which means that I am responsible for managing our Hopline (voicemail and email correspondence), maintaining our social media, and assisting with our Education events. I signed on with HRC in 2010 as a Hopline volunteer and joined the Board of Directors in 2012.

How did The House Rabbit Connection Start? What Are The Challenges Encountered Along The Way?

Our organization was founded by Deena Balogh and incorporated in MA in 1997. Deena Balogh is no longer involved with HRC, so I cannot answer anything with regard to her motivations for starting HRC. 

The following is from the “About” page of our website:

The House Rabbit Connection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. HRC was founded by a committed group of individuals dedicated to the plight of abandoned rabbits. You can also find us on social media through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We are an official Chapter of the worldwide House Rabbit Society for Connecticut and Massachusetts in the United States of America.

HRC is made up entirely of volunteers — individuals who dedicate time, money, and energy to move HRC toward its goals. These individuals share a love of rabbits and the belief that rabbits should not be relegated to hutches in the backyard.

Instead, rabbits should be inside the home, free to explore the rabbit-proofed rooms, living in roomy cages (or cage-free), playing with toys, and interacting with all members of the household (human and non-human).

HRC educates the public and its members through the following:
* Frequent educational events at local pet supply stores, schools, television shows, television news spots and animal-related events
* Our quarterly email newsletter, In Pursuit of Hoppiness
* Distribution of rabbit care information and our own House Rabbit Handbook
* This website, the telephone HopLine (413 439-7HRC), and email.
* Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Why does the world need rabbit rescue groups?

Rabbits are a growing pet population in the United States and around the world; however, many people who purchase rabbits do not know the time and training involved in having a great pet and animal companion.

People buy cute little bunnies for their children without realizing this animal will need care and attention for at least ten years. As a result, these rabbits are abandoned in shelters, parks, and even woodland areas. Domesticated rabbits have very little chance of survival in the wilderness, and most rabbits dropped off at shelters are euthanized.

The House Rabbit Connection, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is committed to changing this trend forever. Donations and volunteers are a critical part of the organization. Without either, we would not be able to save rabbits, adopt them out to loving families, and offer information to the public.

Donations are always needed. The money donated will go to spaying and neutering rabbits adopted from shelters, educating the public about rabbit ownership and rabbits in general, as well as many other programs sponsored by the House Rabbit Connection.

HRC is run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors. The Board members are elected at HRCs annual meeting in June and serve for 3 years between elections. On any given year, approximately 1/3 of the board seats are up for election. All of the work that HRC does is channeled through volunteer committees. And each committee is chaired by a member of the board.

Tell Us About The Most “Unusual” Animal That The House Rabbit Connection Taken

We only take in rabbits, and I really don’t have an “unusual” story to tell about any we’ve taken in.

Tell Us About The Most Unique And Creative Fundraising Campaigns That The House Rabbit Connection Has Done

We have not done many fundraising campaigns as the logistics have not generally been worth the money raised. We have sold calendars, and at one point, we had a Cafepress site that sold small items, shirts, and t-shirts, but it has since been closed down. Our main income comes from donations and memberships in our organization. 

Tell Us About The Most Rewarding Part Of Running The House Rabbit Connection

I cannot speak for all of our volunteers, but for myself, being able to help abandoned rabbits find a loving forever home, educating the public on the joys of owning a rabbit, and teaching people how to care for a rabbit in their home has been a rewarding and fulfilling passion.

What Do You Think Might Be The Greatest Challenge Of Running The House Rabbit Connection?

I would say that it falls somewhere between financing and finding volunteers. We do not have a stand-alone facility as we do not have the means to be able to maintain one; we work with foster homes, people who volunteer to house and socialize our rabbits while we work to find homes for them. We supply everything the rabbits physically need (food, hay, medical care, etc.), and our fosterers provide the love and support to nourish them until they are adopted into their new homes. 

Tell Us More About The Volunteers In The House Rabbit Connection

All of our volunteers are dedicated and passionate individuals, whether caring for our rabbits, helping out at our Education Events, or staffing our Hopline to return calls and emails from the public about rabbits. I would say one of our most dedicated individuals is our President, Marlene Wilhelm. She is not only deeply involved in every aspect of our organization, but she also works with animal welfare organizations to advocate for better laws to protect rabbits and has testified before CT lawmakers with regard to the need to protect rabbits from abuse and neglect. If you’d like to interview her directly, you can reach her at [email protected].

Where Do Most Of The Animals In The House Rabbit Connection Come From, And What Is The Process For Rescuing And Rehabilitating Them?

We get our rabbits from other rescues, animal control officers, and veterinarians. Once we get them, they are assigned to a foster home and given time to acclimate. They are brought to the vet for a physical exam and spayed/neutered if needed. Once they are spayed/neutered, and we have determined that they are ready to be adopted, they are listed on our website, on social media, and on pet adoption sites such as Petfinder. 

What Are The Busiest Periods, And How Does The House Rabbit Connection Cope?

Our busiest times are, sadly, the holidays; this is because people still seem to think that a rabbit is a great holiday gift, especially for children. Contrary to popular belief, children and rabbits are not always a great mix, as rabbits are prey animals by nature and do not respond well to being picked up and held, and their bodies are often too fragile for rough play. Also, children’s interests change very quickly as they age, and they can and do sometimes lose interest in a rabbit as they focus on other interests. A rabbit is easily a 10-year commitment, which means that many parents who get a rabbit for their child find that the child may be grown and out of the home, but the rabbit is still there. This is why we are often busy after the holidays when people are looking to rehome the rabbit they got because they either didn’t take the time to learn about what kind of care rabbits need or their child/children lost interest in the rabbit. 

Our volunteers do their best to educate people on what adopting a rabbit means and what kind of care they need, and let people know that while rabbits are great pets, they are not like cats and dogs and may not be a good fit for everyone. 

What Animals Does The House Rabbit Connection Focus On?

We volunteer because we love our rabbits and want not only to share the joys of being a rabbit owner but to teach people about rabbit care as well as rabbit behavior. Unlike dogs and cats, rabbits are prey animals by nature. Because of this, they can take some time to trust people and adapt to new things. Most do not like to be picked up and/or held because that is what a predator does to them before they become its meal, and they may resist this even once they do build a trusting bond with their humans. Because they are prey animals by nature, they will hide signs of illness or injury, so getting them proper medical care can be challenging. Their digestive systems can be particularly problematic as they can slow or even shut down (a condition called gastrointestinal or GI stasis) due to illness or stress. Their teeth grow constantly and must be worn down by chewing, and sometimes that means chewing on things you don’t want them to chew. They are highly intelligent and highly social; they love being part of the family and involving themselves in family activities—but can get easily bored and act out or become depressed if they are left alone for too long. They are independent, sometimes stubborn and persistent, loving and friendly (but on their terms). In short, they can be wonderful pets, but you need to know what you’re getting into before you get one.

Working With The Local Community

We assist other rabbit rescues by taking in rabbits from them when they have more than they can handle. We work with area animal control officers to not only provide housing for the rabbits they take in but also to educate them on rabbit care so that they know what is needed. We also work with organizations such as HSUS to advocate for legal action to protect rabbits and change the laws that see them only as livestock and not pets and members of a household.

Tell Us More About Your Events

At this time, we do not have any upcoming events planned, but we are always open to invitations from the community to speak about rabbits and rabbit care. 

What Is Done Differently at The House Rabbit Connection?

To my knowledge, we are one of the few rescues in New England to provide a low-cost spay/neuter voucher program for rabbits. Spay/neuter for rabbits can run around $300 or higher, and while many rescues offer low-cost options for dogs and cats, there are few options for rabbit owners. We work with area vets who provide spay/neuter and work with the owner to share the cost so that it’s less of a burden on their wallets.

How Has The House Rabbit Connection Adapted To The Challenges Presented By The Pandemic?

The pandemic did put a strain on our operations; we were forced to put a hold on taking in rabbits for about three months, and then there was a HUGE demand for rabbits when people were spending so much time at home. The volume of adoption requests was so much more than we normally saw, and I can honestly say we may have lost at least one volunteer to burnout. Joanne Kosiorek, our foster chairperson, did a great job of working with our foster homes to establish protocols for safety so that we could continue our work. Sadly, we had to discontinue our Education Events, but we are still hoping that we can get back to offering them on a regular basis.

Share With Us Some Of The Heartwarming Stories Of Animals Rehabilitated And Rehomed By The House Rabbit Connection

In the past, our rescue assisted in what is known as “The Great Rabbit Liberation of 2016” You can read about it at  https://tricycle.org/article/great-rabbit-liberation/. We were able to successfully rehome some of these rabbits. Many of our rabbits have come from hoarding situations or from being dumped in the wild by previous owners; we do our best to help them build (or rebuild) trust in humans and then help them find the loving homes they deserve so they can enjoy the comfort and love they didn’t get before. 

What Are The Help Needed From The Local Community?

We are always looking for volunteers to provide foster homes for our rabbits and help us with our Hopline, and we are happy to teach people how to do this. Supporting us financially with donations or becoming a House Rabbit Connection member is always appreciated, and people can go to https://www.hopline.org/how-you-can-help-hrc/ for more information.

Connect With The House Rabbit Connection here:

We do not have a physical location as we work with foster homes.

Phone: (413) 439-7472 (4HRC)

Website: http://www.hopline.org

Email: [email protected]

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Wondrousdrifter.com is thankful to The House Rabbit Connection for the interview. 

Check out this page for the list of animal shelters in Springfield, Massachusetts.

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