Editor’s note: In October 2022, officials in Lassen County, California, rescued 115 animals kept in horrifying and inhumane conditions on a property in Adin, which included 25 rabbits, 24 dogs, 22 goats, 15 horses, 10 ducks, 8 pigs, 4 chickens, 1 alpaca, 1 cat, 1 cow, 1 goose, 1 sheep, and 1 turtle. A volunteer at Lassen County Animal Control reached out to Carly Neubert of Reno Rabbit Rescue to help quickly place the rabbits as they were not equipped to care for rabbits. RRR was the closest rabbit rescue to them, despite being well over an hour and a half away.
Here, Carly shares her experience navigating rescuing rabbits from an emergency hoarding situation.
I’m going to be honest; Reno Rabbit Rescue is a VERY small organization. I organized it in 2019 and do not have a fully functioning board. So, when I got a message from a transporter describing a situation in Lassen County (another county, a different state, and over 1 hour away), I was scared and overwhelmed. After talking to the transporter and then the shelter staff, I was even more concerned for the state and care of the bunnies, and the additional 100 hundred animals involved.
In all, we were able to rescue all the 24 rabbits who were held in the shelter, after a staff member adopted one of them. It was a joint effort from many people and organizations including Animal Place Animal Sanctuary in Grass Valley, which provided transport and overnight housing; Friends of Unwanted Rabbits (FUR) in Folsom; the Rabbit Haven in Scotts Valley; Save A Bunny in Mill Valley; and House Rabbit Society Headquarters in Richmond, which provided vaccination, microchipping, and spay/neuter. Each of these organizations took rabbits, with the majority remaining in Reno Rabbit Rescue’s care.
What I learned from this experience: Please keep in mind, these are my opinions and may not apply to your or your situation.
Tenacity (or stubbornness) pays off. Keep asking for help in different ways or forms. If an organization, foster home, or volunteer is unable to help in a certain way—i.e., foster a rabbit, ask them for help in another way, or ask them to provide ideas of how they could help. I sent many emails, made many phone calls, and posted to many socials. Some answered quickly and some answered a week or so later.
Stick to the bunnies and leave out your ego and personality. My experience is that many people (including me) in rescue are suffering from some level of compassion fatigue and empathy burnout. Many rescues have been around longer than I have been alive, and I don’t know the history of their needs, workings, and associations. Because of that, I tried to stay neutral regarding personalities, policies, and responses. At the same time, I asked several people to be honest with me about their perception of the situation and give me a “no frills” assessment based on their real-world experiences.
Stay out of the gory details unless you need to convey a message. Again, because of compassion fatigue and empathy burnout, I noticed I became more easily exhausted if I focused and re-told the awful story of the bunnies’ existence before being rescued. I kept the story short and referred people to the KRCR-TV news story if they wanted more details. I spoke and used social media to explain the dire situation and immediate physical needs.
Good enough is not perfect, but it works. Because the rabbits were rescued right before Thanksgiving and the following holidays, many had to go to foster homes before settling long-term or being adopted. While this is not ideal, it did provide safety and housing for the rabbits. Reno Rabbit Rescue provided all of x-pens and appropriate supplies and near 24-hour text support for newly trained foster homes.
What I would do differently: In retrospect, I would contact the local news outlets with more persistence. I believe this would have opened more doors for financial contributions and additional help.
What surprised me: We all know and agree that rabbits are very sensitive creatures. At the same time, I’m always surprised by their resilience! The perfect example of this principle is Portia, who was one of the rabbits rescued from the Lassen County hoarding case. She was being kept at a farm that “reeked of death” and then taken to the Lassen County Animal Shelter where she was mandated by court order to be kept for 30 days. Her housing there was a small dog kennel with little bedding and no litter box, toys, or greens. Portia was then transported for over an hour to my house in Reno. When she arrived, the first thing she did when I put her into her x-pen was a binky. Her joy was contagious and a huge reminder of the indomitable spirit that lives within all living beings.
Visit renorabbitrescue.org to learn more about how you can get involved with Reno Rabbit Rescue and support their important work. RRR is the only organization with adoptable rabbits in the Reno area and is also one of the few places in Nevada, outside of Las Vegas, where someone can adopt a rabbit.
Reviewed by HRS staff
Author: Carly Neubert of Reno Rabbit Rescue, HRS Licensed EducatorPhoto Credit: Photos provided by Carly Neubert
Journal Issue: House Rabbit Journal, Fall 2023
