Shelter Assistance Program
Formally launched in 2024 in response to the massive influx of surrendered rabbits nationwide to municipal shelters after the Covid-19 pandemic, the HRS shelter assistance program is designed to support local shelters and rescues in addressing and reducing rabbit surrenders. This program aims to equip animal welfare professionals with valuable resources and tools to assist rabbit owners in resolving common issues that may lead to pet surrender.
The resources found on this page are designed to be shared and printed at no cost. Print resources can be requested by a shelter or rescue professional with the following requirements:
Contact: Fill out our Shelter Assistance Interest Form found here. Upon receipt we will follow up with an email confirmation and to answer any questions you may have.
Data Logging: We kindly request that participating shelters and rescues log their rabbit intakes and outcomes in Shelter Animals Count, if feasible. This will help us gauge the program’s impact and improve our support efforts. Visit shelteranimalscount.org to create an account and log data.
Social Media: If reposting our resources on social media, be sure to tag House Rabbit Society!
By addressing fixable issues through education and resource distribution, we hope to see a significant decline in rabbit surrenders within your city and happier, healthier rabbit families.
Included below are resources to assist your shelter with advice and communications with rabbit owners in your area. Content included Easter graphics, help guides and rabbit care handouts.
Resources for Rabbit Owners
Handouts and guides for rabbit adopters, fosters, and caregivers for print or digital distribution to help save time and resources while still providing effective advice.
Resources for Shelters
Guidebooks on safe and effective rabbit care in a shelter setting and suggestions setting services to increase positive outcomes. More to come as we pull together our data and information. We also offer both online and in person classes to get you up to speed on general rabbit health, wellness, handling and care. These classes are designed for rabbit owners but include relevant information for Shelter Professional Staff.
Here is what is being said about our classes!
“A great workshop for anyone new or old to bunny bonding. It reinforced for me to watch the rabbits closer to get body language cues on how they were getting along (or not). I would recommend this workshop to any staff or volunteer person that conducts bunny bonding. Watching, listening, and asking questions about the two rabbits present was very educational. The HRS staff really know all about bunny bonding!” - Suzanne Gollin Marin Humane Foster Care Coordinator and Small Companion Evaluator
“This was a very useful, informative workshop. The HRS people pointed out all kinds of body language subtleties, many of which I was unaware of, to look for when attempting to bond rabbits. Super helpful, and I’m looking forward to putting the information to good use!” - Paula Marin Humane Rabbit Volunteer
Easter Resources
We’ve created resources to help you with educational graphics, handouts, and posters to download and share. Help spread the message about how difficult Easter can be for rabbits.
By working together, we can reach different audiences across the world and have a greater impact, helping more rabbits!
Thank you to Craig Church, Rachel Lovelace, Lily Williams, and Larissa Church for contributing these graphics to our Easter resources page.
In 2024 we kicked off the Shelter Assistance Program with a Summer Shelter Tour where HRS volunteers and staff hosted a day of bonding support, grooming services, and adoption counseling for 4 local Bay Area Shelters to help increase rabbit adoptions at those locations. Interested in having HRS visit the shelter you work at? Let us know! Contact us at rabbit-center@houserabbit.org for more information.