HOULTON, Maine — People often think nothing of opening up their wallet to help out a dog or cat in need. Sadly the same cannot be said about other animals?
That is precisely why Heather Miller of Houlton created “Hoppity Haven Rabbit Rescue,” a state-licensed, non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary. It is mission is to help homeless rabbits find a new home. Miller created the rescue in 2010 with her husband Jon and the two run the rescue from their home in Houlton.
“We started in 2010 for the purpose of helping special needs rabbits,” Miller said. “But we shortly learned, there was a need for rabbit rescue in general. So we now take in all rabbits in need, vetting and re-homing the healthy ones and keeping the special needs ones in our sanctuary. A lot of other shelters were getting in rabbits and didn’t know what to do with them.”
She started small, taking in about five or six rabbits at her home. But as cliché as it sounds, things started multiplying for Miller. She now houses 26 rabbits and the number seems to grow almost daily.
Most of the rabbits she gets are ones that were purchased as babies, either at Houlton’s Agricultural Fair or a pet store for an Easter present.
“Baby bunnies are cute, but then they grow up and people don’t know how to care for them,” she said. “Rabbits can be a lot of fun, but they need to be spayed or neutered because they get really hormonal and become aggressive. They need to be altered and handled every day.”
There are only three licensed rabbit rescues in the state, including Miller’s. Her rescue is the only one north of Augusta.
She has special needs bunnies that are either blind, splay legged or head tilt. The rabbits are also not just limited to those found in Maine. She has two rabbits from Connecticut and one from California that were used as “bait bunnies” for pit bull fighting rings. All of the special needs rabbits will remain permanently at her home.
Among the supplies that are typically needed are hay, pellets, treats, greens, shavings, toys, water bottles and food dishes.
Every single rabbit that leaves the sanctuary is either spayed or neutered to help control the population.
“The word kind of got out there that we were willing to help and it has just taken off,” she said. “We used to be able to just pay out of our own pocket, but now it’s gotten to the point where we have had to ask for donations. We are becoming dependent on people’s donations and fundraisers. We are here for any rabbit in need and no rabbit is ever turned away.”
Monthly bills for the Hoppity Haven Rabbit Rescue can total between $750-$900. She said asking for donations to help can be a hard sell in this part of the state.
“We live in an area where people hunt (wild) rabbits and eat them,” she said. “Many people do not see rabbits as pets. People just don’t see rabbit rescue as being important, which is sad. Rabbits are the third most dumped animal behind dogs and cats.”
According to Miller, 43,900 rabbits were euthanized in 2011 in shelters across the country.
For more information, or to assist the rescue, call 538-7243, view their Facebook page or e-mail animal@pwless.net.
