Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society

A "Tail" of a Year of Bunny Profiling

by Karen Skewes
originally published Winter 2004

I’ve been a “bunny profiler” for one year now at the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley. It’s hard to believe that the volunteering job I love and look forward to each week was somewhat intimidating in the beginning. I have many humans and rabbits to thank for helping me reach this point. Let me share a very special story about one of them...

The very first bunny I profiled at AHS was a spunky, white male named Bo. He had long, uppy ears, pink eyes and a very friendly personality. I enjoyed taking him to a visitation room to hop about joyfully, exploring the room and me. I took my new role as “profiler” quite seriously. I had a little notebook and pen to jot down lots of bunny notes. I spent 45 minutes to 1 hour with each rabbit, hoping to accurately assess his or her true personality. I would then use my notes to craft a flattering, yet honest, profile to highlight each bunny’s most adoptable features. In Bo’s case, this was very easy! He was a joyful, sweet boy who probably would do well in a variety of home environments, including one with kids (a rare trait). To my delight, Bo was adopted within a few days, partly because of my very first profile!

Encouraged by Bo’s adoption, I continued visiting with several other bunnies and wrote their profiles. The second bunny I profiled, an all-black, uppy-eared boy named Lou, was easygoing, curious, and easy to pick up. He also was adopted within a week! Wow! This bunny-profiling business was a success!

And then I met Sally...

Sally was a 4- or 5-lb., all-black girl with a single white spot on her nose. Not very flashy, not very unique in appearance, but this little girl was to teach me volumes about my true mission as a bunny profiler. Sally was the third bunny I profiled at the shelter. She was the first bunny in my 12 years of bunny parentdom that I was actually a bit afraid of. Sally was not impressed by people, and huddled back in her cage to avoid curious hands. She fought against being picked up, and sat as far away from me as possible in the visitation room. When I had to bring her back to her cage after our first 45-minute session, she ran, nipped, kicked — anything to avoid capture. I had to “trap” her in my jacket to scoop her up safely!

I was crestfallen. Not only had I never come across a bunny who appeared so defiant and unsociable, but I was literally afraid of interacting with Sally — and other challenging bunnies — in the future! Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be a bunny profiler after all. Maybe I didn’t know enough yet about the beautiful creatures I loved so much. Maybe I should turn in my volunteer apron and quit...

But then who would help Sally and the other bunnies at the shelter to find forever homes? As wonderful and loving as the staff at AHS was and still is, they are so busy with so many animals and people that it’s hard for them to give personal attention to each animal. And I only knew of one other rabbit-savvy volunteer at AHS! Most of the volunteers I spoke with admitted to being afraid of rabbits because they knew so little about them. I respected this. As much as I love dogs, the bigger dogs are intimidating to me because I have no experience with handling them. It’s safer and easier to work with the animals you’re familiar with.

The answer was simple and clear — Sally needed me. I couldn’t abandon her or the other bunnies that would come through the shelter’s doors in coming months.

Once my decision was made to stay through thick and thin, I realized the fear I had felt was quite selfish. Here I was thinking of my feelings (yes, I took it personally that Sally didn’t seem to like me), when these poor bunnies had every reason to be upset! They had all been abandoned by humans, many several times over, and some had come from cramped cages, outdoor hutches, or neglectful situations. Many had never known the true love of a human, and instead were treated as “objects” in the backyard hutch that required food and water, but not much else. If I were a bunny in this situation, I wouldn’t be so sweet and cuddly either! I would be just like Sally, hiding in the back of the cage.

Knowing all this now, I decided to let the bunnies “show me the way.” If they didn’t want to be picked up, so be it. I would sit or stand by their cage door and speak lovingly, offer a raisin or a piece of parsley, and give each one as much time as was needed to make him or her feel safe with me. Eventually, they’d see that I was a “good” human, in rabbit terms! These rabbits also needed to see me on a consistent basis; I came back each week to reassure them I would not abandon them, as their previous human(s) had done. I was there for the duration until they found a truly good home.

Over the passing weeks and months, I grew very fond of Sally. She learned that I cared about her and wanted the best for her. I earned her trust and was allowed head kisses and cheek rubs. She even let me pick her up one occasion! I made many efforts to help Sally find her forever home, even inventing a “Sweetheart Rabbit of the Week” profile to highlight her! But time passed and Sally remained at the shelter while others found homes...

I came in to visit Sally and all the bunnies on Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve. It made me sad to think of them all at the shelter alone on these special holidays, in contrast to my own bunnies at home who were surrounded by love, toys, and lots of affection. Some time early in January, I secretly made a promise to Sally — that I would adopt her if she did not have a home by my birthday in April. I couldn’t bear to see her without a home of her own for much longer. Then, on February 14th, 2004, Valentine’s Day, a wonderful thing happened...

Since I’m single, Valentine’s Day is often a sad, disappointing day for me. I busy myself with my family or friends to take my mind off of the holiday. The day after Valentine’s Day, which was a Sunday, I received an email from an employee at AHS. She said she knew how hard I had worked with Sally and knew I would want to hear the good news. Sally was adopted — on Valentine’s Day! Her new home was with a rabbit-savvy lady who would let Sally live cage free in her new house! This was what my sweet, stubborn, sophisticated Sally deserved! Tears sprang to my eyes and my heart swelled with joy and gratitude. This was by far the best Valentine’s Day present ever!

Since the wonderful day Sally was adopted, other bunnies have tugged at my heartstrings as well. Dozens have had their profiles written. Many had happy adoptions, some were adopted then returned later, and some went to new homes I knew little about, so I choose to believe the best. All have taught me so much, not just about bunny personalities, but also about patience, love, compassion and not giving up hope. My thank you to them is to continue to visit once a week, more if possible, to profile the newcomers, bring bunny-healthy toys and treats, and whisper sweet nothings in their fuzzy ears. I do my best to ensure they find a loving home. What I get in return is more than I give.

Often people say to me, “I could never do that … I’d fall in love with every animal.” Or, “Shelters make me so sad, to see all those homeless animals.” I do fall in love and want to adopt them all, and I do get sad and heartbroken sometimes. But if I don’t go to the shelter, I’m not erasing the fact that the homeless animals are there, and in need of love and kindness. If not me, then who? If not you, then who? I encourage anyone who loves rabbits to volunteer at a nearby shelter. Even if you just come in once a month to exercise bunnies or to bring them hay and toys, you are helping so much. We bunny-savvy parents are a rare breed — we need, as I like to say, to “spread the love of bunnies” far and wide!