Midwife delivers eight in homeless shelter

 She was lost, abandoned and very, very pregnant.  Alone and frightened in the cold rain, she knew the babies would be coming soon.  She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to.  She didn’t even know where the father was. Then, in the midst of her desperate situation, her guardian angel arrived in the form of kind strangers.  She was taken to a safe, warm shelter where she was given food and a dry place to rest. 

Within minutes of checking in, the babies came – eight of them in all.  The babies were welcomed into the world by Debbie B., Dayton Area Rabbit Network member.

Yes, Shadow was lucky – she was taken to the Humane Society of Greater Dayton just in time.  Had her babies been born outside in the pouring rain that day, they’d have had basically no chance for survival, and Shadow wouldn’t have lasted long herself.  Domestic rabbits stand out like neon signs, and with no camouflage they are easy prey for predators – cats, dogs, hawks, coyotes – bunnies are pretty much lunch for everything in the wild.  Domestic rabbits haven’t much in the way of survival skills, and if a predator doesn’t get them, there are cars, poisonous plants, diseases…..

What was this domestic rabbit doing running loose in the first place?  It was too early for the unwanted Easter rabbits to be dumped – that will come in another few months.  Maybe she came from a pet shop already pregnant and her surprised owner didn’t want to deal with caring for baby bunnies; maybe the owner was just “tired” of this bunny, or moving to an apartment (although bunnies are usually OK with landlords); or was just tired of taking care of it.  Another disposable pet.

Shadow’s story has a happy ending, but it points up several things to keep in mind when choosing to get a pet rabbit:

   • Do your homework first – know what you are getting into with a rabbit pet.

   • Adopt from a shelter or other rescue organization, don’t buy from the pet store. Pet store staff has a difficult time at best  trying to determine the gender of a rabbit; the rabbits may indeed be ill, and they are certainly NOT spayed or neutered. Shelter staff will be able to discuss the personalities and ages of the different rabbits with you.

   • If a problem arises and you are unable or unwilling to care for the rabbit, most shelters and rescue groups insist you bring the rabbit back to them – a pet store is not likely to offer this same service.

For more information on caring for pet rabbits
For more information on the Humane Society of Greater Dayton