Posts Tagged ‘ Petco ’

Indiana HRS is a 501(c)3 allvolunteer organization established in March 2001. We rescued shelter rabbits scheduled for euthanasia (147 to date), domestic rabbits released to the wild to fend for themselves (40), and abused rabbits involved in cruelty investigations (31). We currently have 34 rabbits in foster care.

When pulling rabbits from shelters, our volunteers fully appreciate and sadly realize that we cannot save every rabbit. When rounding up released domestic rabbits, our volunteers have climbed under parked cars and housing structures, run through fields and thick underbrush, dived in trash dumpsters, and, unfortunately, encountered resistance from the general public. When participating in cruelty investigations, our volunteers have truly experienced the horrors of humanity.

Indiana HRS makes a lifetime commitment to each rabbit we rescue. We have successfully placed 179 rabbits in forever homes. While some rabbits have been adopted very quickly, others have waited their entire lives in foster care. Three of our foster rabbits have significant medical issues due to neglect and/or mistreatment from their pre-IHRS lives.

Our success would not be possible without the tireless dedication of our hardworking volunteers and our supporters. To continue our work of improving the lives of domestic rabbits in the state of Indiana, additional donations of time, talent, and treasure are needed. Please consider donating to domestic rabbits in the state of Indiana this holiday season.

Catching Up for Lost Time

Indiana HRS (IHRS) has been hard at work since our last communication (December 2004). The past two years have been a time of transformation for our organization. We have a transformed our look with a logo that reflects our mission and a new website with expanded content.

We have transformed the way we interact with the general public by partnering with Petco to build a successful rabbit adoption program in Indianapolis.

IHRS is a learning organization. We value the support of our members, yet we have not communicated our success in a timely manner. We hope this newsletter demonstrates our commitment to rectify this situation.

Thank you for your unwavering support of Indiana domestic rabbits.

Have a Happy Holiday,
Dawn

In early July, Indiana HRS was approached by a metropolitan shelter who proposed discontinuing their small animal adoption program, no longer accepting small animals (336 annually, 5 species). The Indiana HRS Leadership Team networked and collaborated extensively, creating several solutions which enabled the organization to continue accepting small animals. In a new operational paradigm, all small animals surrendered to the shelter are either being routed to local rescue groups or are being placed for adoption in local pet stores. Length of shelter stay (projected at less than 7 days) and rates of euthanasia for small animals will decrease dramatically. The animals placed for adoption in local pet stores are reducing the numbers of animals purchased and sold at these locations. Indiana HRS successfully negotiated shelter spay/neuter for surrendered rabbits who are placed for adoption in local pet stores, eliminating hormone-related behavior issues (136 or less annually).

Indiana HRS is working diligently to expand our Petco adoption program in the Indianapolis area. In less than 2 years, this program has created significant opportunties for the 40 rabbits that have been rescued to fill in-store foster care slots (30 rabbits have found forever homes). Petco has ceased the sale of rabbits at the Carmel, Keystone, and Greenwood locations, fostering Indiana HRS adoptable rabbits in store. Indiana HRS normal adoption procedures apply, no same-day adoptions. The success of this program would not be possible without the tireless dedication of our in-store “Bunny Buddies,” who provide daily exercise and socialization for our foster rabbits.  Indiana HRS has 30 active Bunny Buddies to support the Carmel, Keystone, and Greenwood locations.

Indiana HRS has completed negotiations to expand to the remaining three Indianapolis locations, Northwest, Fishers, and Speedway, as soon as the in-store living spaces are available. We have recruited an additional 28 Bunny Buddies to support the remaining three
Indianapolis stores. These new Bunny Buddies will be trained as soon as we expand to the new locations.

Applying our Petco success outside Indianapolis, Indiana HRS is working to expand the Petco adoption program to all Indiana Petco stores. Current systems are being replicated and local volunteer centers are being created in the following cities: Merrillville, Highland, Mishawaka, Fort Wayne, Kokomo, Terre Haute, Bloomington, and Columbus.

To create additional opportunities for small animals in central Indiana, IHRS has established a very effective partnership with EARPS, an exotic animal rescue that accepts rabbits. EARPS is a 501(c)3 volunteer-driven organization dedicated to improving the lives of pocket pets, exotic pets, and non-traditional pets through fostering, adoption, education, and spaying/neutering.

IHRS has included EARPS adoptable rabbits and small animals in our Petco “Adoptable” binders. We hope this increased visibility at pet stores will create opportunities for all small animals in their foster care network. EARPS has agreed to transfer rabbits to IHRS to support the Petco Adoption Program, effectively increasing our foster care slots. Bella is the first rabbit transferred from EARPS to IHRS.

EARPS is administering an innovative program to keep unwanted small animals out of the shelter system. In the EARPS pet adoption without surrender program, pets available for adoption are placed on www.petfinder.org while the pet remains in their current  home. EARPS facilitates communication between prospective adopters and the current pet owner. This is a wonderful program that keeps small animals out of the shelter system and provides current owners peace of mind by allowing then to control the screening process and placement of their animal in a forever home.

IHRS is thankful to EARPS for their willingness to create opportunities for small animals. Check the IHRS calendar of events for combined adoption events at Indianapolis Petco stores.