WHS+BBB=Rabbit Haven

Ed, Janet, and Casey, the triumvirate that guides Boundary Bay Brewery, happily allow the brewery vans to be used for transporting shelter animals along the delivery routes.  I am careful to adjust my hours so that Boundary is not paying wages for my volunteer time,  the animals get a much-needed ride, and we all get the satisfaction of helping a problem that needs helping. I work with a few shelters, but most of the time,  I work with Foster Coordinator Emily Wyss and the excellent staff at the Whatcom Humane Society. Emily calls and gives me the particulars, then I let her know what day I will be near the location to which the animal needs tranferring. If animals either won’t cope well with the noisy van environment,  or if the destination is not near a Boundary stop, then they ride with Iggy, Frankie, and me in our Subaru Forester, the Golden Sparrow. 

We have an account in Gig Harbor I had been meaning to call on for a while, and when Emily asked if we might transfer a large angora bunny to Rabbit Haven , I saw it as a good motivator to make the drive across the Narrows Bridge and visit the Tides Tavern.  Antoine was an excellent passenger. He was quiet, didn’t seem stressed by the ride, and even ate a little hay while we were stopped to deliver beer in Renton. Several rabbits have ridden along in the Boundary vans, and they all do well (unlike common belief, rabbits are not nervous; they are actually pretty calm) , but Antoine was the first one who has eaten along the way. Very chill rabbit, is my friend Antoine.  

Kristen, Bret, and the crew at The Tides were happy to see me, we got back some empties, and they are going to put on Cabin Fever or IPA in their next menu cycle! That made the business part of the trip very worthwhile.  Then I got to visit a remarkable place, Rabbit Haven, just a few minutes from The Tides.  

The video shows the kitchen and one portion of the indoor population of Rabbit Haven; it also has an outdoor section for feral rabbits (ever wonder what happened to the warren at Woodland Park? What is left of them now live at at Rabbit Haven). All animals at Rabbit Haven are altered. Sue Brennan, the founder of Rabbit Haven, said that Evening Magazine did a show on them recently and it stimulated a small uptick in their adoptions, but it caused far more folks to call wanting to surrender their rabbits. People are just not prepared for the amount of work it can take to care for a rabbit, or the fact that they live 8-15+ years, depending on size and living conditions. Rabbit Haven is a friendly place — they do not judge — but they also have limited resources. Currently caring for around 90 bunnies, they have to be selective about what animals they accept — visit their website for more information about adopting or surrendering a pet or pets (rabbits much prefer to live with at least one other rabbit). Be warned, Sue has very strict rules about adopting!