WESTFORD — Westford’s rabbit shelter, House Rabbit network, will celebrate 25 years of rabbit rescue this spring.
House Rabbit Network was founded by Suzanne Trayhan in 2000 and is now composed of over 150 skilled individuals who care for sick and abandoned rabbits. HRN’s main goal is to rescue homeless rabbits and find them good indoor homes, however, they also strive to educate the public about rabbits and their care.
“I’m a rabbit person,” Trayhan said, “The other shelters concentrate on dogs and cats but they don’t really know their small pets well. So there’s a need for people that know the smaller pets… they tend to be under-supported in larger mainstream shelters.”
In 2024, HRN took in a total of 456 rabbits into their shelter. Rabbits can end up at the shelter for several reasons including surrenders, stray rabbits being brought in, shelter transfers, or rabbits being returned.
Trayhan said that rabbits usually end up in shelters due to owners not being prepared for the big responsibility.
“You should learn as much as you can first to try to determine if it is the right fit. We’d rather you spend 10 hours with us and say this isn’t right for me than rush and adopt and return a bunny,” Trayhan said.
Trayhan has been dedicated to rescuing and sheltering domestic rabbits since her first HRN location in Billerica. She is involved in all aspects of HRN including being a foster home, handling medical cases and running fundraisers.
Rabbits need a lot of care, Trayhan said, they can have life spans of eight to 12 years and need safe space to exercise and explore. Although, ultimately, every rabbit is unique.
“There are some buns that are really shy, and a really shy bunny you probably want a quiet house with no kids,” Trayhan said, “You have some bunnies that are super outgoing and want attention. Bunnies that are self-confident would do better with a family with kids so it depends a little bit on the type of bunny.”
HRN is made up of multiple different teams of volunteers who address different aspects of sheltering and rescuing rabbits including bonding services, rabbit sitting, a foster committee, and new rabbit ownership.
HRN conducts multiple activities aside from sheltering rescued rabbits until they can find them suitable homes. The organization also provides foster care for rabbits, arranges adoptions, assists humane societies and shelters, provides veterinary care for rabbits that they rescue, and educates the public about rabbit care.
“We want to take care of bunnies and be an advocate for the rabbits and related to that is education, so we want people to learn and have good experiences,” Trayhan said, “So we have a big education and outreach component.”
HRN hosts multiple fundraising events a year including bunny spa days, bunny snuggle sessions, and bunny yoga. Their next event will be Bunny Yoga on April 6 hosted at Rococo Floral Co.
