You can help Heartland by Fostering, Volunteering, Sponsoring or Donating

Fostering

Rabbits are all too often rescued from situations of abuse and neglect, and some need more special care and attention in order to make a successful transition in an adoptive home. Spending time in a loving foster home can make all the difference!

To foster, you must have:

• Adequate room for a rabbit to exercise
• Time to groom, love, and cuddle a needy rabbit
• Volunteer status at HRR
• Experience in care and handling of rabbits
• Before you foster, we ask that you visit us for orientation. Orientation and volunteering let you get to know the rabbits, and give us the opportunity to know how we may help you in fostering. The amount of time you volunteer depends on the level of experience you already have in living with rabbits.

Heartland provides guidance, medical care, food and supplies to fosterers.

Fostering Situations

We identify three ‘levels’ of fostering:

1. LEVEL ONE – The rabbits in this group are those who lack some of the social skills that make them adoptable. They may be shy or fearful and anxious. Level One fostered rabbits will be in a foster home for approximately 30 days. Heartland most often needs foster homes for this level.
2. LEVEL TWO – Our most severely neglected and abused rabbits fall into this category. Time in foster is usually 45-60 days. Extensive experience and familiarity with rabbits is crucial at this level.
3. LEVEL THREE – Sometimes we have to act very quickly to save a rabbit from a dangerous situation. Heartland is always at full capacity, and having a temporary safe place for an endangered rabbit can help us save a life. Time in foster is usually a few days to a week.

Volunteering

Thank you for thinking about being a volunteer for Heartland! We know that your days are every bit as busy and hectic as ours, and are grateful for every hour each volunteer devotes to helping make the lives of our rabbits happier and richer.

There are any number of ways to help, depending on your level of experience. Some of these are:

• Socializing – as you might imagine, there are many more rabbits than there are humans, and just not enough time to give them the attention they need. Spending time with a rabbit – petting and talking – improves rabbits’ social skills and invites trust between them and humans, thereby making them better adoption candidates.
• Handing out treats such as carrots and apples, or filling hay boxes.
• Grooming.
• Play time – taking rabbits out to the play runs.
• Special events – helping with fairs and educational presentations.
• Seasonal improvements – planting the herb garden, or building and improving play areas.
• Cleaning litter trays. This is a very necessary and constant part of our work, but it is hard work.

A volunteer’s initial visit to Heartland is a two-hour orientation which includes safety, hygiene, care and handling of rabbits, and specific instructions on grooming, feeding, watering, and cleaning. New volunteers are mentored by the director or an experienced volunteer until they are comfortable and familiar with procedures.

Heartland requests that volunteers make a commitment to volunteer for a minimum of two hours a week for at least six weeks.
Youth under the age of 18 must have written parental consent. Children must always be under the direct supervision of a responsible adult.

Sponsor a Rabbit

For your gift of just around $.12 a day, $45 a year, you can make a big difference in the life of one of Heartland’s rabbits. Any of our rabbits, adoptable or permanent residents, can be sponsored. When setting up your sponsorship, please give us the name of the rabbit you would like to sponsor and your address.

Sponsorship: $45 per year

Our permanent residents, rabbits with special needs, are ideal candidates for sponsorship. Our special needs rabbits are those who often cannot be adopted out because of their illness, old age, or disability, and therefore stay at our shelter permanently. They require extra care and often expensive medical treatment; your sponsorship would help us tremendously to make their lives comfortable and enjoyable. Meet our Sanctuary Rabbits.

Our adoptable rabbits would also love to be your sponsor rabbit, and your gift of sponsoring will go to vet bills, food, toys, and education and adoption campaigns. Meet our Adoptable Rabbits.

Donations

Monetary Donations

Monetary donations give us the flexibility to address areas that need it most, whether to fund educational efforts, promote adoptions, spay and neuter, buy food and hay, or to throw a “treat” party for the bunnies. We try to do all we can to enrich the lives of the rabbits at Heartland, many who have come to us from situations of abuse and neglect. They especially appreciate toys and fresh fruit and veggie parties!

All monetary donations are tax-deductible and tax receipts are available.

PayPal is a fast and easy way to to donate. Just click the yellow “Donate” button below.

You can also mail your donation to:

Heartland Rabbit Rescue Fund
P.O. Box 224
Blanchard, OK 73010

Make checks payable to “Heartland Rabbit Rescue Fund.” We thank you and the bunnies thank you for your support!

Supplies Wish List

• Disposable bed/urine pads for humans
• Bunny toys (like baby keys, cardboard boxes, hard plastic balls with rattles
• Rabbit chew toys are always very popular
• Clean towels (gently-used is fine)
• Paper towels
• Pet brushes
• Gently used sheets and pillowcases

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