Considerations before Starting a Rescue

[Tamsin]

What do people thinking about starting a rescue need to think about? To get you started try completing this sentence:

Before deciding to start a rescue you should consider the following....

[Sooz]

....how will you be able to finance the rescue? What will your running costs be and how much can you feasable donate of your own finances (because trust me you will regularly dip into your own pockets.)

[halfpenny]

I think an important issue to be considered is, decide how many animals you have space, time and finances for. It is very easy to take on too many as there are always animals needing rehoming.
It may be worthwhile to also decide what "treatment" you will give the animal before rehoming- eg, just a vet check and any medical ailments treated, vaccinations and/or neutring. I know of a few rescue which don't vaccinate or neuter, allowing them to take in more animals as their finances will stretch futher.

[abbymarysmokey]

Before starting a rescue...make sure you have permission from the owner of your house (if renting), or have checked your house deeds allow the keeping of animals on the property.

Also check local authority regulations for issues relating to running a rescue from your house...i.e. noise issues, parking, waste disposal.

Speak to your neighbours to explain the situation.

[sue 1974]

are you stong enough to say no to people who aren't suitable as new mum's and dad's

[Tamsin]

Yes, that's a good point! :)

A rescue owner needs the emotional strength to:

Work in distressing situations involving animal cruelty & neglect
Say no to people who aren't suitable as new mum's and dad's
Deal with the situations where they can't help
...

[Tamsin]

Most people that start a rescue do so because they love rabbits and want to help, but running a rescue is a very large commitment and not a decision to be taken lightly or without planning. Wanting to help out is commendable but there are many ways to do this that may be more practical to your situation.

e.g.fundraing
volunteering
fostering

Being an experienced rabbit owner is an essential asset but a rescue owner needs a broader field of knowledge. To run a rescue successfully you will also need to organise paperwork, do accounts, fundraise, work with members of the public and promote yourself.

If you have not had experience working in animal, specifically rabbit, rescue/welfare capacity before, it is good to start by gaining some experience working as a volunteer for another organisation. This will enable you to gather valuable experience on how a rescue is run and contacts that will help if you do start your own rescue.

What Rescue Work is Really Like
They don’t all get to go to a new home: working in rescue means dealing with rabbits that have been neglected or cruelly treated to the extent that euthanasia is the kindest option. You will deal with people that do not care what state their rabbits are in only that someone takes them away with as little inconvenience to them as possible. The work is stressful, frustrating and never complete.

Time commitments
Running a rescue is not a part time occupation. You will need to care for the rabbits every day of the year. Holidays, nights away or even days off sick are often impossible for rescue owners. There is not a quiet time of the year in rabbit rescue; you will be taking in and cleaning out rabbits all year around – whatever the weather.

Caring for the rabbits is not the only drain on your time. In addition you will need to allocate time for fundraising, answering enquiries from the public, doing paperwork, general maintenance, advertising, trips to and from the vet etc.

It is also not something you can give up overnight. If you decide rescue work is no-longer for you it may take months to rehome your current occupants after you have stopped taking new animals in.

You should also think about the other commitments you have and how much time running a rescue may take away from those. For example your family, job and other hobbies you may have.

Finance
One of the most difficult tasks that face rescues is raising funds to support their work. Many rescue owners subsidise their rescue with their own wages. However a full-time job and running a rescue is not conducive to good health. Fundraising is time consuming and you will find it difficult to fit this around day-to-day care of the animals. Cost will quickly add up and items like vet bills can be hard to budget for. Before taking on any animals you should build an emergency fund to buffer against unexpected bills and money towards your predicted costs. The cost of replacing small items such as litter trays and water bottles should not be under estimated. These items can quickly add up when you have lots of animals using them.

Working with Members of the Public
In the course of running a rescue you will need to work with members of the public. If you love rabbits but can’t stand people – rescue owner is not the job for you. At some point you will be called in to take rabbits in from frustrating or upsetting conditions and the ability to hold your tongue and stay calm and professional is essential.

Suitable Premises (inc permission)
If you do not own your own home you will need permission from the landlord. There may also be local council or housing association regulations governing how many animals you can keep. Buildings and shed may need planning permission from your local council.

The council has closed down more than one rescue so it is best to find out in advance any regulations that apply to you.

Talk to your neighbours and discuss any issues they may have. This may include, noise, smell, number of visitors and parking – talking about these problems and solutions to them in advance reduces the likely hood of problems later.

Decisions: Numbers
You will be under constant pressure to take rabbits in and owners will resort to blackmail and threats such as euthanasia and abandonment to persuade you to take their rabbit immediately. Rescues that get into difficulty often do so because they take on to many animals. The unfortunate consequence of this is they go from somewhere rescuing rabbits to somewhere that rabbits need rescuing from.

You should decide in advance how many rabbits you can comfortably house, care for and afford. Write it down and stick to this rigidly! Compromising the accommodation and care in order to squeeze as many animals in as possible is not a responsible approach to welfare.

Most rescues run a waiting list and prioritise which rabbits they take first. You will also find contacts with other rescues helpful so you have other options to pass on to owners.

You should aim to make a positive impact of the life of each individual rabbit you take in not focus on how many rabbits you can take in. Rescues vary a great deal in size from dealing with ten rabbits a year to a thousand. Start with a limit below what you think you can cope with, it will take time for you to learn the ropes and get in to a routine. If you increase your numbers later make sure it is a carefully thought out plan not a quick reaction to an emergency.

Sanctuary/Rescue
A sanctuary provides a permanent home to animals, often specialising in older rabbits, and those with health or temperament issues. As they do not rehome, space is limited and with older and ill rabbits vet bills can be high.

A rescues end goal is to see the rabbits placed in a caring new home. Many rescues end up with a couple of rabbits which for various reasons they may not be able to find a home for. Often these rabbits become ‘sponsor bunnies’ or mascots.

You should consider in advance what your end goal is and keep it in mind at all times. It’s very easy to become attached to a particular rabbit(s) and end up keeping them, taking up places that could be used by other rabbits in need.

Decisions: Area
Some rescues limit their activity to particular catchments areas. For home checks it is necessary to rehome rabbits with in an area you can reasonably visit or have volunteers available in. Accepting rabbits from a limited area also helps focus your efforts and keep your waiting list manageable. However it is also good to be flexible, working with rescues in other areas may enable you to rehome further a field or help take rabbits from over crowded areas. It may help to have limits initially and review your policy later.

Conclusion
These are just a few of the many issues you need to consider and research before starting a rescue. As well as reading this and the following chapters talk to some people already running rescues. They will give you a personal introduction to some of the problems you will face.