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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-09-24, Page 15CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 14 dumped." Budny said the person or people who abandoned the rabbits frustrate her imensely. "I'm now dealing with someone else's problem, a big problem, out of the kind- ness of my heart," Budny said. "I'm putting out my own money and several hours of work out of my day to care for these 14 sick bunnies." Budny said the rabbits were all in poor condition when she took them into her care. She said they had a number of ailments includ- ing bald spots, awful skin and overgrown teeth. Many would likely ask Budny why she wouldn't just bring the rabbits to a shelter. However, sheltering is no longer a viable solution for many animals, let alone rab- bits, as shelters are often finding themselves at capacity. "Many shelters are at capacity because of the number of animals brought there as a result of irrespon- sible pet ownership," Bluhm said. "If people spayed and neutered their pets, we would see less animals com- ing to us or becoming abandoned:' Bluhm said many shelters will often accept the surren- der of pocket animals like rabbits, but it depends on the location, their resources and of course the amount of space that the shelter has. "People fail to understand that they're not pocket ani- mals like hamsters where Budny and her veterinarian are pretty sure the bunnies are a lion head -cross because of their appearance. GOD EI9 CH LIONS ARENA BINGO - Wednesday 7pm TV BINGO Monday 7 pm Eastlink Channel 12 Hurontel Channel 1 TCC Channel 48 LIC. #M717413 they only live for a few years," Budny said. "Rabbits are like cats and dogs, in that they have a life span of 10 to 12 years." Budny believes the 14 rab- bits were a result of someone having a couple of unfixed rabbits as pet in their back- yard and their breeding got out of hand. "Rabbits hit sexual matu- rity around five months old and a doe can have a litter every 30 days, back-to-back even," Budny said. "If you put two unfixed rabbits of the opposite sex together, they're going to breed, for lack of a better term, 'like rabbits.' It can get out of hand pretty quickly." Budny said another prob- lem is that many vets in Huron County don't spay or neuter rabbits, and if they do, the costs associated with the procedure can cost just as much as if you were going to fix a cat - another reason there are so many stray cats. "As a rabbit mom, I have angorra rabbits as pets, the whole thing is very upset- ting," Budny said. "These bunnies are defenseless, we picked them up so easily." Budny said all of the rab- bits are very calm. She said they didn't fight when she bathed them, when they were seen by the vet or get- ting their needles either. "As of right now, there are five bucks that will be ready to find homes in about 15 days, after they're treatments are done," Budny said. "The does are on pregnancy watch, it's really hard to tell if does are pregnant until the later stages. If they do end up having babies, the ones with kits [a term for young rab- bits] won't be available until the babies have been weaned." Budny and her veterinar- ian believe the rabbits are all mature, possible lion SEAFORTH HARMONY KINGS BARBERSHOP CHORUS Presents "COW PATTI" Great songs of the Old West Hilarious Cowboy Skit Collegiate Champion Guest Quartet SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 at7:30PM SEAFORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL Tickets $15 (Kids under 12 - Free) Pay at the door, or reserve at 519-238-5419 Wednesday, September 24, 2014 • News Record 15 A few of the rescued does huddle together for a photo on Budny's grooming table. head -crosses because of their appearance. She said some of the rabbits may be a bit older than the others, perhaps the result of older rabbits with a new litter. "It's very hard to tell how old the rabbits are," Budny said. "There are a couple of bucks that have deformed noses caused by a treatable disease. The longer the rab- bit has it, the worse the deformities get, which leads me to believe that these ones are a little bit older than the rest:' Budny hopes that despite some of them having deformities, all of the rabbits will be able to find new homes. Budny said all of the rab- bits are taking well to their medications and at this time, she is seeking any help that she can get from the Air -Avfd' r , "t entra1 Huron NOTICE TO THE RATEPAYERS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CENTRAL HURON FINAL TAX BILLS FIRST INSTALLMENT DUE SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 MONTHLY OR INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE community in the way of the donation of supplies and finding the rabbits homes. She said every week she is constantly making runs for supplies, going through 251bs of food per week, on top of hay and bedding. Donations that she needs right now are rabbit bed- ding, feed and water bottles, as she said she currently doesn't have enough bottles for the amount of cages required. She said she might even need more cages if the does are pregnant. Donations can be made by calling Budny at 519-524- 6442 or by emailing her at monstermum_789@hotmail. com. The Alzheimer Society of Huron and The Elder Abuse Prevention Committee of Huron Present Dementia 2014 Exploring Sexual Behaviours in LongTerm Care With Guest Speakers Lori Schindel -Martin RN, PhD and Kevin Reel MSc, OT Reg. This learning session discusses strategies and cues for understanding behavior and how to be part of a collaborative approach between family, care facilities and community support workers. Thursday October 23, 2014 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Betty Cardno Centre Clinton, Ontario Caregivers and the general public are welcome Advance Registration Only $30 / person Registration and payment must be received by October 15, 2014. Contact Alzheimer Society of Huron County to register admin@alzheimerhuron.on.ca 1-800-561-5012 A light supper is included with your registration