Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving from Buckeye House Rabbit Society! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters and adopters. On this special day, we want to spotlight an adoption that holds a particularly special place in our hearts.

Meet Merlin, a bunny who endured a lengthy stint in foster care and even faced the disappointment of a failed adoption. Red-eyed white bunnies, like Merlin, often face long waits for their forever homes. During his time as a foster, Merlin remained quite reserved, occasionally revealing glimpses of his unique personality to his foster family.

When Bev and Rich made the decision to welcome Merlin into their lives, we knew that the wait had been worthwhile. Today, we share Merlin’s heartwarming adoption journey and express gratitude for all our adopters who make stories like his possible. Happy Thanksgiving!

Merlin’s Story, written by Bev:
I retired before my husband and had a lot of free time available.  My husband (Rich) knew I needed something to occupy my time and brought home a retired Japanese Harlequin show rabbit named Buttercup.  His previous owner had gone to college. Buttercup was a very loveable rabbit and filled the “work” void I was experiencing since retiring.  He loved to be petted and enjoyed his “free” time in the yard.  He would run around the yard until he got tired, then would nap under the hostas where he had made a cubbyhole.  My husband once petted Buttercup for 40 minutes, before Buttercup had had enough and wandered off to his bed.  Buttercup soon became an important part of our lives.  He passed away unexpectedly, and our hearts were broken.

We decided to adopt another rabbit. We researched the internet and found the Buckeye House Rabbit Society (aka BHRS).  We spoke to several members of BHRS and began working with Maggie.  Not quite sure how we would navigate a new, younger rabbit, it was recommended that we foster a rabbit before adopting. This took the pressure off “picking one” and permitted us time to get to know the personality of the bunny.  This turned out to be wonderful for us.  After just a couple of months of fostering Merlin we decided to adopt him!  BHRS was so helpful and supportive during this process.

Merlin was something of a loner and very skittish around us. He would run when we got near him and would not let us pet him. Over time, and with love and patience, Merlin accepted us as his new parents and is completely at ease with us.  He will now lay on the floor as we walk around; even permitting us to step over him without his moving. With mutual trust, he has earned the full run of the first floor of the house.  He follows us around the house and even upstairs, where we have our computer.  While we’re on the computer, Merlin will often jump up into a chair behind us and lay down for a nap.

Merlin does numerous binky’s daily and runs from one end of the house to the other, and even up and down the stairs.  He often runs down through the second-floor hall, down the steps, through the living room to the front door, immediately turning around and runs back upstairs.  After eating his breakfast, Merlin will nap in the living room until around 11:00 in the morning, and then move to his bed under our spare bed.  He will come out for his “greens” and more social time around 5:30.  Once Rich and I go to bed, Merlin will spend about an hour in the living room alone and then comes into our bedroom where he sleeps under our bed. He is quite the night owl. If we get up in the middle of the night, he is sitting in the living room enjoying the quiet. He brings us such joy and laughter that we can’t imagine our days without him.

Rich and I, both being retired now, took on this responsibility with pleasure and haven’t regretted a minute of it.  We just laugh when he gets mad at us for leaving him (ex: grocery shopping); turning his back towards us when we get home and telling us to “talk to the tail”.  But it’s not long before he’s making us laugh and smile again….

Felice

We have some heartbreaking news to share. Our recently rescued lop rabbit, whom we affectionately named “Felice,” did not survive. Despite our best efforts and the love and care of our dedicated volunteer, Felice’s journey ended far too soon. 🌈
Losing Felice reminds us of the critical importance of responsible pet ownership and the devastating consequences of abandoning domestic rabbits.
Rabbits, like Felice, are not equipped to fend for themselves in the wild. They are vulnerable to predators, exposure, and starvation when left to face the harsh elements alone. Those who abandon domestic rabbits outside do nothing more than put their lives in danger.
Thank you to everyone who donated and suggested names. ❤️
Naming Credit: Adrienne Lang

While Good Samaritan Jim Kessen was walking his dog in Berea last night, he found a suffering domestic bunny who needed help. Instead of walking past, like many people did, he rescued her. This tiny flea covered, malnourished lop was dumped outside in the rain. The poor baby looked like a drowned rat and seemed like she lost her will to live. Her skin was covered with black flea dirt, making her fur feel bumpy. She has been given sub q fluids and flea medicine. Slowly we will remove the layers of filth attached to her skin. She is still very shaky on her feet and has only eaten greens so far, we hope she will soon learn that she is safe and will never be neglected again.

Millie [ADOPTION PENDING]


Millie is the sweetest rabbit who loves spending her day munching on hay, playing, and snuggling with her foster mom. She was found as a stray and soon after gave birth to 11 babies in foster care. After being a wonderful mother she is ready to find her forever home to be spoiled with lots of love and attention.

Poe [ADOPTION PENDING]


Poe was found by good samaritans in Triangle Bog near Kent. He’s a sweet little man, who adores attention and love! He displays the scanning activity of a lot of red-eyed rabbits that is indicative of not great eyesight but that does not slow him down at all. We think he would make a great potential friend for another rabbit as well as he gets along great with his foster brother.
His coat is thick and dense and requires regular grooming, which he is a very good boy for. He has the most epic bunny flops we’ve seen