After his owners grew bored with him, they put Casey in the garage hoping he would just starve to death.
Carol Micallef for AnnArbor.com

Most shelters here in Michigan are overwhelmed with animals due to families experiencing financial hardships.

At Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary, often people tell us someone in their family has developed an allergy, and they need to surrender their beloved pet. Sometimes, people explain that they feel guilty they are not able to give their pet enough attention and want to give him or her a better home.

Then there are stories like the one I am going to tell you that are just heartbreaking. It’s hard to believe they are even real. But they are out there, and I feel like I need to share this one with you. I promise it has a happy ending.

An amazing, compassionate lady contacted me recently about a little rabbit named Casey.

The story begins with this lady’s coworker going to a party at a friend’s house. Smoking was not allowed inside this house, so she asked to smoke in the garage. While she was in there, she heard some noises coming from the other side of the car, in the corner.

She investigated the noise, and, behind some boxes and bikes, she found a scrawny rabbit in tiny cage without any food or water. After giving the rabbit a bowl of water, which he drank immediately, she went inside to refill the water bowl. The homeowner told her they put that “thing” out there a while ago hoping it would just die. She had bought the rabbit for her kids at a fair three months earlier, but the kids had grown tired of it.

Wait. Did I hear that correctly? Grown tired of it? You mean like a pair of shoes or a sweater?

We are talking about a living, breathing creature with feelings and a personality. Grown tired of it? Was it too much to take it to the Humane Society?

You know, where they take in unwanted and homeless animals? Where they H-U-M-A-N-E-L-Y euthanize hundreds of thousands of these poor creatures every year because there aren’t enough homes to go around? For some reason, my little brain can’t comprehend why this woman couldn’t drive to a Humane Society.

I guess I am a little confused. I’m bored with you Grandma - I’m going to put you in the attic. I know I’m being a little sarcastic here. But this really breaks my heart. If you are tired of something, isn’t it your responsibility to do the right thing? And, are you not teaching your children how to behave when you do this? Ok, I suppose I’ve gone off on a tangent here.

Anyway, back to our story. When the coworker came back to work two days later, she was horrified and told this story to a kind lady, who had her own pets, but had no experience with rabbits. She nonetheless offered to take in this little guy. She was determined to save him from this slow, painful death and find him a home. She went to the awful family’s house and took the rabbit home.

When she got home, she saw this terrified little rabbit who couldn’t be more than six months old had just withered away to nothing. She described him as being “as thin as a cloth.” He was dying, very slowly and painfully.

She gave him water. But remember, he probably had not had water since several days before. He guzzled it down quickly, then another bowl, and another. She was afraid to give him too much. He was drinking as fast as he could. She gave him some food, and it was the same story. Who knows when the last time he had seen a meal!?

She told me she put the rabbit in her master bathroom, out of fear her dogs would harm him by trying to play with him. She said he was very timid, and would not come out of the cage that was barely twice the size he was. He could barely turn around in it. During the day while she was at work, she left the cage open so he could run around the bathroom. She was amazed how well behaved he was, especially since he obviously had no training. Surprisingly, the little rabbit even went back into the cage to go to the bathroom; there were no droppings on the ground at all.

During the time she had the rabbit, who we named Casey, she tried very hard to find him a home, but was unsuccessful. She was very grateful we at Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary were able to take him in. She only had him for two months, but was able to nurse him back to a healthy weight. I told her Casey was really lucky she came along when she did.

We both stood there with tears in our eyes as she told me the story. She didn’t understand how a person could do this, even if they don’t love rabbits. I can’t understand it either.

I can only be thankful there are people out there like this lady and her coworker. 

You can help animals like Casey by not ignoring situations like this, and by spreading the word about your favorite rescue group and the work they do.

If you are interested in meeting Casey or any of the other rabbits we have rescued who are waiting for their second chances, please visit our website at www.rabbitsanctuary.org or email us at adoptions@rabbitsanctuary.org.

Debbie Ann is a volunteer at Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary (GLRS) in Willis, just west of Sumpter Township. The focus of her articles will be domestic rabbits are pets, their habits, breeds, a “Bun of the Month”, and community events. Contact her at debbie@rabbitsanctuary.org.