5 minute read
BUNNY RESCUE
By Elizabeth Shane
LAURIE MONTGOMERY, FOUNDER OF BUNNY RESCUE NASHVILLE PHOTO BY ANNABELLE KOGER — ANNABELLE G. PHOTOGRAPHY
Twenty years ago, Columbia resident Laurie Montgomery was volunteering with Freedom Farm Dog Rescue in Nashville, when a discarded Easter bunny was brought in. She took the rabbit home to live in her kitchen, not knowing this decision would impact her life in a big way, with a huge ripple effect. The rabbit’s life she saved that day changed her life, and in turn, helped her save hundreds of other rabbits.
PHOTO BY LACEY MALOCH / STRAYS TO BAES PHOTOGRAPHY
Bunny Rescue is a 501(c)3 non-profit rabbit rescue, founded in 2001 by Montgomery. Their mission is to rescue injured and abandoned domestic pet rabbits and to educate the public on rabbit care. Domesticated pet rabbits are not equipped to save themselves when compared to other companion animals. They are classified as both pets and livestock and are farmed, experimented on, eaten, worn, and made into lucky charms. Sadly, they are also discarded by the thousands every year after Easter. Bunny Rescue teaches people how easy it is to have an indoor, litter box trained bunny that can free range in the home, just like a cat.
ADOPT DON’T SHOP
Since 2001, Bunny Rescue has saved more than 3,000 rabbits. The rescue’s needs grow every year and because of social media, more people are discovering the rescue, which has led to a significant increase in the volume of monthly calls received. Montgomery says Luke 10:2 sums up life in rescue, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Honestly, volunteers and fosterers are the greatest thing we need to keep everything going.”
Dumping season for rabbits starts the day after Easter and lasts past Thanksgiving. Many people think pet rabbits can be set free to live in the woods, however, this is a crime and also very hard to police, so it happens all year long. The root of the problem is breeders who create the crisis of overpopulation. The numbers of animals needing to be rescued will remain the same until breeders stop breeding. Every dog and cat rescue faces this same dilemma. Rescues and shelters have many wonderful animals available for adoption, including many purebreds. It is a neverending problem and until people stop buying from breeders, this will never go away. Bunny Rescue reminds people to “Adopt, Don’t Shop!"
Rescue work is most definitely a thankless job. Rescuers are both hero and goat every day — savior or janitor. Of the 15-30 calls the rescue gets daily, most are dump calls where an owner is frustrated and ready to discard the rabbit at a local pound or even outside. The challenge is to quickly problem-solve for each person and educate them if they are willing to learn. Bunny Rescue answers every phone call and takes time with each person to help them solve every issue. In the end, knowledge is always power! The goal is to teach the man to fish, not to just hand him a fish.
Bunny Rescue lives out “The Starfish Story” every day of the year. This is the story where thousands of starfish are washed up on the beach and a boy is throwing the starfish back in one at a time. A man walks up and says, “Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean? There are thousands, you can’t possibly make a difference.” The boy listens politely, then bends down and picks up another starfish and throws it back into the ocean and says, “I made a big difference for that one!”
Montgomery recounts a cruelty case, in 2005, involving more than 100 rabbits. She explained, “That case almost broke the rescue, but it was also life changing in a good way. It took more than two years to disperse those rescues into good homes, and thousands of dollars for vetting and daily care. The Farm at Natchez Trace, a dog boarding facility in Franklin, became grand central for us for the first two months. We had Linda Burnsed, the owner, to thank for that, since she loaned us an entire section of her building to operate out of.” Montgomery rescues as a labor of love, and a ministry to honor Christ, by serving the community and saving precious lives at the same time. She believes we should all try our best to leave the world a better place than we found it, always helping the weakest.
What fuels Montgomery is the desire to live by God’s original design, or the “Garden of Eden plan” as she says. She believes Genesis 1:29 is often overlooked. In this verse, God tells us we were designed to live with the animals in harmony, eating only fruits and vegetables. God says, “Eat every seed-bearing plant and every tree that bears fruit, and for the animals I give green plants to eat.” Montgomery explains, "With dominion comes responsibility, so we strive to teach people how to be responsible pet owners, in a fun and easy way.”
To volunteer or foster with the Bunny Rescue, call or text (615) 260-3808 and follow the rescue on social media at @bunnyrescuenashville on Instagram or Bunny Rescue-Nashville on Facebook.
