Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/4/2016
SPRINGFIELD – On one side of the room at the Dakin Humane Society on Union Street there was a mother and daughter each holding and caressing a guinea pig. On the other side of the room a father and daughter were filling out adoption papers.
On July 30, Dakin offered a 50 percent reduction in its adoption fees for small animals because of too many rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters, Adoption Counselor Eliza Fisher explained.
The shelter’s capacity for small animals is met when the population reached 12 to 15 rabbits, Fisher said. Small pets, such as these, don’t “move as quickly” as dogs or cats, she added.
The cuteness factor was pretty high in the room with a number of fuzzy bright eyed bunnies on the floor in cages with food and drink. Fisher said all of the rabbits were domesticated varieties and they don’t require an outside hutch.
Rabbits can be trained as indoor pets with a litter box the same as cats, she explained. Fisher cautioned though, “they are a little higher maintenance than many people realize.”
While many people keep a rabbit indoors, Fisher said rabbit owners have to be aware that rabbits like to chew and damage woodwork and electrical wires.
Rabbits do bond with people, she said.
Fisher also noted that dogs, cats and rabbits can all live in the same home and get along with the proper training.
The normal adoption fee for a rabbit is $60, which includes spaying or neutering the animals. Fisher said there are pairs of rabbits, which the shelter does not break up, but rather look for a pet parent willing to adopt both.
For more information on adopting small animals, contact the shelter at 781-4000.