Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (B.U.N.S.) is a volunteer organization which cares for abandoned rabbits. B.U.N.S is located at the Santa Barbara County Animal Shelter, 5473 Overpass Rd, Santa Barbara California.  Click here for a map to the shelter B.U.N.S. works to find bunnies permanent homes, and educates the public on caring for a companion rabbit. What's New? BUNNY FESTIVAL CANCELLED Too Many Bunnies! In a nutshell, that’s it. As you know, BUNS is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to carin for the rabbits at the Santa Barbara County animal shelter. This spring we were called in to help a Winchester Canyon family that had had an unintended rabbit population explosion starting from just one young pair. We took in 28 adults and 20 babies from this one home. But that wasn’t all. All summer long new rabbits arrived at the Shelter alone, in pairs, or in groups up to four at a time. Many were from individuals and families who had rescued the rabbits from the streets, from irresponsible neighbors, or from friends, only to find they couldn’t care for the rabbits either. Along with the healthy rabbits came the sick, the injured and the bunnies with handicaps. Little Howard, for example, is about as cheerful a young rabbit as you can imagine. Only his two little back legs don’t work. Howard needs to live in a special fleece-line cage and get regular baths to keep him clean. So as spring turned into summer, and summer moved toward fall, our Bunny Festival organizers were providing foster care to sixty to seventy rabbits at a time, shuttling streams of rabbits to the vet, staying up late providing medical care to special needs rabbits, and of course keeping the Shelter running every day. Plus, of course, adopting rabbits, complete with home visits and sometimes help with yard repairs or hutch construction for adopters. Thankfully things have been going well, due to some really wonderful adopting families. Twenty rabbits left the shelter in August – usually a slow month – and almost half the Winchester Canyon adult rabbits have found new homes. [The babies will start coming back from foster care soon.] Unfortunately, we suddenly realized Bunny Festival was coming, and we just couldn’t do it this year. The bunnies had to come first. There just wasn’t enough time left to do all the thousand and one organizing tasks that go into Bunny Festival, not after jobs, families and every spare hour being devoted to the bunnies at the Shelter and in foster care. We’re so sorry. We know what a great event Bunny Festival is for BUNS and for all of you. Next year there will be a Bunny Festival! We’re going to start early. And we invite anyone out there with organizing skills and a little free time next spring and summer to volunteer to help. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator Andrea Bratt, 684-2269, email fuzzfarm1@cox.net if you would like to help! For video of 2005's festival Click the below link 2005 Bunny Festival Video Clicker Training for Rabbits and Guinea Pigs: Learn the basics of operant conditioning in a hands-on workshop using shelter rabbits and guinea pigs. Teach your rabbit or guinea pig to touch a target, learn to shape a turn and sit up. Learn how to capture behaviors. Understand how you may have inadvertently trained undesirable behaviors which can now be modified. Develop a training plan for your own rabbit or guinea pig. Offered February 12 and June 11, 2006 at the Animal Shelter. For address and directions see below. Tuition $75. To enroll contact buns@silcom.com or call 805 683-0521. There are many volunteer opportunities available at the new rabbit area at the shelter. We are looking for volunteers to care for and socialize the rabbits, be a vet taxi, foster rabbits that need special care, and help with fundraisers and adoption events. Training will be provided. This is a fun and rewarding way to help the community. Why all this fuss for a bunch of rabbits? Because, they make wonderful pets! They are easily litter box trained, very social and have great personalities. They can be trained like a dog and are affectionate like a cat. They do best in the house where they can interact with family members and other pets. Outside, they can live in a hutch and exercise in pens. Rabbits need companionship and can be adopted in bonded pairs. To volunteer or help with donations of equipment please contact Carly Neubert at 737-0098 or visit the Lompoc shelter at 1501 W Central Ave Monday-Friday from 9am-12:30pm and 1:30-4:30pm and Saturday from 10am-4pm. More information on rabbits can be found on the BUNS web site, www.bunssb.org or our Petfinder Site. Donation checks can be sent to B.U.N.S. at P.O. Box 91452, Santa Barbara, CA 93190. You are invited to visit the Lompoc Shelter's new rabbit facility and all the new hoppers they have there. Our current newsletter is available online. Have you seen our Frequently Asked Questions section? Check out our inexpensive, perfect home/cage plans for your indoor bunnies! Announcements You’re no bunny ‘til some bunny loves you! Volunteer with B.U.N.S. and get paid in bunny kisses. All days and shifts available Call 805-683-0521 for more information