I first saw Pepper just after New Years' in early 2002.  He was at the local no-kill shelter, and my then-husband and I had gone over to bring the bunnies holiday toys and treats.  We had tried to go just before Xmas, but the shelter closed for the holidays and we just missed them.

We had adopted two of our precious bunnies, Mellie and Clover, from that very shelter.  Both times, the buns were in indoor cages.  They had little to no exercise time, but at least they were protected.  So when we walked in and saw no rabbits, I thought they had been adopted in a post-holiday frenzy. 

We finally found someone who wasn't busy, and asked where the bunnies were.  We were walked through a few rooms and handed off to another employee to take us to them.  We walked through an enclosed but still outdoor open area filled with cats lounging about, and then through another room.  Then we were taken through a small room marked "quarantine".  At this point my concern was aroused.  Were all the rabbits sick?  But there was a door on the other side, and back outside we went.  We were inside of a small area, outdoors but with a roof and enclosed by wooden posts and hardware cloth.  There was a row of 3 filthy rabbit hutches against the building.

I peered into the first hutch, and cowering in the back was what appeared to be a small brown agouti rabbit.  We were told that his name was Pepper.  The second and third hutches both contained larger New Zealand Whites, and we were given their names as well.  I went back to Pepper because I could tell that he was very frightened, and was concerned for him.  My then-husband went to the second cage and began to interact with that rabbit. 

After leaning into the hutch and speaking softly to Pepper for several minutes, I was finally able to practically climb inside and lean over far enough that I could gently stroke his soft fur for a minute without him being as terrified. I worked with him just like that for quite some time.

Eventually, Pepper not only began to enjoy my petting, but even allowed me to lift him and I sat in a chair nearby (I had asked to have one brought out) holding him.  I had brought my nail clippers, and he allowed me to trance him and take care of the very long nails he had.  I don't think they had ever been clipped before.  I held him for a long time before returning him to his hutch.  While I was holding him, I asked someone to clean the hutch out, as it was awful.  The rabbits did not have litterboxes, so I had him summon the worker who acted shocked but complied and brought out three litter pans from the cat area along with some newspapers.  I was so glad that I had brought hay, since they had none at all.

Finally, Pepper went back into his hutch and I set to work trimming the other bunnies' nails.  One, Whiskey, was a bit less skittish, and BB King, a huge NZ White, was completely outgoing and curious.  Then it was time to go.  I stopped to ask the supervisor about perhaps bringing the rabbit in, and she was confused--it seems that they all had thought rabbits were happier outdoors, and that the previous rabbits had been inside as a last resort, so they had begged a volunteer to build those hutches from used wood.  I talked about how they were frightened when they heard the dogs barking, how dirty the cages were, how hard it was to adopt them if no one could easily see them, and how little attention they were getting out there from the staff.  I also emphasized how important it was to change their diet--they desperately needed hay and a change of pellets.  They had the pellets that contained seeds and corn, and one would get sick soon if changes were not made.

I was rather surprised at the response.  I was asked if I wanted a job!  I had not been working since my collapse from Lyme Disease and fibromyalgia nearly a year before, and had been recently starting to think about finding some sort of part time work that I could do sitting down.  I explained my needs and she told me she was sure they could use me.  She asked me to call back the next day and speak with the director.

I was hired nearly on the spot when I came in and spoke to the director.  She asked many questions about my illnesses and seemed eager to accomodate them.  She was also pleased to have someone with a management background, and was really hoping that I would take a supervisory position.  I made sure she understood that this was out of the question at that stage of my physical ability, but that eventually if I could, I would like to.  We agreed on my working 3 days a week, mostly in the office where I could sit down, and then short stints out to the areas where the adoptable animals were to show them to the public.  I was in, and could begin my bunny reform program (reforming the administration of course, not the buns themselves!)!

Barely a week after starting work, and finally moving the rabbits indoors where they would be safe, a staff member placed an ill puppy in one of the cages in the same room--a room intended for cats, which they were now sharing with three rabbits.  The puppy was left in a cage in that room for the entire weekend, and I'm sure that he spent a good deal of that time barking.  When I came back to work on Monday, I noticed that there was a fair amount of pellets in Pepper's bowl.  Closer investigation showed that his litterbox was still clean.  After checking with the staff to determine if he had already been cleaned and fed that morning, I found out that he hadn't eaten or pooped all weekend.  I immediately went into bunny care mode.

My first objective was to get some food into Pepper.  I softened some of his regular pellets with hot water, and mixed it with a bit of canned pumpkin.  I then found a large oral syringe, and began to slowly feed him this way (while he was wrapped in a towel and made to feel a bit more secure).  I made sure that the slurry was wet enough that he was getting extra fluids in the process.  It is crucial when a rabbit is in GI Stasis that the gut remains as hydrated as possible (see Dana Krempel's world-renowned article on this condition, which is a common cause of death for companion rabbits!).

After getting some food into Pepper, gently massaging his tummy, and returning him to his cage--with no puppy present in the room, I called my then-husband.  I had promised that if I went to work at a shelter that I would not bring home any animals, rabbits or otherwise.  I explained the situation and told him how urgent that it was for me to foster this rabbit and nurse him back to health.  The shelter staff did not understand rabbits, and I knew that if he stayed there he would likely die.  He was insistent that it could only be until Pepper was well again, but that if I could stick to that, I could bring him home.

More about Pepper's story soon!!