SAN ANTONIO – The Retired Rabbit Sanctuary was founded in August of 1998 by Kyle and Kay Hendricks to provide homes for abandoned, endangered and abused rabbits.
Common reasons for sending your rabbit to a sanctuary include having a retired show rabbit or realizing that rabbits aren't quite like cats and dogs as pets. Whatever reason individuals may have for giving up their fluffy friend, the Retired Rabbit Sanctuary makes sure they provide adequate safety, shelter, and care for every rabbit that hops through their doors.
The Hendrickses were inspired to build their sanctuary after visiting a local breeder that had less than acceptable living conditions for their rabbits. That very day, they bought as many rabbits from the breeder as they could. Now twenty years later, they can't believe they've been able to rescue more than 6,000 animals.
In addition to rabbits, the Retired Rabbit Sanctuary provides services for roosters, chickens, and even a few cats and dogs. Currently, they house nearly 200 rabbits, with a maximum capacity of 380 rabbits.
As new rabbits come into their facility, they begin the process of rehoming or transferring them to one of their other locations.
The Retired Rabbit Sanctuary, a division of Cheyenne Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc., is the only sanctuary nationwide that has room to expand, with a total of about 15 acres that they can use to grow their refuge.
Rabbits come into the sanctuary from all over the U.S. and for a variety of reasons. After three days of quarantine, the newly arrived rabbits are sent to their main facility where they receive health checks indicating they are ready for adoption.
In the future, the Hendrickes hope to build a barn in the back of their sanctuary that will hold a clinic, a classroom and 500 more animals. The classroom is of utmost importance to them as it will allow them to educate the public on the care, mistreatment, and endangerment of rabbits.
The Retired Rabbit Sanctuary appreciates all the help they can get. If you're interested in volunteering, donating, or adopting an animal, hop on over to their website.