Rabbit
Haven
Gig Harbor, WA
A shelter and sanctuary for unwanted and mistreated rabbits … until they all have homes.
THE NEW BUNNY BARN!
We are getting closer and closer to the time when we can transfer our current residents from their temporary quarters into their spacious new accommodations in the new bunny building! We are hoping to be able to do this during the first part of 2008. Much will depend on Sue's time, the time of others helping out and finances, but we feel this to be a realistic timeframe. How wonderful it will be to have a barn warming gala with all of you this coming summer with all the buns snuggly tucked into their new warm, safe and spacious areas! We're on the last leg of this three plus year race and the finish line is in sight - yeah!
Speaking
of artwork, we have been very blessed by our wonderful volunteer, Deirdre.
Not only does she foster and do outreach, she's also a very talented local
artist! Deirdre has been coming to Rabbit Haven for the past several
weekends in order to donate her time and talents with painting adorable
rabbit artwork on the aluminum siding for the runs. Many of these
cuties are dear old friends of Rabbit Haven! :) To see more of
Diedre's artwork as her progress continues with adding friends to the new
bunny building, please CLICK
HERE.
I
have mentioned several times how much a "resource guru" Sue
is. This picture was a wonderful opportunity to show you just one
example of this. The veggies, whether donated or purchase, often
arrive at Rabbit Haven in a multitude of boxes. Sue, being
absolutely determined to put to use any and all usable items, decided to
turn several of these boxes into artwork for the new bunny building and it
came out looking so sharp! This woman never ceases to amaze me.
We
received an offer for the bunny building to serve as a demonstration site
for concrete floor covering. This means that Rabbit Haven will have
a very high quality floor covering for the large concrete based floor at
minimal cost. This new floor will now be an investment of several
hundred dollars opposed to the several thousand dollars we were having to
look at initially for something of considerable less quality. Sue
set to work on getting all the aluminum up on the walls around what will
be bunny runs prior to the flooring people coming. It has been a
labor of love to put it gently. It is done now though, looks
wonderful and most importantly the absolute best option we could offer our
furry friends. We are expecting the floor to begin sometime in
January, if not sooner.
With
framing, wiring, plumbing and the sheet rock completed, the next task at
hand was to work on priming and then painting. We were very
fortunate to have both the primer and paint donated. We ended up
receiving several gallons of very high quality paint that was surplus from
a Microsoft project. The paint is a yellow that takes on different
hues depending on lighting; it's quite nice! After many a late
nights for Sue and some help from kind volunteers, we are very excited to
now be able to pass along the great news that the inside of the building
is completely painted and looks great! We are another step closer to
the buns moving into their new place. :)
The
cooler is complete! How wonderful it is for Rabbit Haven to finally
have a way to keep all the residents' greens, hard veggies and fruits
fresher longer now. We'll now be able to stretch further the fresh
goodies that are donated and the ones that Sue purchases a lot further,
especially during the warmer months. Once the cooling unit was
installed and running, Sue set to designing and installing shelves so that
we can get the most use out every inch of this wonderful giant
refrigerator. This also means we are one step closer to moving our
treasured friends into their new spacious living accommodations. We
are so excited!
We surprised Sue with some
veggies and I was able to grab updated pictures of the progress on the
barn. It was almost dark, but with a little drastic lightening of
the photo you can see that the windows are all in! Sue was working
on the roof to the front porch, which is now completed. She has also
located an electrician who is willing to wire the building at a reduced
price; though, it will still be one of the major expenses for this
project. If you would like to help Rabbit Haven with this cost,
please visit our BUILDING
NEEDS page.
The
future cooler that will be enormously helpful in enabling us to preserve
the bunny greens and veggies as long as possible has taken shape!
Sue began soliciting for a free or reduced cost cooling unit and has been
successful. She has located an area business that is willing to
donate the cooling unit. They have also agreed to offer installation,
all the hardware and the initial charging for a very reasonable fee of
only $1,200.00. This unit will most certainly pay for itself!
If you are able to help Rabbit Haven with the cost of completing the new
cooler, please visit our BUILDING
NEEDS page.
The front is completely
sided and the windows are soon to follow! Though the vent at the
peak of the roof presented its own challenges, it is now snuggly in place
and all framed in. The building is closing in
and getting that much closer to welcoming its new residents!
Okay,
most people don't get absolutely giddy over the look of piping, but Sue
and the volunteers certainly did once the plumping for the building was
completed! This is one major project off the "to-do" list
and was done at a reduced cost by a local professional. Our sincere
gratitude to this individual and to those of you who's donations helped
make this possible! We are this much closer to the day when all the
residents will be able to move into their new facility!
The
doors have been refinished and hung on the back of the building. Sue
still needs to close in the upper portion of the building and construct a
cooler for veggies that will be built on the concrete slab to the right of
the doors. If you know of anyone with a working cooling unit they
would be willing to donate, please have them contact sue@rabbithaven.org.
The
front is almost completely sided and will be finished soon. Next
will come the beautiful windows and vent at the top. We are getting
that much closer to being able to have an electrician come in. We're
still in need of a licensed electrician that would be willing to take on
this task at reduced or possibly even no cost.
The
front of the building is now starting to get closed in. It won't be
long now before the entire building will be closed in and we can look
forward to an electrician wiring the building! If you or someone you
know is a licensed electrician and willing to help with this, please
contact, Sue Brennan, at sue@rabbithaven.org.
Almost
all the windows are repaired and in, and doors are being restored and
hung. Concrete has been poured and the bunny runs outside area is
taking on more shape. Progress, progress, progress!
Walls for both sides of the
building are now framed in. The windows are installed and there are
doorway openings for each of the runs in place. The second story
floor is now beginning to take form. It is about a third of the way
completed and Sue continues to work on it. Soon the years supply of
hay will be able to be placed in its rightful spot up in the loft.
Bunny runs are starting to
take shape! Each run will have a window and an outside play area
access door for nice days. The loft doors are also completed and the
front of the building is now sided. We are moving forward and
getting closer to completion each day!
The siding is
going on. Windows are being put in. The bunny clinic is
starting to take shape! Progress is happening and we're that much
closer to moving our gals and guys in! Everyone, buns and humans
alike, are very much looking forward to the facility being
operational! Sue has been working on it every moment she has and we
plan to continue to put up pictures here along the way so we can share the
progress and excitement with you!
The
Bunny Barn has now taken shape! The next step is to start framing in
walls, windows and doors. We've a long way to go before this will be
ready for the residents' move in, but hope to be able to settle them in
before the hot temperatures of summer!
Groundbreaking for the barn began in November 2002!
We are very fortunate in that our talented and committed founder, Sue, is
also a licensed contractor and will do most of the barn
construction. This will keep costs relatively low for a project of
this magnitude, although the total budget for the barn will likely exceed
$50K.
We are very excited about this! The new rabbit barn will be complete with a veterinary clinic and surgical facilities, recovery room, 24 new indoor/outdoor rabbit runs, exercise yard, kitchen and storage, and best of all, an old-folks home with both indoor and outdoor access where the older residents can live out their lives in a community setting.
We are also planning two feral rabbit enclosures. These predator-proof enclosures will house up to 30 rabbits each and will allow for grazing, burrow and tunnel digging, and all the heel-kicking room a rabbit could want!
Our immediate goal is to raise the funds necessary to continue construction of the rabbit barn. This will enable us to move our current rabbit residents to their new home as soon as possible and open up additional runs for more rescues.
As you can see, we have our work cut out for us; however, we remain excited and committed to our goal of rescuing, adopting, and educating.
If you are interested in donating any of the much-needed materials, labor or financial support for the new bunny barn, please click on the "Donations" link to the left.
Thanks! We'll keep you posted as progress continues.
Online
Donations
Medical
Fund
CLICK ON LOGO
FOR MORE INFO
RH's medical fund for buns with extraordinary medical needs.
The
New
Building
CLICK ON PHOTO
FOR MORE INFO
Updated 12/14/05