2 years ago my partner and I were driving home when we spotted a small white rabbit on the side of the road. It was a rural area with no houses in sight. It was late at night and it was 2 weeks after Easter. We pulled over and got out of the car thinking we would scare her into the woods away from the road. Once we saw that she was entirely white and clean and not afraid of us in the slightest, we realized that she was a domestic rabbit and likely dumped just moments before we spotted her. Having absolutely no experience with rabbits, but knowing that she would die within a few days if left on her own, we scooped her up in a big sweater and large shopping bag and took her home. What followed was the first of many frantic Google searches on rabbit care.

We initially thought that we would give her over to our local SPCA to be adopted, but once we learned how careless people tend to be with rabbits we couldn’t stand the thought of her living less of a life than what we could offer. We desperately hoped that our cats would accept her. They did within just a few days.

Since adopting her we’ve learned that rabbits are routinely bred and sold for Easter and then a whopping 80 percent are abandoned within just a few months. And like in the case of Binks, the irresponsibilty is so extensive that people will dump them at the side of the road to die within a few days by cars or predators rather than own up to their abandonment at a shelter. The Easter rabbit problem is so widespread that rabbit rescue groups actually have campaigns along the lines of “buy chocolate rabbits instead.”

Rabbits require a lot of care. Their homes need to be cleaned everyday. They need fresh vegetables and hay everyday. And perhaps most importantly, they need to spend a minimum of 2-4 hours roaming freely everyday. Ideally, they can always roam freely and choose to go back to their digs when they see fit. They like to chew and dig, so bunny-proofing your house is a must, and even with some Binks-safing measures, we still find many items mysteriously chewed and need to fix or replace just about all of our baseboards. House rabbits live for 8-15 years and we spend much more time caring for Binks than we do our two cats.

Still, she’s an absolute joy. Her sensitivity and delicacy are heartwarming, and her spunk and demanding nature make us laugh everyday. It’s wonderful how much life she’s brought to our home, and devastating to think what would have happened if we hadn’t been in the right place at the right time.

Do not buy rabbits as pets. Learn everything involved in proper rabbit care and adopt from your local shelter.