Pumpkin’s Story

Pumpkin was part of a group of domestic bunnies set loose in a St. Catharines neighborhood. Many of these bunnies were sick and pregnant, but were lucky enough to be rescued by volunteers, brought to the shelter and adopted. Pumpkin was caught in October 2017 and less than 48 hours after being rescued, she gave birth to 6 babies in foster care. 

Pumpkin and two of her babies, Cider and Hobbs, turned into foster fails when their foster mom decided she couldn’t part with them. Pumpkin was terrified of people at first but blossomed into such a gentle, loving bunny. 

About a year after Pumpkin was adopted, she had diagnostic x-rays done and they showed that she had two bullets from a pellet gun lodged inside of her - one in her leg and one in her chest, right next to her heart. When Pumpkin was rescued she showed no signs of any injuries, which means she was left to fend for herself outside for months after she was shot. Despite this, she was still so sweet and never showed any signs of aggression. 

Unfortunately three of Pumpkin’s babies had passed away before their 1st birthday - two right before they were going to be spayed/neutered and the other (Hobbs) due to pasteurella. Months after this, Pumpkin became anemic and started losing a significant amount of weight. Despite numerous tests, medications and weight gain attempts, she wasn’t getting better. One morning she was found sitting in a hunched position and wouldn’t eat anything. She was rushed to OVC but her body was shutting down and it wasn’t clear why. Pumpkin passed away on July 29th, 2019 with Cider, Sherman and her human by her side. 

Pumpkin’s Acres Rabbit Rescue was started in Pumpkin’s honor. Rabbits are seen as disposable and people think they can survive in the wild, but they can’t. There are so many dangers for them - diseases, cars, predators and even cruel people. And then there are the rabbits being kept in hutches outside or small cages, which is no way to live. They’re smart, playful animals who are capable of love - they need stimulation, a proper diet and space to run around. Even though Pumpkin had an unfortunate start, she got to spend the last 1.5 years of her life knowing she was finally safe. She had bunny friends to snuggle with, fresh greens and hay, comfy blankets to sleep on and a human to give her lots of love. There are too many bunnies who are left to fend for themselves outside, just like Pumpkin did, and they all deserve to be saved and brought into a loving home. And that’s what we’re here for.