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NEWS ARTICLES Rabbit rescue group opens San Pedro store
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Bona Tucker holds a Flemish giant rabbit in her recently opened San Pedro business, PetSave's Rabbitat and Gifts. The business sells pet-related items to support its larger mission of finding homes for homeless rabbits. |
Probably the only store of its kind in San Pedro, PetSave's
Rabbitat and Gifts is a one-stop shop for all things rabbit related,
but that's all just a front for the store's main business: finding
rabbits a place to call home.
An animal rescue group once located in Torrance, PetSave is now
in a storefront on Ninth Street in San Pedro.
The animal store does more than just find every lonely floppy-eared
animal a home of its own. It educates people on how to care for
the hopping animals, has them neutered/spayed and maintains a
foster network with others willing to care for the animals as
they wait for an owner.
The nonprofit currently has 140 rabbits at its store and another
60 bunnies in foster homes. Many of the animals have been rescued
from animal shelters where they were scheduled to be put to sleep,
found off the street, in parks, and even in dumpsters where they
have been abandoned.
One time the store agreed to take in 356 rabbits found in bad
health at one woman's home. The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals planned to kill the large number of rabbits,
because it didn't have a facility large enough for the big influx.
Such heavy loads are particularly stressful on the San Pedro store.
Run like a hospital gift shop, the store relies on volunteers
to keep it running. The unpaid group does everything from manning
the register to cleaning the furry animals.
As if the responsibility of running such a store were not already
heavy enough, PetSave's owner, Bona Tucker, has begun lobbying
the City of Los Angeles to change its rules on the rabbits in
its animal shelters. Unlike cats and dogs, the city does not require
rabbits in its system to be spayed and neutered.
The simple policy change, she said, could prevent the births of
hundreds of unwanted rabbits.
"It's really ridiculous when you consider that these guys
breed, well, like rabbits," she said.
How to help
- What: To volunteer at PetSave call Bona Tucker at 310-833-7333 or visit the store at 522 W. Ninth Street, San Pedro.
522 W. 9th St.
San Pedro, CA 90731
Tel: 310-833-7333 contact@petsave.org
