I'm going to take a beating...
I take bunnies home because they 'feel right'. To be honest, I have bought from pet stores, adopted, bough from breeders, rescued myself, etc.
I agree that there are tons of bunnies in shelters and I agree that they need homes. I think, for me, when I check a shelter, I am looking for that particular rabbit that has been there for a long time and that no one seems to want to take home. I especially appreciate the difficulty in finding someone for a special needs rabbit. I think, that is mainly what I look for.
However, I wouldn't scold anyone for buying a bunny in a pet store. I think many pet stores have gotten a terrible undeserved reputation. Many owners truly love animals. I just wish they would do more to educate themselves and their customers. Some do and I have no shame in encouraging those businesses to grow. In any case, wherever the bunny is, the bunny needs a home.
I find it a bit sucky to deny a bun a chance at a good home because we don't want to encourage the pet store to be honest. It's hard for me to walk away, knowing what may happen. In fact, oftentimes, I feel more compelled to help the bunny at the pet store because I KNOW that that bunny is more likely to end up neglected and abandoned shortly after. The bunnies in the shelters, though not thrilled, are relatively safe. They've already lived that nasty experience and luckily they have fallen into the hands of people who care about them and who will work at getting them good homes. Normally, they are well fed, are indoors, and are quite loved by all the volunteers. Am I saying they should be left there? No of course not. However, I really wouldn't bash anyone for buying from a pet store. I would of course warn about the possible health issues that may come up. The risks of buying from a place that doesn't know what to look for, etc.
I also understand wanting to get a rabbit from a place where you can know of the bun's history. A proper breeder can offer that. A pet store and a shelter cannot. A proper breeder deserves to have their work recognized. A proper breeder strives to be the one selling rabbits, not pet stores so that buns aren't abandoned in shelters. Many of those breeders even offer to take bunnies back if owners change their minds along the way. A proper breeder strives to improve the breed and improve the overall health of a rabbit to the best of their abilities.
In the end, I am one of those who simply will not walk away from a rabbit because he or she is not in the 'right' place. The bun never got to pick where he or she ended up and I think it's just unfair to the bun. Call me silly but that's how I feel it in my heart.
Look when I got Ashlynn. I loved that lil girl from the moment I laid eyes on her. I knew I had to have her. I knew that she was the typical adorable rabbit that would quickly find a home, most likely as an impulse purchase. Sadly, she died a few days after I got her. I could cry and get angry and say never again, but in my heart, I know she didn't die alone. Even in the brief time that I had her, I loved her as much as I could love her. She passed with Smores by her side. She could have died alone but she didn't.
I'm pro adopting. I am. The first thing I suggest is for soemone to look in a shelter. I've adopted and rescued and I know that rewarding feeling and you can clearly see how life-changing it is for the bunny involved. There's no doubt about that.
However, if someone looks into a bunny's eyes and feels the need to take that particular one home, whether s/he be at a pet store, breeder,fair, etc. I have no problem with that. Whether you save a rabbit from the shelter by taken it from there or adopting it before it gets there makes no difference to me. In fact, it saves that bun the nasty experience of being neglected and abandoned.
Just know that if you adopt a bun, especially from places where they don't know or maybe even not care about what they are doing, you may be taking in more than just a bun as s/he may come with health/behaviour issues. I think in the end, that's what matters most. Knowing that it is possible and be willing to deal with it, for the sake of the bun. Not everyone can, and not everyone will.
So whilst we argue about the 'right' thing to do, let's not forget that in the end, any bun is a potential bun in need. No bun has a say in where he or she is at when you come along. You may be that bun's only chance at a happy home for quite some time. I wouldn't have the heart to explainwhy Ishould only adopt from the shelterto the bun staring back at me. That's what happens when my heart speaks louder than my head.
