House Rabbit Society

House Rabbit Society (HRS) is a United States nonprofit organization focused on the welfare of domestic rabbits. Based in Richmond, California, it combines rabbit rescue and adoption with public education, veterinary support, foster care, shelter partnerships, and community services. The organization received nonprofit status in 1993, while its House Rabbit Journal has been published since the organization’s founding in 1988. HRS’s central philosophy is that domestic rabbits are companion animals whose welfare should not depend on breed purity, appearance, temperament, health status, or the strength of their relationship with people. It advocates for responsible guardianship, including spaying and neutering, regular veterinary care, an appropriate diet, exercise, enrichment, and keeping domestic rabbits indoors rather than outdoors. This position distinguishes the organization from approaches that treat rabbits primarily as livestock, seasonal pets, or outdoor animals. The organization’s operational base is the HRS Rabbit Center in the San Francisco Bay Area. The center functions as a home office, adoption facility, education venue, and veterinary-services site. Before the center existed, much of the national organization’s daily work was carried out through private homes and volunteer networks across the country. HRS now works with municipal shelters, especially in Northern California, to transfer rabbits at risk because of overcrowding, injury, illness, behavioral challenges, or other circumstances. The center generally has approximately 80 to 100 rabbits available for adoption or fostering, with animals arriving through a network of shelter transfer partners. Rabbits entering HRS care receive health assessments and, when appropriate, spay or neuter surgery, medical treatment, and rehabilitation before adoption. Foster homes provide additional behavioral observation, photographs, videos, and adoption support. HRS also offers guidance on rabbit bonding, grooming, senior-rabbit care, multi-species households, and pet-loss support. Its educational work expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic through live online classes and remote consultations, enabling the organization to reach guardians beyond its local service area. Veterinary access is a major part of HRS’s current strategy. In 2019, the HRS Rabbit Center opened an in-house surgery suite and hired a veterinarian and registered veterinary technician. The organization describes this as the first staff-veterinarian model among rabbit rescues in the United States. Beginning in 2023, the center extended low-cost spay and neuter services to members of the public and to other Bay Area rescues and shelters. It also operates a monthly low-cost vaccination clinic addressing Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus and launched a veterinary training initiative in 2023. The training program provides supervised practical instruction in rabbit handling, anesthesia, surgery, and related care for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, assistants, and students. HRS supports access and inclusion through multilingual educational materials in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. In November 2022, it launched the Rabbit Essentials Pantry, a recurring program distributing rabbit food and essential supplies at no cost to qualifying Bay Area residents. The organization also provides grants to HRS chapters and other nonprofit groups, operates the Hop Shop for rabbit food and supplies, and offers grooming and boarding by appointment. Its work is therefore broader than direct rescue: it seeks to reduce abandonment and preventable illness by improving the knowledge, resources, and veterinary capacity available to rabbit guardians and local animal-welfare organizations.

House Rabbit Society was established in 1988 as a rabbit-focused animal-welfare organization. Its early work relied heavily on volunteers and private homes rather than a centralized facility. The organization developed a model centered on rescuing domestic rabbits, placing them in foster care or adoptive homes, and teaching guardians how to provide appropriate indoor companionship, nutrition, exercise, medical care, and social enrichment. HRS obtained nonprofit status in 1993. Over time, its activities expanded beyond individual rescue placements. The organization built a national and chapter-based network, collaborated with municipal shelters, and developed educational materials intended to reduce preventable surrender, neglect, and abandonment. Its philosophy treats domestic rabbits as companion animals and emphasizes that all rabbits deserve consideration regardless of breed, appearance, health, or temperament. Spaying and neutering, routine veterinary attention, and indoor housing became core elements of its public guidance. The creation of the HRS Rabbit Center in the San Francisco Bay Area marked an important operational development. The center brought together the home office, adoption activities, education, and direct animal-care services. HRS uses the facility and its foster network to assist rabbits transferred from municipal shelters, particularly when overcrowding, illness, injury, behavioral issues, or euthanasia risk make placement difficult. Rabbits are assessed, treated, sterilized when appropriate, and prepared for adoption. Foster caregivers contribute behavioral information and adoption materials that help prospective guardians understand each rabbit’s needs. Veterinary access became an increasingly prominent part of the organization’s work. In September 2019, HRS opened an in-house surgery suite and hired a veterinarian and registered veterinary technician. This allowed the rescue to conduct procedures for rabbits in its own care and strengthened its ability to manage preventive and surgical needs. From 2023, the center extended low-cost spay and neuter services to members of the public and other local animal-welfare groups. HRS also introduced a public vaccination clinic focused on Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated HRS’s use of online education. Live Zoom classes and remote support addressed basic care, rabbit behavior, bonding, senior rabbits, multi-species households, and bereavement. Online delivery allowed the organization to serve people outside its immediate geographic area while retaining on-site workshops for selected topics such as bonding and grooming. HRS also expanded multilingual materials, making selected diet, behavior, and general-care resources available in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. In November 2022, HRS added the Rabbit Essentials Pantry to address the relationship between financial hardship and animal surrender. The pantry provides rabbit food and essential supplies to qualifying Bay Area residents. In 2023, the organization launched a veterinary training program for veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians, assistants, and students. Under staff supervision, participants receive practical instruction in rabbit handling, anesthesia, and spay and neuter procedures. The initiative responds to the limited amount of rabbit-specific training available in conventional veterinary education and to broader shortages in veterinary services. HRS’s current activities combine direct rescue with prevention and capacity building. In addition to adoption, foster care, education, vaccination, surgery, and training, it operates the Hop Shop, offers grooming and boarding by appointment, publishes the annual House Rabbit Journal, and distributes grants to chapters and other nonprofit organizations. Its continuing objective is to improve the welfare of domestic rabbits by changing how they are housed, treated, medically supported, and understood as companion animals.

• 2023

  Public low-cost surgery services expand

  [1]House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The HRS Rabbit Center begins offering low-cost spay and neuter services to the public and other local rescues and shelters.

• 2023

  Veterinary training program launches

  [1]House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org

  HRS introduces hands-on rabbit-medicine training for veterinary professionals and students.

• 2022

  Rabbit Essentials Pantry begins

  [1]House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org

  HRS launches a monthly pet-food and essential-supplies pantry for Bay Area residents in need.

• 2019

  In-house surgery suite opens

  [1]House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The HRS Rabbit Center opens a surgery suite and adds a staff veterinarian and registered veterinary technician.

• 1993

  Nonprofit status granted

  [1]House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org

  House Rabbit Society receives nonprofit status in the United States.

• 1988

  House Rabbit Society is established

  [1]House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org

  HRS begins its rabbit-rescue, adoption, and education work; the House Rabbit Journal has been published from the organization’s founding period.

A rabbit-specific animal-welfare and education organization combining rescue, adoption, preventive care, veterinary capacity building, and evidence-based guidance for indoor companion-rabbit guardians.

• Animal rescue service · 1988

  Rabbit rescue and adoption

  HRS accepts rabbits transferred from shelters and other rescue situations, evaluates their health and behavior, provides medical and surgical care, and places them in foster or permanent adoptive homes. Foster caregivers help document personality, compatibility, and daily needs so adopters can make informed decisions.

• Education and information service · 1988

  Rabbit-care education

  The organization provides guidance on diet, housing, exercise, behavior, bonding, grooming, senior care, multi-species households, and routine veterinary needs. Classes are offered online and, periodically, in person, with materials also distributed through shelters, rescues, and multilingual channels.

• Veterinary service · 2019

  Low-cost spay and neuter services

  The HRS Rabbit Center provides rabbit-specific sterilization services. Initially developed for rabbits in the organization’s care after the 2019 surgery-suite opening, the service expanded in 2023 to members of the public and other Bay Area rescues and shelters.

• Veterinary service

  Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus vaccination clinic

  HRS operates a recurring low-cost public vaccination clinic focused on protection against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus. The clinic complements the organization’s public education about disease prevention and access to rabbit-experienced care.

• Professional training · 2023

  Veterinary training program

  Launched in 2023, the program offers supervised practical instruction for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, assistants, and students. Training includes safe handling, rabbit-specific anesthesia, and spay and neuter procedures, with the stated goal of expanding the supply of competent rabbit medical care.

• Community assistance program · 2022

  Rabbit Essentials Pantry

  The pantry distributes rabbit food and essential care supplies at no cost to eligible residents in the Bay Area. It is intended to help guardians maintain care during financial hardship and reduce avoidable surrender or abandonment.

• Publication · 1988

  House Rabbit Journal

  The annual full-color publication combines rabbit-care information, member stories, and organizational updates. It is distributed to members and is also available online.

• 2023Multilingual rabbit-care resources

  United States · Online

  HRS expanded access to care information through materials in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, covering topics such as diet, behavior, and general rabbit care.

  Outcome. The resources are distributed online and through shelter and rescue partners.

  Source
• 2022Rabbit Essentials Pantry

  San Francisco Bay Area

  HRS launched a recurring food and supplies assistance program for Bay Area residents facing difficulty meeting the costs of rabbit care.

  Outcome. The program remains part of HRS’s community-support work.

  Source
• 2020Zoom rabbit-care classes

  United States · International online audience

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, HRS shifted substantial educational activity online and offered live classes covering rabbit care, behavior, bonding, senior rabbits, and multi-species households, along with pet-loss support and individual bonding guidance.

  Outcome. The online format enabled HRS to continue public education and reach guardians beyond the San Francisco Bay Area.

  Source

• 2023

  Expand rabbit-specific veterinary educationStrategy

  Background

  Few veterinarians receive extensive formal training in rabbit medicine, creating access problems for guardians and rescue organizations.

  Action taken

  HRS launched a supervised practical training initiative for veterinarians, veterinary staff, and students.

  Aftermath

  The initiative began attracting trainees from California, elsewhere in the United States, and internationally.

  Source

• 2022

  Address household resource insecurityStrategy

  Background

  Financial hardship can make it difficult for guardians to obtain food and basic supplies, increasing the risk of surrender or inadequate care.

  Action taken

  HRS launched the Rabbit Essentials Pantry to provide rabbit food and essential supplies at no cost to qualifying Bay Area residents.

  Aftermath

  The pantry became an ongoing community-assistance service.

  Source

• 2019

  Build internal rabbit veterinary capacityStrategy

  Background

  Rabbits in rescue care require sterilization, medical treatment, and surgery, while rabbit-experienced veterinary services can be difficult to access.

  Action taken

  HRS opened an in-house surgery suite and hired a veterinarian and registered veterinary technician at the HRS Rabbit Center.

  Aftermath

  The center gained an internal platform for surgical care and later expanded low-cost procedures to public and nonprofit clients.

  Source

1. 1House Rabbit Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2House Rabbit Society official websiterabbit.org