From 8-week-old babies to 3-year-old adults, more than 50 rabbits from five rescue groups will be seeking homes Saturday at the Bunny Art Show & Adoption Fair in Dublin, one of the largest adoption events of its kind in the Bay Area.
The rabbits were rescued from shelters when the animals were scheduled for euthanasia, said Joan Wegner, a volunteer with East Bay Rabbit Rescue, which is sponsoring the art show and adoption fair.
“People buy the bunnies at pet stores, where they’re told they make great starter pets,” Wegner said. “But as they reach sexual maturity, they bite, they chew, they dig and they spray urine.”
All of the rabbits available for adoption have been spayed and neutered. The adoption fee is $50.
To help increase awareness about the gentle creatures, Bay Area artists captured the rabbits in paint and prints, creating 60 portraits that will be on display from Saturday through the end of September.
The art is available for purchase at prices from $50 to $250, Wegner said.
In recent years, the number of rabbits turning up at Bay Area shelters has increased, forcing shelters to euthanize some of the animals when they run out of space for them.
Many of them were bought as Easter gifts and later abandoned.
“They’re not as appropriate for young children as a dog or a cat because they are delicate,” Wegner said. “They’re unique from dogs and cats but they require as much care as dogs and cats and can be just as rewarding.”
The Bunny Art Show & Adoption Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the East Bay SPCA, 4651 Gleason Drive in Dublin.
For more information, see the East Bay Rabbit Rescue’s website at www.eastbayrabbit.petfinder.com.
Contact Linda Goldston at 408-920-5862.
