Everybunny Counts Rabbit Rescue is planning a major expansion at its Ellington facility later this year as the nonprofit faces increasing surrender requests.
Everbunny Counts became the first standalone, licensed domestic rabbit rescue facility in Connecticut in March 2024. Before having a brick and mortar facility, the organization was exclusively foster-based. The nonprofit started in Naugatuck in 2016 and Bristol from 2016 to 2021 before relocating to its current location.
Becky Bernardo, who became the president of Everybunny Counts Rabbit Rescue in March 2022, said the expansion will create an additional 2,800 square feet for daily operations and rescue rabbits.
The nonprofit recently launched a fundraiser to offset costs as a result of the increased rent and additional security devices, as well as the need for additional equipment and upgrades that are required under state law for animal shelters.
A litter of baby bunnies dubbed the “Astro Babies” from early 2025 and they have all been adopted from Everybunny Counts in Ellington. (Courtesy of Everybunny Counts)
The fundraiser launched on February. 28 with the current goal of $20,000. The community has already responded with more than nearly $9,000 raised as of Monday afternoon.
Expansion plans include a dedicated room for sanctuary rabbits that need extra care, a medical and isolation unit, a nursery for baby rabbits, called kits, and a space for emergency intakes waiting for foster homes to become available. The added space will also allow the nonprofit to start a boarding service as well as a space to hold fundraisers, a laundry room and a commercial washer and dryer.
Bernardo said rabbits are being abandoned at a high clip and about 75% of rescues come through animal control officers or caught by volunteers after the rabbits have been dumped. She emphasized that domestic rabbits cannot survive in the wild, noting that wild rabbits and domesticated rabbits are not the same species.
“Rabbits have the same protections as dogs and cats in Connecticut, and they are the third most popular pet in the United States and in our state as well,” Bernardo said. “There’s still a little bit less respect for them as a species than there are dogs and cats.
“There is an animal crisis throughout the state for dogs and cats. It’s a crisis for small exotic animals as well,” she added. “I say it’s gotten worse. There’s a huge increase in dumped domestic rabbits.”
This room is part of the expansions of the Everybunny Counts Rabbit Rescue facility in Ellington. The nonprofit is collecting funds to help play for the renovations. (Courtesy of Everybunny Counts)
Bernardo estimates that 1,000 rabbits have been rescued and adopted through Everybunny Counts over the last 10 years.
Everybunny Counts currently has 67 rabbits, with around 40 staying with fosters until space opens up at the Ellington facility. Generally, there are 15 to 20 rabbits available for adoption at any time, Bernardo said.
The nonprofit has an all-women operational team as well as about 50 volunteers who clean, transport, foster, educate and fundraise for the rabbits.
Bernardo said the organization spends a lot of time in education about the “high levels of care” needed for exotic animals like rabbits. She said in the winter adoption is slower, with about one adoption a week. During the spring and summer those numbers increase to between two and four rabbits adopted per week.
Everybunny Counts celebrates its grand opening in Ellington in 2024. (Courtesy of Everybunny Counts)
“Most of the time rabbits come from really bad situations,” Bernardo said. “They’re abandoned, dumped outside, neglected, abused. Occasionally, we’ll take an owner surrender from a pretty severe situation. Since COVID, our ability to do that has decreased. We have to take on these harder cases. So now we are able to rent the other 3,000 square feet of the building that we’re in. It’s not going to require a relocation, it’ll just be an expansion. We’re really excited about that.”
Bernardo noted that there are three other rabbit rescues in Connecticut, including Hopalong Hollow in Norwalk, Bunlandia Rabbit Rescue & Rehab in Seymour and Save the Buns in Stafford Springs. Bernardo said she is friends with all three nonprofits that operate out of their homes.
Bernardo said most animal control facilities are not equipped to take on rabbits because they don’t have the resources, so the majority of the rabbit rescue burden falls on the four non-profit rabbit organizations.
“We haven’t seen any signs of letting up. It’s March 2 and since January 1, we’ve received over 300 surrender requests for rabbits, just to give you an idea of how severe the problem is,” Bernardo said.
“We’re hoping that with this new expansion to the facility, we’ll be able to take more emergency cases and hold them until foster homes are secured. That’s been a really big issue for us in the past, as well as making sure that we have space for our sanctuary bunnies. We are going to have a dedicated sanctuary rabbit space. Those are bunnies that can’t be adopted out, either due to medical or behavioral reasons.”