Mission Statement

Our mission is to rescue unwanted, neglected, injured, and abandoned domestic rabbits and find them loving forever homes.

Through education, we aim to reduce the number of unwanted rabbits and improve the lives of these often misunderstood
companion animals.

We strive to reduce overpopulation, illness, and disease by spaying, neutering, and vaccinating all domestic rabbits prior to adoption.

Our Purposes

  • Activities in support of Purpose:

    - Front line rescue of domestic rabbits either in distress, injured, dumped, being abused/neglected, or being surrendered.

    - Coordinating capture or surrender with the third party, transportation via a volunteer to the home-based rescue facility.

    - Coordination with our veterinarian services Dean Park Pet Hospital (or other clinics based on location) for wellness exams or immediate care, followed up by rehabilitation practices and spay, neuter, and vaccination.

    While waiting for adoption, our domestic rabbits are cared for by one of our volunteers or foster homes. We post on social media a detailed biography with photos and videos to attract an adopter. If someone reaches out to adopt, we proceed with our thorough interview process to see if the adopter is the right fit for one of our adoptables. Upon adoption, contracts are signed and the domestic rabbit leaves our care with our ongoing support throughout the rabbit's lifetime.

  • Activities in support of Purpose:

    - By posting on our social media accounts and talking to the public at our adoption events, we provide care and general health guidance and recommendations for when to consult a professional veterinarian.

    - We maintain open lines of communication to the public so that they may reach out and ask for personalized trouble shooting in regards to health, behaviour, indoor housing setups, enrichment, domestic rabbit bonding, socialization, and grooming.

  • Activities in support of Purpose:

    - We are active on social media, steering the public away from breeders and promoting adoption while overpopulation is in crisis mode. As well, we want to introduce laws to protect domestic rabbits and decrease outdoor dumping.

    - We uphold our standards of care that domestic rabbits should be indoor companions. We hope to change public perception of owning domestic rabbit companions so we can decrease unwanted litters, decrease the number of domestic rabbits being neglected/abused or dumped, and increase the standards of care in our region. Additionally, we vocalize that domestic rabbits should be placed in the right home based on personality/need and not breedism or colourism.

  • Activities in support of Purpose:

    - While caring for the domestic rabbits prior to adoption, our volunteers maintain our extremely high sanitation and grooming standards. We ensure litter boxes are frequently changed every few days, soiled blankets are immediately washed to maintain sanitation, water bowls and hay is refilled multiple times daily, nails are trimmed monthly and fur is brushed regularly and while molting, veggies and herbs are provided daily as well as treats and chewing sticks. Our home-based facility is deep cleaned often to ensure cleanliness and sanitation.

    - Fosters are trained and given guidance to maintain our standards of care and we frequently check in to ensure the health and wellness of our adoptables.

    - After our thorough screening and photos showing an appropriate set up, adopters are held to our high standards and we maintain lines of contact to check in on our adoptables.

Our Story

Founded in 2016, Amy’s Bunny Barn has rescued and adopted out over 800 bunnies to loving forever homes. Our mission is to provide safe havens for bunnies in need, including those surrendered, transferred from other rescues or local animal control, given away for free online, or abandoned.

At Amy’s Bunny Barn, we are dedicated to the well-being of every bunny in our care. Each rabbit is spayed, neutered, and vaccinated to promote population control and ensure optimal health. We invest considerable time in getting to know the unique personalities of our rabbits, which allows us to match them with families who can meet their needs and offer the best possible home.

Operating as a home and foster-based rescue, we currently do not have a dedicated facility. Our ability to continue helping bunnies relies on the generous donations from our community. These contributions enable us to provide essential care and support to the bunnies who come through our doors.

Our team consists of compassionate, dedicated volunteers committed to making a difference in the lives of bunnies and other small animals. Their tireless efforts and love for animals drive our mission forward, ensuring that every bunny has a chance for a happy and healthy life.

Our Team

Amy McLaughlin Founder/Executive Director/Treasurer

Amy’s passion and love for animals led her to establish Amy’s Bunny Barn in August of 2016.  Amy was drawn to animals from a young age and her desire to be their voice grew stronger over the years and has organically transformed her dreams into a reality.

Amy started her journey working with animals when she was 18 years old. She received a government funded job to gain experience in the work force and chose the BC SPCA in her hometown, where she always dreamed of one day managing.  This opportunity only reassured Amy that working with animals was her destiny. This led Amy to furthering her education and obtaining her Veterinary Assistant Diploma through the Granville Business College in Vancouver. From there, Amy worked in a few Veterinary Clinics one of which specialized in exotics and rabbit care and during that time she gained an abundance of knowledge and hands-on care. After a few years of working in veterinary clinics she felt like something was missing - she felt this was not fulfilling her needs to make a difference. In 2011 she moved back to Vancouver Island, she contacted the Victoria BC SPCA regularly inquiring about job opportunities but there were none available. She didn’t give up and finally got her chance at an interview and was hired on the spot.

Amy spent 11 years working at the Victoria BC SPCA and became the rabbit caretaker and transformed the way they cared for rabbits in the shelter. In 2016 Amy started Amy’s Bunny Barn because the need was there and rabbits did not have the support like cats or dogs.

Christie Pulak President

Christie Pulak is a long time volunteer with Amy’s Bunny Barn. After adopting her first rescued rabbit Benedict in 2018, Christie found that thing that had been missing in her life. She then went on to bond her bunny with a rescue from ABB not long after.

Upon falling in love with rabbits and wanting to give back to the community, Christie began writing our rabbit biographies, helping with our social media, fostering, and starting a GoFundMe on our behalf. She is extremely proud to work alongside Amy and the other amazing volunteers that give so much to animals in need and she can’t wait for what the future holds.

Carla Gouthro Vice President

Carla became involved with Amy’s Bunny Barn in 2019 when she rescued and fostered a baby bunny found outside. Having rescued her own rabbit 2 years prior, her desire to help bunnies in need grew stronger. Since then, she has continued to foster bunnies through ABB while they await their forever families. Additionally, Carla arranges vet appointments, spays and neuters, volunteering at events, supports our foster homes mid island and helps with transporting bunnies around the island. 

 Rabbits being the third most common house pet, Carla hopes to bring awareness to modern rabbit care and share with people what amazing companion rabbits are. When she is not doting on her buns, she works as a Lab Technologist at NRGH.

Marina Ross Director

Marina Ross has been a supporter of Amy’s Bunny Barn since 2018, shortly after ABB was founded. Marina has helped in many ways over the years, to name a few; fostering some of our most difficult medical and behavioural rabbits, fundraising, transporting, supporting fosters and adopters, boarding, booking medical appointments, offering her home for donors to drop items off and so much more. Previous to supporting ABB Marina was involved with Small Animal Rescue Society for 6 years, another rabbit focused rescue that was located on the mainland.

Marina’s knowledge and experience has benefited so many rabbits and her selflessness is truly one of a kind. Marina is happily retired from being a paralegal and now dedicates her free time to helping rabbits in need and sharing her extensive knowledge with other bunny lovers.

Amanda Fast Director

Amanda is a passionate advocate for animal welfare and a dedicated member of the board of directors at Amy’s Bunny Barn. She has always had a soft spot in her heart for bunnies, and her love for them only grew when she rescued a dumped and abandoned rabbit who stole her heart. Since joining Amy’s Bunny Barn in 2021, Amanda has been an avid foster and volunteer, providing loving care and attention to rabbits in need. Outside of her work with bunnies, Amanda loves to embark on outdoor adventures with her canine companion, Remy who also serves as a kind and empathetic sibling to the bunny fosters in the home. When not spending time with her animals, Amanda enjoys a career as a registered nurse.