8/19 Update - Rescued Rabbits at Foothills Animal Shelter

Jefferson County sheriff's deputies seized about 200 rabbits from a woman's property in Arvada Thursday afternoon.

Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the sheriff, said the rabbits were "aggressively thirsty" and hungry and lived in cages that hadn't been cleaned for "quite some time."

Rescue workers could be seen removing a small number of dead animals from the scene, 9News reported.

Veterinarians still on the scene late tonight, helping to evaluate the animals.

Techmeyer said authorities will take them to a barn on the Jefferson County Fairgounds, where they will stay until officials can make other arrangements for them.

Foothills Animal Rescue will take over the care and evaluation of the rabbits.

to read more: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ ... source=rss




http://foothillsanimalshelter.org/

I would like to offer my help. This information is not intended for the Vegetarian's still on the scene late at night, helping to evaluate the animals...


Rabbit and Dumplings;

Ingredients
For the rabbit:
2 whole rabbits
1/2 gallon mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part carrots and 1 part celery)
2 cups white wine
3/4 gallon chicken stock
2 cups large dice carrots
2 cups large dice celery root
2 cups large dice celery
2 cups large dice turnips
2 cups large dice onion
3/4 stick butter, divided
2 tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves
2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 cups white wine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hot sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Dried thyme

For the dumplings:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch ground cayenne
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch rubbed sage
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Directions
For the rabbit:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add rabbits and sear. Add mirepoix, and caramelize lightly. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add stock and simmer until rabbit is tender. Cool and pick the meat from the bones. Reserve the juice.


Sear vegetables in some butter, about 1/4 stick until lightly browned. Add the herbs and garlic and wine. Reduce au sec (until pan is almost dry). Add 1/2 stick butter and stir to melt without breaking. Stir in the flour until incorporated. Gradually stir in reserved juice.

Cook about 30 minutes until roux taste is gone. Add picked rabbit meat and season, to taste, with salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and dried thyme.


For the dumplings:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


Mix all dry ingredients. Mix all wet ingredients. Mix the 2 together stirring as little as possible.


Pour the hot stew in a large casserole dish and drop golf ball size dumplings all over the top.


Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbling around the edges and the dumplings have become golden brown on top.



buttermilk fried rabbit

I highly recommend you brine your rabbits before frying. A simple brine of 1/4 cup kosher salt to 4 cups water will do — the rabbit is going to get plenty of seasoning later. Submerge your bunny in this brine for up to 12 hours.

As a general rule, 1 domestic rabbit will serve 2-3, as will a jackrabbit. A snowshoe hare will serve 2, a cottontail about 1 1/2, and a squirrel just one.

Serves 4.

Prep Time: 8 hours

Cook Time: 45 minutes

2 domestic rabbits or 3 cottontails, cut into serving pieces
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, or 1/2 cup of mixed chopped fresh herbs like oregano, thyme and parsley
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable oil


Mix the buttermilk with the all the spices except the teaspoon of salt and the flour. Coat the rabbit with the mixture and set in a covered container overnight, or at least 8 hours.
When you are ready to fry, pour the oil into a large pan — a big cast iron frying pan is ideal — and heat over medium-high heat. The general idea is you want the oil to come halfway up the side of the rabbit.
Meanwhile, take the rabbit out of the buttermilk and let it drain in a colander. Don’t shake off the buttermilk or anything, just leave it there.
Let the oil heat until it is about 325 degrees; this is the point where a sprinkle of flour will immediately sizzle. Do not let the oil smoke!
When the oil is hot, pour the flour and salt into a plastic bag and shake to combine. Put a few pieces of rabbit into the bad and shake to get it coated in flour.
Fry for 12-15 minutes. Fry gently — you want a steady sizzle, but nothing raging, and you definitely don’t want the rabbit to just sit in oil. You might need to adjust the heat a bit.
Turn the rabbit pieces and fry for another 10-12 minutes. The belly flap pieces and the forelegs will come out first, followed by the loin, and the hind legs will come out last.
You will probably need to fry in batches, so just leave the rabbit pieces in the colander until you are ready to flour them up and fry them. Don’t let the floured pieces sit.
When the rabbit is good and fried, let them rest on a rack set over a paper towel to drain away any excess oil.
Serve hot or at room temperature.


Hope this helps!

Unlike private shelters, the county shelters do not get to pick and choose who/what/where/where/how animals come in. They take them all, no matter how old, how sick, how many.

They need some help with this one:

Looking for donations of Timothy Pellets, Timothy Hay and 1 bale Alfalfa Hay. Can take to Foothills Animal Shelter or call animal control, 303-271-5070.

RABBIT UPDATE

Foothills Animal Shelter will soon start adoptions for the large group of rabbits confiscated several weeks ago from an Arvada home. Wednesday, August 17 will be the first day the public can begin the adoption process, which will include an application and interview. Twenty-four different breeds of rabbits (of all shapes and sizes) are represented from this group of animals.

Adoption fees will be $25 each and will include a mandatory spay or neuter prior to the rabbit leaving the Shelter. If a qualified individual is interested in adopting a pair of bunnies, who may have already bonded together, the adoption fee will be “two for one.” Rabbit viewing for the public will start Wednesday, August 17. There will be special weekly public viewing hours for the group of rabbits (3-6 pm Monday-Friday and 2-5 pm Saturday and Sunday). Additionally, the House Rabbit Society will present a basic rabbit care class at the Shelter for new rabbit owners.

Over 20 of the bunnies, with the potential of more, will be transferred to other shelters starting this week. These facilities include Adams County Animal Shelter, Denver Animal Shelter, Dumb Friends League, Humane Society of Boulder County and Longmont Humane Society. The House Rabbit Society is currently caring for nearly 40 rabbits who will soon be placed up for adoption through their rescue organization. Please Note: These other shelter and rescue groups’ fees, start dates for adoptions and adoption processes will vary.

The public who may not be able to adopt a rabbit, but still wish to help, may make a donation to Foothills Animal Shelter and specify "Dream Fund" in the memo. This fund is designed to assist with operational expenses for animals outside of normal situations, such as these rabbits.

I just went to the Foothills website. Does anyone know why they stopped bunny adoptions?

let me find out, most likely all of the ones that were eligible are taken. be back with more information

Okay, thanks. I know a lot of people worked very hard and are still working hard on their care. Of course, I hope they all go to wonderful homes.

in the meantime, pictures have been released of the horrid conditions these rabbits were found in

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/1 ... es_In_Cage

WARNING GRAPHIC PICTURES

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/44639/slide_44639_332769_large.jpg?1313721349546

I just found this article
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_18709635?source=bb


The Foothills Animal Shelter has halted adoptions of nearly 200 rabbits seized from an Arvada home last month after the rabbits' owner filed an emergency motion in court.

A motion filed in Jefferson County Court Wednesday also asks a judge to stop the spaying and neutering of the rabbits, arguing that their owner, Debe Bell, would face a financial hardship if the rabbits can no longer breed.

KHOW has had Ms Bell on for the last 2 mornings she is very articulate, and educated. Actually I believe she is an educator at metro state. She considers her rabbits as livestock, not pets. Thus the outrage from the House Rabbit Society is unfounded. From what I have heard, she shows her rabbits, supports 4H kids and donates no longer viable rabbits to various zoos and raptor sanctuaries.She also has fiber rabbits, it is a business. For Jeffco to seize her rabbits and spay and neuter championship bloodlines is inappropriate, at best.

Where is the public outcry at the stockshow every year, when the Grand Champion steer, pig/hog or lamb gets auctioned off for slaughter? Trust me they stand around in their own feces, with crusty butts until show time. Then some folks pay a fortune to eat them at Mortons, Ruths Chris and other steak houses. Enjoy.

Rabbits really dont make great pets. If she is willing to raise caged animals to feed other caged animals good for her. That black bunny looks pretty shiny and healthy. Cage cleaning day was probably the next day, I really dont believe this was an animal cruelty or hoarder incident