It was ten years ago that an abandoned domestic rabbit was rescued from an auto dealership parking lot on Upper Peach Street.  That one rescue led to Erie currently having the largest rabbit shelter on the entire East Coast.  It's an amazing story about community support. 

The shelter is named EARS which stands for Erie Area Rabbit Society and Rescue.  Its headquarters is located inside a bright pink building on West 38th Street in Millcreek.  Once again, the rabbit rescue organization landed near the top of the Erie Gives donation list, collecting over $123,000 this year.

Stephanie Bero is the manager of the shelter. She is amazed at the support EARS gets from the public, especially during Erie Gives.  Erie Gives is the one day in August when the public is given incentives to donate to their favorite local charities.

“I'm thankful for it,” says Stephanie. “We definitely need the help and I think it's fantastic.  It's just amazing, honestly."  

Ron Steger is also thankful.  He, along with Linda Jones, were the two people who rescued that abandoned rabbit from the used car lot on Upper Peach in 2012. He and Linda decided then and there that a rabbit shelter was needed in Erie. They founded EARS just a few months after that first rescue.

"Nobody was really focusing on rabbits,” says Ron.  “Rabbits are the third most adopted and the third most surrendered pet.  So, the need was definitely there."  

There's 100 bunnies currently residing at the shelter.  Most of them were rescued after being abandoned somewhere by their owners. Others were surrendered to the shelter after their owners realized they did not want them anymore.  All of the bunnies are now up for adoption to people who would never consider rabbits as a throwaway pet.

"So they've already had a hard life.  That's why we screen to make sure they don't need to be rescued again,” says Stephanie.  

The donations collected by the shelter are needed to pay for vet bills.  Each bunny is spayed or neutered and gets vaccinations and boosters.  Talk about support?  The shelter has 70 volunteers to help clean, and to feed and water the rabbits.

Every Wednesday is Public Adoption Day at the shelter.  It is open from 5 to 7 p.m. on those days.  If you cannot adopt, you may want to sponsor a bunny.  The cost of sponsorship is $180 a year.