CLEVELAND, Ohio - Stephanie Lodge admits she wasn't sure what to expect when she adopted her first bunny in 2007. Humphrey "wasn't exactly a spring chicken" when he came home with her, she says. Then she became a volunteer with the Cleveland branch of the state-wide Buckeye House Rabbit Society (BHRS), a volunteer-run, donation-driven organization that fosters and assists with domestic rabbits.

"I needed to learn about rabbits quick," she says. "Being able to network helped me figure out how to fix my Humphrey."

BHRS was instrumental to Lodge as Humphrey aged. Rabbits reach "senior" status at about seven years old. And like all senior animals, that comes with some hurdles. It's part of why BHRS has a dedicated "sanctuary" for their advanced-age rabbits. And Lodge has now been part of that caretaking for five years.

Golden ears

Lodge assists with fosters of all ages, but seniors have a special place in her heart. At any time, BHRS typically has between 20 to 30 fosters of all ages. Many of these rabbits are abandoned after owners buy them for Easter without realizing how much work goes into taking care of them.

The maximum number of fosters Lodge typically has at once is four, but she admits that sometimes she "just can't say no."

"We foster anybody that needs help," Lodge says. "We had one rabbit, Rocky, who was already in his teens. We probably only had him for a year. We took him on as a sanctuary bunny. We knew he wasn't going to get adopted. We cleaned him up, his health improved. He was an old, happy man."

When it comes to seniors, Lodge and BHRS volunteers know how hard it can be to get them adopted. Their sanctuary rabbits are either older rescues, or they age into senior status if they're not adopted.

"Yes, they get overlooked," Lodge says. "No, they're not going to get adopted. But the seniors, they need love, too. These are their golden years. To know that you get to be their everything for the last years of their lives, it's huge. It makes them feel good."

And sometimes they need companionship. While caring for Humphrey, Lodge adopted another young bunny rescued from Westlake, Nelly. Humphrey would lay on Nelly like a little pillow, Lodge recalls.

Now, at about 8 years old, Nelly is a senior and has had multiple surgeries and an eye removed. Lodge hopes to adopt another friend for her, because she says she "truly believes that bunnies do better in pairs." But, for now, even as a senior, Nelly is no less loving. Except maybe when she's hungry.

"She'll come up and nose bonk me," Lodge says with a laugh. "We give Nelly and the fosters bedtime snacks and if I'm not going to bed soon enough, she'll come find me and bonk my legs. She's getting a little more demanding. 'I want my snacks and I want them now.' Once they get on a schedule, they're like, 'human, you're late!'"

A retirement home for rabbits

Maggie Reading adopted her first bunny, Chloe, when she was 10. She endlessly paged through books at the library to learn all about taking care of her new pet, who was with her all through college at Ohio State University and after she moved back to Cleveland.

She knew she always wanted to have bunnies around, and she became a foster for BHRS in early 2015.

"My favorite part of fostering is that I get to see different rabbits and their personalities and be a home for more than just one," Reading says. "We get a lot of rabbits from hoarding situations and breeders, where they didn't necessarily have great human interaction before. It's always nice when you get a foster who starts out really shy, and by the time they go to their new home, they're more comfortable around people. When you see them have fun and run around the house, that's my favorite part. They do these big jumps and sprint around the house."

Taking care of seniors is a beloved part of Reading's job, but it doesn't come without its challenges. Many local shelters do a great job of caring for rabbits, Reading says, but few cater to them as specifically as BHRS. Bringing senior rabbits into their sanctuary lets them provide that level of care.

"Like all senior animals, they get senior ailments," Reading says. "They can get arthritis, and you have to give them little bunny aspirins. You have to consider their diets. Rabbits are supposed to eat a lot of hay and fiber to keep their teeth from getting long. If you have a picky bunny who gets old and doesn't like to eat hay, you have to get their teeth trimmed. They need steps to get up on the couch. They need to take it easy, they need a retirement home."

And when they're relaxed, they're also at their sweetest stage, Reading says. But more than just their endearing nature, Reading and her BHRS members know that one of their fosters living a long life it's a sign they've provided the sanctuary pets with the kind of life every bunny deserves.

"By that point in their life, they've probably had some good people taking care of them," Reading says. "They're more docile. They sleep a lot. They're more likely to spend more time cuddling. I just like seeing how surprised people are when you tell them how old they are. They say, 'Wow, that's so old for a rabbit.' It's a nice reminder that they should live this long, and what can happen when you do a good job."