D'Artagnan the rabbit seeks forever home as Scottish SPCA set to reopen

The Scottish SPCA are set to partially reopen their Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre to the public after closing their doors more than a year ago in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

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Along with the charity’s eight other centres across Scotland, on May 17 the centre located at Balerno will move from being completely closed to the public to allowing people in on an appointment only basis.

Between March and December 2020 the number of animals rehomed by the Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre fell by around 35 per cent compared to the same period in 2019.

D'Artagnan has been in the care of the Scottish SPCA for 364 days

It is hoped that this partial reopening of the centres will make it easier for long-term residents, like D'Artagnan the rabbit, to find his forever home.

Manager of the centre, Diane Aitchison, said: “We’re delighted to start welcoming people back to our centre.

“We really hope these telephone appointments for rehoming will make the centre more accessible for everyone and help animals like D'Artagnan find their forever home.

“D'Artagnan has been in our care for 364 days.

“When he arrived he was a nervous, poorly handled and under socialised rabbit. He can be a little bit overprotective of his own space and will have a little grumble to let you know when he is not a happy bunny.

“We think that being in an environment surrounded by other rabbits has not helped this, and although you can pick him up and hold him, he has been known to occasionally nip when he has had enough.

“We’re looking for an experienced owner with experience of handling and bonding bunnies in the hope that D’Artagnan can eventually go on to live with some rabbit companions.

“D’Artagnan has got so much potential to be a rewarding companion for the right owner. We’re hoping now that we’re opening up the centre a bit more and travel restrictions have eased we can find the right person for him.”

While online rehoming will remain the default for the time being, the society will now allow those without internet access or who are unable to complete the application form online to telephone the centre on 03000 999 999 to arrange an appointment.

This appointment will allow members of the public to view suitable animals via a tablet at the centre and get assistance from staff to complete the online application form if needed.

All nine of the Scottish SPCA’s animal rescue and rehoming centres will be open for appointments from 1pm until 3.30pm, Friday to Monday from May 17. Anyone wishing to donate items can drop these off at the designated donation point at any time without an appointment.

If anyone wishes to rehome an animal the Scottish SPCA asks that they do not attend the centre without a pre-booked appointment.

All appointments can be made by calling the centre directly on 03000 999 999, option two.

Alternatively, all available animals can be viewed and applied for online at the Scottish SPCA website.

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