Happy Critter-versary!! – June Sanctuary Update

Hi Everyone!

That’s right! It’s been one year since Suzanne’s Place, our little slice of critter heaven opened its doors! And what a year it’s been! Guinea pig play dates, ferret mayhem, bunny love affairs! It’s been an exciting learning experience and a wonderful chance to show these little creatures some big love.

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As I’ve mentioned before, Suzanne’s Place opened with a special mission. The world of animal welfare is filled with great organizations, talented professionals, and top notch facilities to care for dogs and cats who find themselves in need of a new home. However, the options are far more limited for bunnies, ferrets, guinea pigs and other little critters who have been a loving part of someone’s home, but now find themselves in need of a place to live a peaceful, loving life while they wait to find a new home. Many caring people do their best help out in these cases, but facilities designed for dogs and housing dogs struggle to accommodate the special needs of these more fragile pets. Suzanne’s Place was built to be a place customized for these small mammals, with individual rooms for species-specific housing and, most importantly, peace and quiet!

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The world of animal welfare is constantly changing. There was a time not too long ago when many people would go to a local pet store to buy a dog or, sometimes, a cat. The idea of having a rabbit, guinea pig, ferret, or “gasp!” a rat living in your home as a beloved pet was an extreme rarity. Things are very different in 2025. Seeing a dog for sale in a store is, thankfully, a highly unusual occurrence, especially here in the northeast. And now, “exotic” pets have become the dominant populations found in pet stores. While it’s wonderful that more people are discovering the joy of sharing their homes with these fuzzy friends, it also means that more of these pets are encountering the same troubles that have been faced by dogs and cats for decades, such as housing crises, family turmoil, and medical or behavioral challenges. This has led to a skyrocketing need to rehome small mammals, but without nearly as robust an infrastructure as what exists for dogs and cats. In addition, the expertise needed to give these critters the care they need to live healthy and happy lives has not kept up with the demands. While some organizations, such as House Rabbit Connection and Ferret Association of Connecticut have done amazing work in this area, more was needed. And we here at Our Companions felt we could make a difference in that need.

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And what a journey it has been to step into this new area of animal welfare. Ferrets and rabbits and other little critters are not just small cats or dogs. Over this past year, we’ve learned about the particular vaccination needs of rabbits, what it means to spay or neuter a guinea pig, how to make chinchillas feel more comfortable with human presence, the very unique social interactions of rabbits trying to make friends, and the amazing intelligence of rats. With the help of our volunteers, our staff have researched the ideal habitat characteristics for hamster homes, the dietary impacts of different types of hay for rabbits, and what different guinea pig chirps mean in different scenarios. It’s been fascinating and so moving to see the inexhaustible effort being spent on these critters who are often overlooked. What a meaningful year it’s been, and we’d like to thank all of the staff, volunteers, and supporters who helped make it happen!!

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Unfortunately, one of the hardest things we’ve had to learn in the magic of Suzanne’s Place is just how fragile these little guys and gals can be. Their systems just can’t take the same kinds of stressors that larger animals can, and, as prey animals, they have evolved to hide any symptoms of illness for as long as possible. This can often make the losses here sudden and unexpected. Such is the case with Hoodie. Hoodie arrived here after being surrendered to animal control. He made an immediate impression, with his empathic eyes and dark fluff. He quickly made strong friendships, and not only with humans. A while after he arrived, another bunny in need, Honey, came to be a part of our crew. The connection between the two was fast and adorable, and they were rarely seen apart. Recently, a morning came when something seemed off with Hoodie and, in spite of valiant efforts by the staff and our veterinary partners, Hoodie was gone less than 24 hours later. It was a hard loss on our staff and volunteers, but also reinforced the need to do our very best at all times to make every minute count with all of our littlest critters. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making Hoodie’s time with us a happy one.

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And of Course…Adoptions!!

As the summer has set in, June has seen the typical slow down in adoption action. This month, dynamic gerbil duo Felix and Jasper went home from Suzanne’s Place. And in the cats, not only did Patches go home, but long time resident pair Aries and Orion found their forever home together. That made room for the arrival of Ziggy and the new Sanctuary Director Office Cat, Vinny.

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Thank you all so much for whatever way you support us and our mission. We couldn’t do it without you.

Jon Phillips

Sanctuary Director

[email protected]