MARSHFIELD – Emersyn "Em" Pero carefully cradles Zora, a special-needs rabbit with brain damage, as the animal's head tilts to one side in her enclosure at Oscar's Rabbit Rescue.
The 11-year-old Grant Elementary student has become fond of Zora, who tends to go in circles due to her condition, during a recent visit to the rescue she's been supporting through handmade bracelet sales.
"I have a rabbit of my own, and I just knew that a lot of rabbits out there don't have any homes," Em said. "I like how Brittany is helping out all the other rabbits, and I just wanted to help her out."
The Pero family adopted their rabbit, Flops, about four years ago from a mutual friend who could no longer keep the pet due to a living situation change. Flops came to them as a surprise on Em's birthday in April, when their friend arrived with the rabbit wearing a big red bow and a note asking 'Will you adopt me?'
Since then, Em and Flops have become close companions, with Em often holding her rabbit while watching television together. Like many house rabbits, Flops is litter trained and has free roam of the house.
Brittany Graves founded Oscar's Rabbit Rescue after her own pet rabbit, Oscar Henry McPickles, died unexpectedly. When the City Times visited the rescue, there were three rabbits ready for adoption, and another was going through the intake process. Graves also takes in other unconventional pets, including a bearded dragon that’s also available for adoption.
Em's fundraising began during last year’s fair season, when she set up at the end of her family's driveway, selling handmade bracelets to passing traffic. The effort has raised more than $50 for the rescue, with neighbors proving generous, often paying $10 or $20 for the $1 bracelets.
"People are so generous," said Angie Pero, Em's mother. "They'll hand her 20 bucks, 10 bucks, and they'll say, 'Keep the change.'"
She'll customize bracelets for neighbors who make special requests and often uses her own allowance to buy additional supplies. The young entrepreneur has expanded her product line to include phone wristlets and decorative wall hangings she calls "chandeliers."
When Pero had saved $15 from her birthday, she asked her mother to help her shop from the rescue's Amazon wishlist, carefully calculating how to maximize her donation.
"She organized how much money she wanted to give and added up what she wanted to buy," Angie Pero said. "She was able to get everything on the list with one or two little add-on toys that she thought they just needed to have."
Graves said the rescue operates on a tight budget, funded primarily through Facebook donations while she works full-time as a nurse. The organization faces significant costs, with spaying and neutering ranging from $250 to $650 per rabbit and routine veterinary visits typically costing $100 or more.
"I have very, very little funding," Graves said. "My donations are mostly from my posts on Facebook."
The need for rabbit rescues has grown, as humane societies throughout the state have stopped accepting rabbits and now refer them to Oscar's Rabbit Rescue instead. Graves said this has increased demand for her services while her resources remain limited.
The rescue also struggles with veterinary access, as rabbit care requires specialty veterinarians. Graves often travels more than an hour for appointments and must take time off work or rely on volunteers for transportation.
Em plans to continue her fundraising efforts, working to fill a display board with bracelets and expanding sales beyond her neighborhood.
"I just try to help as best you can," she said.
For ways you can help, go to Oscar's website by clicking here.
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