After about two months in operation on Cherry Street in Kernersville, Kimberly Dunckel of Fairytale Farm Adoption Shop welcomed visitors for a grand opening event on Thursday and highlighted some of the organization’s work rescuing abandoned rabbits in the area.

While there are various rescue operations dedicated to caring for abandoned dogs and cats, she noted that pet rabbits are also frequently left to fend for themselves in the wild, which is harmful to the animals and can lead to a host of negative consequences for the broader community. 

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“We really wanted to kind of fill that gap and help,” Dunckel said. “The month before we opened the shop, there were two major situations where someone had been breeding rabbits and decided to stop and let them go in neighborhoods. Both of those were actually in Winston, but there were more than 30 rabbits at each location.”

Recognizing the hard work of volunteers who have pitched in to catch as many as possible abandoned rabbits as possible and ensure they were spayed or neutered and received proper veterinary care, Dunckel touted some of the local shop’s successes.

“Just since we opened in July, we have rescued 45 rabbits, adopted out 18, and have applications for several more that will be finalized once they are spayed and neutered,” she said. “We are really proud of that and we’re proud to be a place that the community can come and learn and hang out with rabbits and other small animals.”

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Dunckel noted that there has been a “side benefit” associated with operating the adoption shop in Kernersville.

“You see a lot of kids here today,” she explained. “It’s really been something you can get involved in. The smaller animals are something that is a little safer and less scary for them to kind of get involved in helping. And to us, I really believe that being kind to the smallest helps us be kind to everybody — and I think the world definitely needs more kindness and empathy. So we’re really proud we’re teaching the next generation that from a young age.”

The adoption shop is located at 116 Cherry Street Suite B. Click here to find out more about Fairytale Farm.

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