Archie
is the bunny that would lead to an
undying love for
rabbits!

It all started with a little man with tall ears, a twitchy nose, and a fluffy tail...

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                                                In 2017, the founder of Archie’s Angels Rabbit Rescue, Alyssa (aka Bella) Wanted to do what most                                                            parents do: teach her children about compassion and responsibility. Studies have shown that                                                                owning a pet is a great way to make children, all in all, more responsible, but also empathetic                                                                to the needs of others. Children who grow up with a pet learn to manage having not only to                                                                take care of themselves but their animal companions as well. This can have an immense effect                                                           on their personality, making for more compassionate adults and giving them better self-                                                                  esteem, self-worth, immunity, and respect for fellow living beings.

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                                             Enter Archie, a grumpy little dwarf!

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Alyssa didn’t simply take a stroll through a pet store. She did the most important thing you can do when inviting a new pet into your home… Research! What most pet stores market for rabbit care is usually uninformed, so it is easy to get confused on what is right and wrong for lagomorphs (rabbits). Even small, frequent decisions can have a colossal difference on your rabbit's health. Armed with her research, Alyssa's family adopted Archie, a grumpy, little dwarf!

 

But Archie wouldn't stay solo for long.

 

Alyssa's research showed that it is better to keep bunnies in pairs, so Alyssa and her husband adopted a rescued rabbit named Lilly. Lilly was terrified and not sure how to trust humans. With time and work, Alyssa earned Lilly's love.

 

As any rabbit owner knows, these domesticated animals enter you into a rabbit hole (wink, wink) of wanting to care for more bunnies! After Archie and Lilly (who has since passed), they soon opened up their home to Lola, Ferdy, Hera, April, Lennon, Ciri, Duchess (their late hamster), Eevee (a chinchilla), and a grand-bun named Juggie!

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Fast forward to 2019, with the help of Caroline, people started to get to know Alyssa as the "bunny lady." By this time, she had taken in her first rescue, Lucky, who had a very bad eye injury and was abandoned outside. With the help of Linda from Purrfect Endings Rescue, they got Lucky the medical attention he needed. With the notoriety of being the bunny lady, she was contacted about her second official rescue, Thor, who was running about in an alley in Lethbridge. Thor was a hard catch, but he sparked Alyssa's realization that there is an overwhelming need for more rescue efforts! A discussion with with her family led to the creation of Archie’s Angels Rabbit Rescue.

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As you can imagine, caring for all these dependent animals has been no small feat. We often forget that behind the rescue are real people with real families. Running a rescue on top of real life can be daunting. The time and energy it takes to run a rescue is tremendous and, a lot of times, very overwhelming. Despite this, AARR continues to care for sick, injured, neglected and abandoned rabbits. They have been vigorous with the dedication it takes to saving, rehabilitating and helping rabbits find safe, suitable, forever homes. Luckily for our founder, she has a very supportive, husband and family to get her through tough times. She also has her co-founder, Chantelle always cheering her on and helping to lighten her load.

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Today, Archie's Angels Rabbit Rescue is a registered non-profit and has 11 board members. Over 400 bunnies, as well as some guinea pigs, chinchillas, a hamster, a cat, and a rooster, have found their forever homes, thanks to them!