Help Give Goldie's Family a New Home

Help Give Goldie’s Family a New Home

In the early morning of February 2, Georgia House Rabbit Society received an urgent phone call. A family of six and their beloved family pet rabbit named Goldie had fallen on hard times and been evicted from their home of six years.

Due to an unexpected layoff and rent increases, Cory Coleman, his partner, Shonvenelle LeShore, and their 4 school-aged daughters suddenly found themselves homeless. Since December, Shovenelle and the girls have been staying in the Decatur homeless shelter, which also has a no pets policy.

But Cory wanted to retain some normalcy for the couple’s daughters, who range in age from 7 to 12. He was committed to keeping his family’s pet, so he made a selfless decision, just so Goldie could remain a part of their family. Cory’s solution was to brave many sleepless, wintery nights alone on a nearby park bench with Goldie tucked safely in his arms for warmth.

On nights that have been too frigid, Greg White, the city of Decatur Director of Active Living, has taken Goldie into his own home. While this arrangement has worked for the time being, it is not sustainable. Cory refuses to give up hope on keeping his family and Goldie together.

Some internet research led Mr. White to the Georgia House Rabbit Society, which rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes abused, abandoned, and neglected pet rabbits with a priority on placing spayed, neutered, vaccinated, and healthy rabbits into loving homes.

As soon as we, here at Georgia House Rabbit Society, learned of the Coleman’s seemingly hopeless situation, we HOPped to our feet and acted to immediately give Goldie boarding, food, and veterinary care. She was promptly spayed, vaccinated against the deadly rabbit disease RHDV2, and underwent surgery to remove a painful hind-end polyp, much to the family’s relief.

Thanks to the ever-growing generosity and compassion of our community and its supporters, we were able to raise over $1200 towards Goldie’s care and our veterinarian of record, Dr. Stewart Colby of Windward Animal Hospital, graciously provided his services at no cost. But everyone wants to do more. We need to find a way to give HOPe to the Coleman family.

We decided that starting this GoFundMe was the best way to connect with a larger audience and ask for your support. Georgia House Rabbit Society, along with our international House Rabbit Society community, want to see Goldie reunited with her family in a new place they can all call home!

Please join in our efforts to raise at least $10,000 to help Cory, Shovenelle, their 4 daughters – and Goldie – find and pay for the extended rent of a pet-friendly house or apartment while Coey and Shonvenelle continue to look for employment.

Every day, House Rabbit Society chapters and licensed educators rescue pet rabbits who have been abandoned and discarded by people who do not know or care that it is a death sentence for a domesticated rabbit. In this case, Goldie has a loving family waiting to take her home. Only right now, her family has no home to take her – or themselves – to. With your greatly appreciated support, we hope to turn Goldie and the Coleman’s story into a HOPpily ever after. Thank you.