Note: This is second in a series of columns about ways to volunteer around Ann Arbor with young children. Read the first article here.

The morning of our second volunteer project, my daughter made one thing very clear.

“I’m not cleaning up any bunny poop,” she told me several times before we left the house.

We were headed to the Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary in Whittaker to spend a couple of hours feeding and grooming bunnies — and cleaning their pens. Belle was excited about seeing the bunnies, but anxious about the work involved. She’s never been the type of child who likes to get dirty.

It took a mere 20 minutes to get from Ann Arbor to the old farm-turned-sanctuary, and when we got out of the car, two friendly cats greeted us. Belle immediately fell in love with them.

Since it was our first time there, we started with an informational tour with Lead Animal Caregiver Brian Duchemin before getting down to work.

We entered the Adoption Barn, which currently houses about 60 adoptable rabbits. The smell initially was overwhelming — not horrible, just strong, as one might expect — and Belle looked longingly at the cats outside.

Once we entered the pens, though, she was captivated by the bunnies, and she soaked up all the details Duchemin shared with us.

The rabbits living at the sanctuary were all either abandoned, abused or neglected. The sanctuary accepts rabbits even if they’re not adoptable, so some live out their lives there.

“We try really hard to give them a good life,” Duchemin said.

Rabbits are very social animals who bond and form lifelong pairs. The pairs are kept in pens rather than cages, which allows them more freedom and exercise.

The downside? It’s a big mess to clean every day, which became evident as we gazed around the barn.

Puddles of urine, soiled newspapers, hay strewn around, and everywhere little pellets of … food?

Nope, that’s bunny poop, Duchemin said.

I could see the horror in Belle’s eyes.

Duchemin quickly assured her that bunnies have some of the cleanest poop around. It’s dry and doesn’t smell. It resembles dog kibble more than anything.

As we started walking, Belle gingerly tiptoed to avoid the puddles and poop. But halfway through the tour, she either decided it was a lost cause or it didn’t matter, and she started tromping right through. Thank goodness for rubber boots — both hers and mine.

At the end of the tour, Duchemin handed each of us a pair of gloves and showed us how to clean a set of pens. The barn is divided up into several different areas, each with a set of about six 5-by-5 pens. Each set of pens has a communal area, and the bunny pairs take turns getting access to that area throughout the day, so they can really stretch their legs.

The job involved taking everything out of the pen — toys, litter box, water, food, and soiled newspaper. Then sweeping it out, putting down fresh newspaper, cleaning the litter box, replenishing the hay, cleaning out the water dish and refilling it, and putting everything back in the pen.

Then — the hardest part — rounding up the bunnies and getting them back into their newly cleaned pen before letting the next pair out.

Similar to the tour, Belle started out reluctantly. She claimed her job would be to take the toys out of the pen and replenish the newspaper and hay. I was fine with that.

Then she wanted to refill the water.

Then she wanted to sweep out the poop.

Then she wanted to gather up the soiled newspaper!

(She never did volunteer to clean the litter boxes.)

As we finished each pen, her happiness was plain to see. In a soft, high voice, she’d let the bunnies know that their pen was nice and clean, and when they were corralled back inside, she’d secure the latch and give me a satisfied smile.

We finished our set with time to spare, so Duchemin arranged another job: feeding the pigs.

Yes, pigs. The sanctuary is also home to four pot-bellied pigs, who were either abandoned or given up by owners who could no longer care for them. They are not up for adoption; the sanctuary is their “forever home.”

Duchemin took us to the cooler, where we loaded a basket full of bread, strawberries, grapefruit, celery and broccoli — all donated to the shelter by Whole Foods.

Then we walked out to the pigs’ yard, which was surprisingly clean. Apparently the pigs are much more fastidious about their living quarters than the bunnies.

Belle had a blast doling out the goods, making sure each pig got his fair share, and laughing with delight at the way they guarded their food from each other and showed off for us.

That, too, went by quickly, and we still had a bit of time before we had to leave.

“Would you like to groom the cats?” Duchemin asked.

Belle’s face was pure rapture.

For the last 10 minutes of our visit, we brushed Owen. (Her brother Squanto was nowhere to be found.)

When it was time to go, Belle reluctantly walked to the car, making me promise several times that we would come back and do it again. Bunny poop and all.

To inquire about volunteering at the Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary, call (734) 461-1726 or visit www.rabbitsanctuary.org.

Jen Eyer is on the Community Team at AnnArbor.com. She leads the Parenting and Pets sections, and writes feature stories, blog posts and opinion pieces. She can be reached at 734-623-2577 or jeneyer@annarbor.com.