HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Wishing you and ALL of yours a blessed Easter

Just a subtle reminder

Please think twice before giving a bunny as a gift this Easter.

I know it is tempting to be want to be a “hero” by giving a very memorable gift, but please resist.

Rabbits require a lifetime commitment. They live far longer than most people think they do. They have stress and illness signs that are very different or at least much harder to detect by an owner than a dog or cat, as rabbits, as prey, are masterful about hiding illness until its too late.

For more information, please visit http://MakeMineChocolate.Org . You can also read my prior story, The Easter Bunny Blues, about a real life Easter bunny.

If you have researched for a long time and have decided that a house rabbit is right for you, please wait until after the holiday when unwanted bunnies, especially when they are a few months older and start maturing, are dumped at the shelters as someone didn’t realize what they were getting into.

(At left: “Boy Bunny,” now named Hamlet in the sad state we found him in)

“Boy Bunny’s” life started out like many bunnies do, unfortunately. He was purchased as a part of a pair of bunnies for a pair of children for Easter. The parents had been told that the rabbits were the same gender, but the truth was that one was a boy and one was a girl. Luckily, the thing the family did right was separate them so they couldn’t breed.

After a time, the parents separated, and the girl and her bunny lived with the mother, and the boy and his bunny stayed with the father. Until, of course, one of the children lost interest, and the neighbor who seemed to like animals, as he had many, was asked if he would take the rabbit, and he obliged. Several months later, he ended up with the girl bunny too.

The rabbits were saved from the shelter, but not much else. You see, little did the family know, or perhaps care, was that the rabbits were living in a home with two cats, eight puppies, and eight adult dogs. Cats and rabbits often live harmoniously. Some dogs get along great with rabbits too depending on the individual dog if properly introduced, but not all. If the dog has a high prey drive it is a no-no. But a 1,000 square foot house full of barking dogs, nosing at the rabbit’s feet through the wire of his cage terrified the poor little guy.

How did I meet these rabbits that no one would ever know were there?

The owner approached us as he was being evicted and had a “dog problem,” created by refusing to spay and neuter. We were told that his dog accidentally had a litter, but when we arrived, we found that three dogs had turned into 20 in the course of a year and a half.

As you can see from the photo, Boy Bunny’s ears were plastered to his heard, and her claws were enormously long. When we met the nice folks at Gainesville Rabbit Rescue, we learned that often times a Rabbit does not give any indication of him/her being sick before it is way too late. Everyone remembers the story of Peter Cottontail, whose mother taught him how to “freeze” to hide from predators. Domestic rabbits, and not just wild rabbits hide their illness as a defense. Many people are confused when their rabbit dies “all of the sudden.” In fact, it wasn’t sudden. They just hid it. Boy bunny was lucky to have been whisked out of there. His bowels were a little impacted, and if left unchecked, he could have eventually died from it.

He was renamed Hamlet and now lives a wonderful life as a happy rabbit should with a loving family. So does his housemate, whose name now is Chloe. They weren’t bonded, so were adopted by two different families who already had rabbits for them to interact with.

Please remember Hamlet and do not give your child a bunny for Easter. And do one more, encourage your friends and coworkers to “Make Mine Chocolate.”

MakeMineChocolate.org has an “Interactive” Rabbit who helps you decide if a rabbit is right for your family. A Rabbit, the third most euthanized shelter animal, is a wonderful family companion, but just like a dog or a cat, nothing less than a lifetime commitment will suffice.