Bunnies, Kitties, Doggies

So you have a Cat and you can’t Adopt a Bunny? Is that because they don’t get along? hhhmmmm

These lovely couples did not think that way!

OOOohhh you have a dog? They don’t ever get along with bunnies either ,right?

Well….. Bunnies are boring….they just lay around and never move…..

Is that so?

Not much personality?

Please consider adopting a bunny in need! You can come to AFRP’s next Bunny show!

AFRP IS HOLDING IT'S HUGE RABBIT ADOPTION EVENT
This Saturday & Sunday from 10am-5pm
AT
PETSMART
2020 CALIFORNIA AVE.
SAND CITY, CALIF. 93955

Five of my favorite websites are www.binkybunny.com , www.animalfriendsrescue.org , http://montereybayrabbits.org/default.aspx , http://friendlyfarms.org/ and http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA1383.html . Please look at your local pet rescues like Posh Pets and The Rabbit Haven in Santa Cruz. http://www.therabbithaven.org/ I adopted both of my bunnies from these two groups and they have been great furbabies!

AFRP Bunnies Featured in Monterey Herald

Recently, the AFRP was able to take in seven young bunnies rescued from a hoarding situation in New Mexico. Today's Monterey Herald features AFRP rabbit rescue volunteer Lisa Redmond and these adorable little furballs that are all looking for a home!

Here's a small excerpt:

"The rabbits are, I'm guessing, about two to four months old, and they'll be spayed and neutered before we adopt them out," Redmond said. A $50 adoption fee covers that expense. "These really are low-maintenance pets because they're trained for a litter box, and they don't need vaccinations."

Redmond says rabbits are playful creatures who love baby rattles, edible toys, and cardboard boxes. They're good pets for children, but not small children.

"Rabbits generally don't like to be picked up and carried around," she said. "Hawks and owls are their natural predators, so when they're picked up, they tend to believe they're going to be eaten."

Redmond conducts one or two adoption seminars per month at PetSmart in Sand City, where she educates people about keeping rabbits as pets. She works with Posh Pets in Pacific Grove to adopt out the animals to good families.

Anyone interested in adopting a baby rabbits can call Redmond at 883-1734.

You can read the entire article here, or on page 2 of the print edition of the paper.

Rabbits need to be spayed/neutered, too!

Thinking of bringing a rabbit into your home? Great! Rabbits are the #3 most popular domestic pet in the United States, behind only dogs and cats, and they make for fantastic companion animals!

But wait... did you realize that the same over-population and backyard breeder issues that are so well-known when it comes to dogs and cats also exist with rabbits? Yes, sadly it's true. Buying a rabbit from a pet store or backyard breeder has the same negative implications on the pet population as it does with dogs and cats. And, also like dogs and cats, you're probably not getting a better animal.

Are there other benefits to adopting a rabbit from a shelter or rescue, other than "simply" saving a life? YES! There are HUGE benefits!! But there is probably one benefit that outshines all the others:

The rabbit will already be spayed or neutered, at no additional cost beyond the adoption fee.

It is essential that domesticated rabbits be spayed or neutered, not just to prevent more bunnies, but to improve the animal's overall health and quality of life. This is especially important for females, who if left unspayed have an 80% chance of getting uterine cancer by the age of 5. A domesticated rabbit with proper care and good health can easily live 10 or more years, so spaying/neutering could potentially double the time your rabbit spends with your family!

Further, in both females and males, spaying/neutering greatly reduces the odor of urine and decreases the instinct to "spray" while also increasing the instinct to "do their business" in the same spot (i.e. a litter box - YES, rabbits can be potty trained!!). Obviously, this is mutually beneficial for the rabbit and the rabbit owner!

Were you to take your bunny to the vet to have this done on your own, it could cost you upwards of $200+ (on top of whatever you've already paid). Unfortunately, many people aren't aware of how costly this can be before they buy their rabbit(s), and as a result don't get them fixed. And thus the cycle begins again...

So, please, if you are considering adding a rabbit to your family, give the rabbits looking for forever homes in local shelters and rescues a chance before going to a breeder or a pet store.

Here are some resources that might help you find your bunny match:

Animal Friends Rescue Project
MontereyBayRabbits.org
Salinas Animal Shelter
Monterey County Animal Services
Monterey County SPCA

No such thing as an ugly bunny!

Meet Owen.


He's your pretty standard "ugly bunny." He's not actually ugly, but he spent far too long in the shelter and foster care while all the other "cuter" bunnies around him got adopted. However, he spent this extra time meticulously perfecting his potty habits and learning that these human creatures really aren't all that bad, which has helped him to become the perfect house pet.

When I adopted Owen seven months ago, I never saw an "ugly bunny." Rather, I saw an adorable, though perhaps a bit frumpy, friendly bundle of fuzz. His good potty habits gave me confidence about bringing a rabbit into my small apartment and his friendliness suited him to fulfill my need for a true companion animal.

Being a first-time rabbit owner, there was A LOT of learning that went on for the first few months, combined with a lot of adjustment for both me and Owen. He wouldn't let me pick him up (this is natural instinct for a rabbit, but it does also make you feel like a complete failure as a bunny mom). He wouldn't eat his hay (again, making me feel like a complete failure as a bunny mom). And while he remained extremely friendly, he seemed more interested in spending his time under the couch than with me.

It took about three months for us to find a mutually agreeable groove, but when we did it was like a switch got flipped. He still dislikes it greatly, but he'll let me pick him up. He's also now a hay-eating machine and he's more than happy to spend an hour or two on the couch with me while I watch TV at night.

If you're looking for a companion pet and dogs or cats are problematic, perhaps you'll consider a rabbit. And when you look for your perfect rabbit, perhaps you'll consider an "ugly bunny." After all, it's not that they're ugly, they just haven't been given a chance to let their personalities shine.

Adopted! - Shamu

To know Shamu is to love Shamu. Named for her looks and not her size, Shamu is a young Holland Lop who is destined to bring happiness and companionship into a home.

She hasn't had much luck with humans yet in her young life, so she tends to be a bit skittish. But if you sit quietly on the floor near her, she'll soon be exploring and checking you out. Try to reach out and she might scamper, but moments later she'll be flopped on the floor with her legs stretched back behind her without a worry in the world. The more time you spend with her, the more she'll trust you, and in no time you'll be best friends for life.

Shamu still needs to be spayed, so she isn't quite ready to go home with you yet, but it's never too soon to start getting to know her! She can enter into a Foster-to-Adopt home until she's fixed. She's already waiting for you!

Update! Shamu was adopted at our 5/31 PetSmart show. She will be spayed as soon as she is old enough, then will become a permanent resident at her new home. Congrats to Shamu and her new family!

Adopted! - Dapple

Dear Human Friends,

My name is Dapple and I am looking for a home to call my own. Some of my human friends at the Animal Friends Rescue Project are afraid that my inner beauty keeps getting overlooked because my outer beauty might not seem as attractive as some of the other bunnies. I am told there is a human saying, "Never judge a book by its cover," that somehow applies to me, but the only thing I would do with a book and its cover is give it a good chew, so I really don't know what that means (hopefully you do).

Anyways, my human friends are hoping that someone out there will realize all of my beauty and, hopefully, bring me home with them. If someone has a bunny boy who needs a bunny girl, perhaps I could be the bunny girl! We would need to date first to see if we like each other, of course, but that sounds like fun to me!

Or maybe you're a human just looking for an animal friend to share your home with. Us rabbits are just as good as dogs and cats - Some say even better! We don't bark like dogs (this makes us good for apartments) and we use litter boxes like cats (we're not stinky!). We are active in the mornings and evenings, but sleep during the day, so we are a good match for people who work or go to school. Just share the time you are home with me and we will be buddies for life!

If you would like to meet me, I would like to meet you! The people at Posh Pets in Pacific Grove (where I currently live) are really nice, but I'm really in need of a human of my very own.

Love and carrots,
Dapple

Avian & Exotic Clinic Open House May 9th 11-2pm

This Saturday May 9th the Avian & Exotic Clinic at Ryan Ranch in Monterey will be having their Open House event from 11-2pm and they invited us to show some bunnies who are looking for homes. This event is in conjunction with the Emergency Clinic Open House as well so there will also be dog contests, refreshments and fun.

Some of the buns who will be at the Open house are Frick and Frack pictured at the top and Princess Anne and Captain who are the fun lionhead pair. These 2 wonderful pairs of rabbits are anxiously waiting for a place to call their own. They are currently hanging out at Posh Pets in Pacific Grove if you can't make it to the Open House to meet them.

For Directions to the Avian and Exotic Clinic out in Ryan Ranch visit their website www.aecvets.com. We hope to see you there!