It’s like I always say: I feel sorry for the petless
By Gina Spadafori
May 27, 2009
Hat tip to Jennifer Fearing of the HSUS for the pointer to this clever ad from Oregon Humane. Maybe if all my anti-pet hatemailers would get some furry friends, they wouldn’t be so full of it.
Great concept, fun execution but … why oh why oh WHY is it always that the rabbits are linked to the kids?
In my experience working with hundreds of rabbit owners, that is a recipe for a neglected and dummped bunny. So many shelter cards have “kids lost interest” or “kids not taking care of” on the rabbit cages. I do not see that for the cat and dog cages.
I was working an event recently with a bunch of shelter rabbits and a dad came over to the booth and said his daughter was begging them for a rabbit. I asked how old she was and he said, “Eight.” I said, “Does she have her own source of income?” He kind of stared at me. I said, “YOU are going to be taking care of this animal, not her. No matter how much she begs.”
I had the chance to talk to the whole family and explain proper housing (not a cage) and they are going to foster for one month first. Yay!
The best rabbit owners I’ve found are working couples with bonded pairs of rabbits or seniors. Of course some families are wonderful, committed caregivers — but only if the parents are 100% into the rabbits. I’ve seen some men just go googly over their bunnies. It’s the coolest thing.
OK, I’m done spewing about this nice well-meaning ad!
Comment by Mary Mary — May 27, 2009 @ 7:58 am
You’re absolutely right that rabbits make excellent pets for ADULTS. But … that doesn’t mean they cannot be good pets for children with responsible, thoughtful parents.
I remember well one of my visits to the House Rabbit Society’s shelter in Richmond, Calif, and a long discussion about children and rabbits.
Their consensus (as I recall) was exactly what you came to: That education is the key.
It doesn’t always work. When my brother took his family to Europe for a couple months four-five years ago, I took in their Lab and their rabbit. The rabbit came unneutered in a small pet store cage full of shavings. Diet? Only pellets and water. Toys? None.
Dusty was immediately neutered, moved into better digs and converted to a diet of green leafy vegs, etc., and all the grass hay he wanted.
When the family came home, they listened to the talk, and “upgraded” Dusty’s housing to an outdoor hutch. My niece started bringing hay home from her horse’s boarding stable, but basically his life was little improved.
Finally, they decided to let him live loose in the yard, which he did for a couple of years. That was actually a pretty good life for him, I think, since he and the dog got on OK. (The dog became a mostly backyard dog when they repainted the interior of the house … sigh …)
I later heard that Dusty was “picked up by a hawk,” which I interpreted as “Dad found him dead in the yard, disposed of the body and made up a story for the kids.”
So it goes.
It does make me think that children are never fooled, and always learn other lessons than we think we are teaching. When my childhood cat became elderly, he “ran away.” What do you think the odds of that are? After 17 years and two houses, he just up and took off? C’mon, Dad, we’re not that stupid.
And then, a generation later, my brother doesn’t tell his kids the truth, either.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 27, 2009 @ 8:15 am
Yes, indeed, rabbits can do well in homes with children. There is no “never always,” but there sure is a “mostly.”
My point is that every. single. time. I see an image of a rabbit and a human in the media, any media, that human 99% of the time is a kid ages 4-8.
Can you imagine if every time you saw a dog on a poster at a Petco or on a greeting card or illustrating a website or promoting a shelter event or a clothing sale, whatever — if EVERY single time the dog was shown not with an adult but with a kid ages 4-8?
That’s what I’m up against with my humble little fliers and $2 marketing budget.
Yesterday and and this morning I was asked to talk to two different mothers, two different parts of the city, about the bunnies they got for their kids (all under 10 years old). One (kids are 2 and 4 years old) listed the rabbit on Craigslist for $1. The other has two unfixed Easter bunnies listed for free.
It gets old.
Comment by Mary Mary — May 27, 2009 @ 8:39 am
It sure does. And advocacy for rabbits — like advocacy for feral cats — is a more difficult road to take than, say, golden retriever rescue, to choose an example.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 27, 2009 @ 9:35 am