Reposted from last year.
Make mine chocolate
Please don’t buy a real bunny as a gift at Easter. A bunny will live to about 12 years; this is a real commitment. A bunny needs as much attention as a dog; they have delicate digestive systems that upset easily and not every vet knows how to deal with them (I know of 1 in Toronto) $$$. This is not a decision to be made lightly while you are caught up in the Easter festivities.
This post is dedicated to all the bunnies that end up at the humane society after Easter is over.
Just a few links to demonstrate how ridiculously rampant this idiotic tradition is:
http://www.rabbit.org/easter/2012release.html
http://animalrights.about.com/od/companionanimalspets/a/EasterBunny.htm
http://www.annarbor.com/pets/local-animal-welfare-agencies-urge-people-to-forgo-buying-live-bunnies-for-easter-with-the-make-mine/
I have never heard of people giving bunnies at Easter. That is awful. Wow. Great post Eva. I know this one is close to your heart. 🙂
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Thanks Kristy. As many people have commented here, it’s horrible to give puppies or cats as gifts too. I cannot believe people are so senseless.
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Bunnies for Easter, puppies for Christmas… why can’t people get a damn brain – I can’t believe how lightly people take the decision of getting a living thing. I gotta say though – it’s not just the act of getting it, but the committing to its care as well. If someone got me a bunny I sure wouldn’t be happy about but I’d damn well commit to caring for it and giving it a good life at least.
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You said it Charles, it is a real commitment. It must really get you angry seeing the puppies at the shelter you volunteer in.
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To be honest, I get more sad seeing the older dogs – I know that the pups are going to get adopted out again really fast, hopefully to good homes, although the demand for “cute, cuddly balls of fur” probably doesn’t help the existence of things like puppy-mills.
Some of the older dogs have been there for years, and I just feel like no-one’s going to want to adopt a dog which has been in a shelter for 5 years and completely forgotten how to act around humans and the like… just because some idiot didn’t research the breed enough before running off to get one and realising that “whoa, german shepherds actually grow to be large and will most certainly chew your house to pieces of you don’t mentally activate them enough”!
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That’s really so sad, Charles. People should be screened to own a pet, it is a huge responsibility and it’s a financial one too, so you should be able to give the pet the medical attention they need. It’s sad it happens on your side of the world too.
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I totally agree!
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Thanks, I shudder to think how many people still do.
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I agree with you, but I had no idea that bunnies were so long lived. Happy Easter!
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Thanks Ann. I had one that lived to 13 years old. My last one was only 11 but she was the most awesome bunny. When the alarm turned on in the morning JT would open her gate (we had to lock her in so she wouldn’t bug us at night) and she would come running into our bedroom, hop on the bed and come over to me and flip onto her back. She would nuzzle with me while I rubbed her tummy. It’s not normal behaviour for a bunny, but she was unique!
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I know that that happens at Christmas with pets but didn’t realise that it happens at Easter too. Good point!
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Christmas they probably give dogs and cats, but it shouldn’t happen either way. A life form as a gift is not a good idea any way one thinks about it.
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I’ve actually never heard of people being given a live bunny at Easter and when I read the title of your post I thought you were suggesting we shouldn’t buy chocolate bunnies this Easter. I don’t believe in giving any sort of a pet to someone as a gift – that’s just irresponsible xx
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Hi Charlie, it is a strange thing, but apparently wide spread enough in North America that the organization “Make mine chocolate” has been around for ten years already! Go figure.
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ha that wouldnt happen in my family. The tradition is to get a bunny take care for it and then eat it! I used to cry when I had to eat my uncles bunnies, because I used to feed them everyday!!!
but u v got a good point. Its like the fact that people buy puppies for their kids and when they go for holiday they try to get rid of them. I have never understood this type of mentality. *shakehead*
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Hi Helene, my Mom had a bunny when she was a kid in Budapest. The bunny was bad, as all bunnies are and chewed a hole in her Mother’s brand new house coat. They had bunny for dinner that night. My mom couldn’t eat and cried for a week.
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I had an adult friend who had a pet bunny and they’re a pain in the butt as adults. I’m sure they’re very appealing when small but you’re setting yourself up for a hassle if you go that route.
And, as someone whose parents raised rabbits briefly as meat for the table, the idea would NEVER occur to me to recommend or encourage a friend to buy them for their kids.
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Bunnies are just like any other pet, they do need a lot of care and attention, Maria. I’ve only ever had bunnies as pets; I cannot begin to tell you how much they have cost us (cancelled flights, bunny sitters, emergency vet bills, etc, etc).
While I can certainly appreciate your parents raising a bunny for the table, I shall never be able to partake.
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Done and I can promise you that I won’t even be purchasing a deceased one. 🙂
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Thanks Jed. I always want to take a marker to a menu when I see Rabbit on it and change it to ‘Cute little baby bunny rabbit’ instead. See how many orders that would get!
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Great post, Eva. It’s ridiculous that people still buy chicks and bunnies as gifts for children.
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Good point, Eva. Few chocolate bunnies last five years.
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Good reminder… we have so many in the wild now because their owners have abandoned them… xo Happy Easter!!
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That’s another weird thing Smidge, what makes people think that a domestic bunny can survive in the wild? Happy Easter to you too!
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Great idea for a post Eva…you’re absolutely right, these decisions should not be made frivolously. I didn’t realize bunnies were a popular purchase item over Easter (but it makes entire sense) – I tend to think of all the dogs and cats at the Humane Society so I’m glad you brought this to light for us… have a great weekend Eva and a big thank you on behalf of all the easter bunnies.
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I cannot believe it either, Kelly. People can be so thoughtless at times. Even giving a dog or a cat as a gift is senseless. It is truly a shame.
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