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Long Island Volunteer Teams Defy Wasps, Poison Ivy, Brutal Heat

Some HaysThat Our RabbitsLove to MunchPage 5

A FamilyReunionOf Flopping LopsPage 8

BondedBuddies,S'mores And ToffeePage 13

Latest LettersAnd PhotosFrom Our AdoptersPage17

Fort Totten Park, Queens rescue: Long Island volunteer Nancy Schreiber herds “Totten,” a brown Dutch,through dense thicket toward a pen. Page 3

NYC METRO RABBIT NEWS AUGUST 2010

Our masthead bunnies are Pip, on the left, and Amanda, who live in Flushing, Queens.

By Lisa Carley and Susan Lillo

Saturday, July 3, was a record-settingday for Rabbit Rescue & Rehab inManhattan. It was the best-ever adoptionday for the group, bringing togetheradopters, potential partner buns, eagershelter rabbits and volunteers. At theend of this amazing, exhausting andmagical afternoon, SEVEN rabbits hadfound new families.

The day actually started out with highhopes because a large number of adoptershad arranged to be at the shelter thatafternoon. With a significant number ofpotential adopters slated to show up,Marcie Frishberg, Cathe Rekis, CindyStutts and Maddy DeLeon also roundedup rabbits from the two ManhattanPetcos, so that everybun would have achance to find a good home.

Cindy, Marcie and Genevieve Hannonwere up early, making calls to organizethe logistics for the day. With so manyadoption possibilities on one day, everyavailable adoptable rabbit had to be inattendance at AC&C.

Meanwhile, volunteers continued tostaff the Petcos, to make sure that anyinterested people would be instructed tohead up to the shelter. Cathe had aparticularly hectic afternoon, bringingvegetables from the farmers market to

July 3: One Day,Seven Adoptions In Manhattan

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Among the rabbits who were adopted on July 3 were Hermione, Connor and Nicolas.

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Seven Adoptions(Continued from page 1

the shelter; helping transport bunnies tothe shelter from the Union Square Petco;staying to clean a few cages, and then takingrabbits back down to Union Square, whereshe stayed for the remainder of the day.

The day was crazy with people and evenone dog, all lined up to meet the assembledbunnies. As adopters showed up, theywere interviewed so that Cindy couldchoose appropriate rabbits for them tomeet.Volunteers Lisa Carley and LindsayOliver also helped orchestrate the marathonadoption and bonding session, whichrivaled a major sporting event in its excite -ment and bunny starpower. Everyoneneeded extra adrenaline and stamina toget through the afternoon.

Marcie did nail-clipping and temperature-taking, and showed the adopters thecorrect way to pick up and hold theirbunnies. Adopters knew that they wouldbe able to contact volunteers by phoneor email with any additional questions.

What made it all the more impressivewas that this huge number of adoptionstook place on a sweltering Saturday on aholiday weekend, when most New Yorkerswere either at the beach or at home intheir air-conditioned apartments watchingthe World Cup quarterfinals. All of theadopters who ventured up to East 110thStreet persevered throughout the afternoon,showing their determination to adopt arescued rabbit.

There was no better way to spend a hotsummer holiday weekend than to watchthis frenzied adoption phenomenon gainmomentum. There were the initialbunny sniffs, thumps, licks, jumps…..followed by adopters’ nods of approvaland smiles, laughter and kisses.

The first guy out the door was Nicolas;he went home with Emma’s new family.Everyone was ecstatic for him. As back -ground, rabbits Emma and Nicolas arethe parents of adorable babies, Darcyand Grayson. Emma, the mom, hadbeen adopted by two sisters from StatenIsland a couple of weeks earlier as apartner for Mordecai, their recentlysingle male. The sisters originally

wanted two rabbits but figured it mightbe easier to introduce one at a time. Theyhad taken Emma home a few hoursbefore Nicolas showed up at AC&C. OnSaturday, they came back for Nicolas,reuniting the two rabbits. Appropriatelyaltered, Emma and Nicolas can nowrekindle their friendship without fear ofoverpopulating their new home.

Meanwhile, Lucky Lady and Giselle bothwent home with lovely families.

Lucky Lady is now the proud owner ofTimothy and Terese, as well as theirmother, Ana. With their dad, they hadbeen frequent visitors to the Upper EastSide Petco, where the family learned allabout house rabbits. By the followingMonday, after adopting Lucky Lady,Ana and Timothy were back at Petco,chatting with volunteer Helen Chen.Helen reported that Lucky Lady wouldbe renamed Snowball. “Lucky Lady isvery lucky indeed,” Helen said, referringto Lucky Lady’s rescue from a Brooklynpark in May (see her story in the JuneThump newsletter at www.rabbitcare.org).“Ana is very thoughtful and gentle. Shehas that ability to get into the mindsetof a rabbit and she’s using it to make thebest home for Lucky Lady. Her wholefamily adores the bun – not just her kids.”

After constantly being first runner-up inthe bonding sweepstakes, Giselle wonthe love of a teenage girl, and went happilyhome with her new family as well.

In the speed-dating corner, Clark, Aaronand Hermione made love matches with

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other bunnies; Connor, with a dog. Anda young woman with a Yorkie anddachshund seemed like she might be agood human for Reba, or at least thatwas the hope. (update: Reba ended upbeing adopted on July 18 by a greatfamily. See the letters section.)

So July 3 turned out to be a wonderfulday to be a rescued bunny in the sizzlingBig Apple. Never before had this manyrabbits been adopted in one day in NewYork. The successes of this particularday, in this heat and on the day beforethe Fourth of July holiday, were all themore amazing. By evening, the volunteerswere exhausted but exhilarated. It wasan important milestone that will inspirevolunteers for weeks to come, as theyattempt to set yet a new record.

“It was a banner day,” Cindy said. Whenpeople ask me why I do this, well, todayis the reason!”

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Clockwise from top left, Lucky Lady at AC&C;Clark (now Franklin), right, with his new partner,Aurora; Giselle; Aaron.

Totten safe at last in car with Nancy Schreiber.

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THUMP AUGUST 2010 3

No Summer Vacation for Long Island Rabbit Rescuers

By Mary Ann Maier And Nancy Schreiber

Ah, summertime on Long Island. Beachesand boating, the Gold Coast and theHamptons. But under this veneer ofcarefree fun lies Long Island’s shamefulsecret. Long Island is a dumping groundfor pet rabbits.

Every month, Long Island Rabbit RescueGroup fields about 150 calls and emailsfrom people looking to surrender their petrabbits or from people who have foundpet rabbits on the street. This statisticwould be startling even if it weren’t com -pounded by the fact that most of theshelters on Long Island simply don’ttake rabbits.

We’ve received reports from almost everypark, apartment complex, golf course andcemetery on Long Island and in Brooklynand Queens. There are abandoneddomestic rabbits this minute in HempsteadLake State Park, St. John’s Cemetery,Eisenhower Park, Bethpage, you nameit. Think about it: 7.5 million peoplelive on Long Island. Rabbits are sold inover 50 Petland Discounts stores, ingarden centers, malls in Nassau County,feed stores in Suffolk County, and bybreeders. Hundreds of places are sellingthem; very few people are rescuing them.

Because only municipal shelters willtake rabbits, and those shelters are “kill”

shelters (more on that distinction in a bit),much of the rescue work we do on LongIsland is out in the field.We drive all overNassau, Suffolk, Queens and Brooklynto catch rabbits, set up foster rabbits inpeople’s homes, and advise on husbandry,bonding and behavioral problems. Evenon the hottest days, we traipse throughwasps’ nests, thorn bushes, tick-infestedgrasses and poison ivy. We climb fencesand squeeze under porches and cars. We trespass when we have to.

We put hundreds of miles on our carshauling cages, crates, traps, nets, pens,food and hay for roundups. We have toarrange vet visits – sometimes emergencyones; we have to arrange (and fund!)every single spay and neuter.

The municipal shelters often have nochoice but to operate as “kill shelters,” butthis is an unfair label. Common sense,and the laws of physics, dictate that an infinite number of animals cannot besheltered in a finite amount of space.Animals are put down to make room formore animals. And indeed, shelters thatboast that they are “no kill,” routinelyreject aggressive dogs, feral cats and,almost always, all rabbits.

So make no mistake: though we ourselvesare “no-kill,” Long Island rabbits do die on the streets when we are unable to rescue them for lack of foster orpermanent homes for them.

Occasionally, shelters on Long Island willaccept rabbits, but almost all of thoseshelters adopt out with minimal screening,no fee, and no spaying or neutering. Acouple of years ago, a shelter adoptedout three rabbits to a kind woman whofelt sorry for them. The rabbits wereunneutered and unsexed. Natch, thefemale was pregnant and had 13 babies.The woman called us for help and webrought her cages and food and volunteersto assist with cleaning and socializing,and we brought the rabbits into ourrescue over the months, as our fosterspaces allowed. This was merely one case,caused by, ironically, a (careless/overworked/

indifferent – you fill in the adjective)animal shelter, and it took us two yearsto find homes for all those rabbits. Twowhole years.

Much of Long Island is a contrast of theaffluent and the agrarian. We get callsfrom folks who purchased a rabbit fortheir kids, but who now want to be ridof the rabbit because they are getting anew [puppy/baby/leather sofa] and hopeto “donate” their pet to us. Others havebecome bored with their bunny, like thelawyer who wanted to give away her 13-year-old rabbit now that her kids wereaway at college (she planned to tell themthe bunny died).

Many people still keep rabbits in outdoorhutches. One Suffolk family didn’t evenknow that one of their two rabbits wasdead and frozen solid in the hutch; shewas still out in the hutch with the liverabbit when a contractor who was workingon the property noticed, and called theSPCA, who called us. Endless casesinvolve people who move and leave theirrabbits behind in hutches – and dicey“adopters,” like the man who called andwanted an outdoor rabbit because hisformer rabbit died of flystrike. (Flystrikeis a deadly maggot infestation occurringwhen a fly lays eggs on a rabbit’s hind -quarters. It primarily affects rabbits whoare kept – you guessed it – outdoors.)

These are some recent Long Island cases weare working on. I can’t make this stuff up:

Snowball, abandoned near a school in Uniondale,with his rescuer and adopter, Nancy Sullivan.

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No Summer Vacation(Continued from page 3)

HuntingtonIn June we responded to a call from aHuntington woman whose neighbor leta group of rabbits loose. Since the calleragreed to foster a rabbit, we were able togo catch him. When volunteers CarlinaJarmel and Renee Fischer drove “Eric”back to his foster home after his neuter,they were horrified to find even morerabbits on the street.

They tried to talk with the rabbits’ owner,who had released them to the street. Shewas resistant to any advice. The bunnieswere outside, living in and out of theowner’s garage. Carlina and Renee hadseen enough. They scooped up the otherrabbits and got them into the car. Makingmatters worse, the fosterer’s home provedto be unsuitable. The volunteers’ trip,intended to deliver a bun into fostercare, ended up adding four needy rabbitsto our own already-full foster homes.Eric found a wonderful home with afamily in Merrick, who, unbelievably,found another stray bunny and rescuedher the day after they adopted Eric!Lois, Catherine and Clyde are stillawaiting loving homes.

West BabylonIn June, one of our foster moms in WestBabylon found a very lethargic bunnyon the street, lying next to the curb.Concerned about her condition, andfearing she was pregnant, Laura Bonaviabrought the bunny to Mary Ann Maier,who at first thought the rabbit wasinjured or even paralyzed. Luckily, therabbit was merely dehydrated and obese.Miraculously, her owners surfaced andwere missing her. So they came to fetch“Emily” from Mary Ann, who sentthem home with information and advice.This included info on the dangers of the outdoors, diet guidelines and a vetrecommendation for spay.

A few weeks later, Emily’s family found alionhead rabbit in their backyard! CarlinaJarmel brought them a cage, suppliesand food. They are either fostering orpossibly keeping the new foundling.

WyandanchIn mid-July, Nancy Schreiber received a call from Bonnie, an employee of aWyandanch truck-repair company,where two bunnies had been for the past year. A former employee hadabandoned them there.

We felt bad about them since they had noplay time, were exposed to fumes andloud noises all day, and were simply beingfed and watered. Plus, with the heatwave in full swing, we felt we had totake them into rescue. Logan and Bertare friendly, beautiful and healthy andare available for adoption. They are notbonded, so may be adopted out separately.

BrentwoodOn July 19 we received a call from awoman, Allison, who spotted a domesticbunny in her backyard. Sadly, because of the overpopulation of unwanted petrabbits, we couldn’t go out to catchhim, since Allison couldn’t foster.

Two days later, Allison called again andreported she had found the bunny lyingdown under a bush and that he couldn’tmove. Rescue volunteer Carlina Jarmelasked her to bring him to her home, toreceive pain medication and await a visitto a vet.

X-rays showed no broken legs or back,so “Dandelion” was sent to Allison’s withMetacam. However, Allison’s in-lawswould not allow him in their house, soback to Carlina’s he went. He was stillparalyzed, yet alert, and eating anddrinking, so a course of steroids wasstarted. After a few days, though, Carlinanoted that he seemed to be in pain,despite the medications, so she made theloving decision to have him euthanized.

CoramDuring one of the brutal heat waves inJuly, Nancy Schreiber received a call froma woman who found five stray rabbits ina park in a housing complex in Coram.The woman’s seven-year-old daughtertold her that she had found a Tupperwarecontainer the previous day. The containerwas closed, and the child could see thatthere were live animals inside, so sheopened it up to let them out.

When the woman heard this, she wentback to the park, and found five rabbitsin the playground: an adult, assumed tobe the mother, and four babies. She wasable to capture all of them withoutdifficulty. She then called Long IslandRabbit Rescue Group.

Nancy arranged for an overnight fosterwith Lisa Signorelli, one of our volunteerswho lives in Suffolk County. The bunsappeared to be okay despite their ordeal,except for one who was visibly shakingand not eating. The next day, Lisabrought them to Dr. Hoefer to be sexedand examined. It turned out there wasan adult male and four juveniles – threefemales and one male. All of the bunswere okay, including the one who wasn’teating the day before. The males andfemales were separated and taken intotwo foster homes.

Bert, top, and Logan, the bunnies who spent thelast year and a half in small cages kept in atruck-repair shop, are amazingly people-friendlyand lovable. They hope to be adopted soon sothey can catch up on playing and binkying inhomes of their own.

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My first bunny didn’t get much hay. Igave him lots of alfalfa, at a time when Ididn’t know that a healthy adult rabbitrequired large amounts of grass hay daily.My neighborhood pet store did stockhay, but it was brown and musty, andthe bags of green alfalfa looked so muchmore appetizing. Now I know better. Foran adult rabbit, large, unlimited quantitiesof grass hay are a necessity. Rabbit litterboxes should be comfortably large,providing lots of fresh hay for a rabbit toenjoy at all times. New York pet storescurrently stock many varieties of goodhay; Petco, for example, carries fragrantbags of Timothy with mint leaves.

However, the quest for hay remains apreoccupation for me and other rabbitlovers. Knowing that hay is a key togood health for our rabbits, we are alwaysasking other adopters and volunteers,“Where do you get your hay? What haydo your bunnies crave?”

I asked some of our volunteers to describethe hays that their rabbits like. Herethen, are some suggestions for makingyour bunny binky blissfully with delight.Mangia!

—Susan Lillo

Belvedere’s Choices

Belvedere gets a little spoiled when itcomes to hay since my boyfriend and Iare both allergic to Timothy hay.We mixtogether a bit of Timothy hay withorchard grass from Sweet MeadowFarms.It comes in longer pieces than what youcan find in a Petco and he digs right in.His favorite “treat” hay is the orchardgrass from Petco, though. It is definitelysweeter than what he normally gets.

—Melissa Schroyer

Clover for Chloe

I order my hay from Sweet MeadowFarms. They offer bulk packages of mostof their hay. They deliver ship ments innicely packed cardboard boxes and theyarrive pretty quickly, within four days.Chloe loves the random clover flowers

in the hay, and since we started gettingit she eats about twice as much hay asbefore. (I get her Timothy and then Iget a couple of bags of Meadow Grassas a treat.)

—Kathryn Pizzo

‘Like Cotton Candy for Bunnies’

I have purchased OxbowTimothyhay and my rabbits wouldchew on it but they left manylittle uneaten hard stemsand ends. Oxbow hay isheartier than some otherbrands I’ve tried. Mybunnies would eat itbut you could tellthat they didn’tlike it very much.That is a starkcontrast toKleenmama’s 3rd-cutTimothy hay. Kleenmama’s3rd-cut Timothy hay is anappetizing bright greencolor and smells as freshas newly cut grass. Thetexture is soft and fluffylike cotton candy for bunnies, and mineate it up. My bunnies were eating basketsfull of hay daily, finishing off every lastbit of it. Sweet Meadow Farm’s 2nd-cutTimothy hay is as advertised – it smellsjust like a spring meadow. The hay hassome dried flower buds and stems andbits of red clover mixed in, enticingbunnies with its sweet aroma. My rabbitsreally enjoyed this sweet variety ofTimothy as well.

On occasion my bunnies also get orchardgrass from Oxbow and Kleen mama.Oxbow’s orchard grass is a welcomechange from Timothy for the bunnies,but my crew really love Kleenmama’sorchard grass, a brand of hay Kleenmamacalls “bluegrass.” It is so called becauseof its deep, rich color. So far, every ship -ment of bluegrass I’ve received has notdisappointed. Each piece of bluegrass islong and chewy for a rabbit to gnash onhappily. I switched to bluegrass when

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(Continued on page 6)

Not Quite an Obsession, but Darn Close: HAY

my springtime allergies kicked in.Orchard grass, especially Kleenmama’sclean, dust-free bluegrass variety, irritatesmy allergies significantly less than Timothy.Both my bunnies and I are huge fans ofKleenmama’s bluegrass. While my rabbitseat more Kleenmama’s 3rd-cut Timothyhay than any other type, I supplementbluegrass to give their teeth somethingharder to chew on as well for dental health.

—Helen Chen

Stocking Up on 2nd-Cut Hay

When I started, I used to buy hay fromlocal stores, but then soon found Farmer - Dave’s on eBay. I have been using hisstuff for a good four years. At first I onlyused 1st-cut hay, but the rabbits were‘eh’ with it. So I tried 2nd-cut hay andthey loved it far more, especially haywith clover. So I used to get both – the

Artwork©2007Mary Ann Maier.Created inconsultation with JenniferSaver, D.V.M.

HAY(Continued from page 5)

1st cut for litter layering, and 2nd cutfor adding on top every day. Farmer -Dave’s was really convenient and theyship it to your door; it usually wouldcost about $40 total with shipping for25 pounds of hay. I suspect it’s a littlebit more than a bale. But sometimesthey didn’t have the 2nd cut, or had itonly in smaller sizes. And eventuallythey weren’t offering the clover in thehay. So this year I started to drive out toLong Island to get 2nd-cut hay directlyfrom Agway, where for $40 I can getthree bales. My rabbits love it just fine.

—Will Leung

Hay Connoisseurs

My two guys (Filli and Irving) are real hayconnoisseurs. I’ve tried many kinds withthem, and their favorites are TimothyGold from American Pet Diner andFarmerDave’s 2nd Cut with Clover. I alsogive them FarmerDave 1st Cut regularlybecause it’s especially high in fiber.

FarmerDave is a good source becausethe hay arrives quickly–usually within acouple of days. I usually have to waitabout 10 days for American Pet Dinerhay, which is difficult if I’m running lowand haven’t ordered in time … I thinkIrving is actually addicted to it! ;-)

FarmerDave isn’t offering the 2nd Cutwith Clover right now, because the latestcrop didn’t come out well. He says itshould be available again in September.My guys just adore the dried cloverstems and blossoms. I wish I could finda place where you could just buy those!

I’ve also tried Oxbow Timothy andSweet Meadow Timothy – they weren’tas popular as the APD hay.

Finally, I used to give them orchardgrass till I realized I was allergic to it.

— Kirsten Ott

How to Stretch the Hay Budget

My guys are hopelessly addicted toAmerican Pet Diner’s Timothy Gold(2nd-cutting Timothy) hay. This is alittle bit of a problem because it’s quiteexpensive, but I’ve never found anotherhay they will eat as much of. I take thesting out of the price a little bit by alsobuying FarmerDave’s “bedding hay,”which is quite inexpensive, using it asthe bottom layer in the litter boxes andtopping them off with the APD. Thisstretches the hay budget a bit. I used todo the same thing with wheat straw –which did an even better job and wascheaper still – back when Oxbow usedto sell it. You could probably do thesame with inexpensive baled hay if youhave a source.

—Amy Odum

Yummy Organic Hay

There have been good early reviews forOrganic Hay Co.’s product, which is asun-cured mix of Timothy and meadowgrasses with clover. The hay is 100%USDA-certified organic, pesticide- andGMO-free, and it’s grown in UpstateNew York. A portion of the proceeds willhelp build and sustain a barn for rescuedrabbits at Coming Home Animal Sanctuary.http://www.organichayco.com.

—Jane O’Wyatt

Distinctive Preferences

Each of my bunnies has his or her owndistinct hay preferences. Thus, all of mybunnies get their favorite hays as staples,but I will often try other varieties of hayfrom different areas of the country toadd interest for them. Mopsy and Robinalways must have Sweet Meadow FarmsTimothy hay (www.sweetmeadowfarm.com). They are happy with either theorganic Timothy with herbs or the classicTimothy varieties. These are both soft andfragrant varieties of 2nd-cut Timothy hay.Goldie and Queenie prefer a mix of avariety of hays, so I hand-mix several typesof hay for them. They always have a fairlyequal mix of FarmerDave1st-cut Timothy(www.farmerdave.biz) and Kleenmama’s3rd-cut Timothy (www.kmshayloft.com)with a smaller amount of the oat blendhay from Bunnyluv (www.bunnyluv.com).Then I also add a 2nd-cut Timothy hayto their mix from Sweet Meadow Farms orsome other source. I frequently sprinklea hay topper over the hay consisting of amix of the following organic herbs andflowers I have ordered from Kleenmama’s:dandelion root, burdock root, rose petals,rose buds, white willow bark shreds,chamomile, and red clover blossoms.

Also, as a side note, I prepared a chart formy own interest in February, comparingcosts of ordering various hays withshipping to New York City. I found thatit is important to remember when youlook at the price of a specific hay, thequoted price is meaningless until youconsider the shipping cost.

—Natalie Reeves

Pickles, left, and Filli, middle, inspect their hay. Penny, right, wears hay as a hat….

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Photo: W

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FosterHomesNeededTemporary help desperatelyneeded in Manhattan!

Not quite ready to adopt yet?

How about fostering?

If you can open your hometo a bunny on a temporarybasis (1-3 months), please call Cindy Stutts at646 319-4766 or email herat bygolyoly@yahoo.com.

Save theDate

RabbitRescue &Rehab’sAnnual

Conference

Sunday,Oct. 24

RadissonHotel

NewRochelle,

NY

THUMP AUGUST 2010 7

Some Family Reunions May Make You Cringe,But How Can You Lose With Six Flopping Lops? By Natalie L. Reeves

In the spring of 2007, five lop angels wereborn at New York’s Animal Care &Control to parents Mocha Jane (MJ) andThaddeus Joseph (Tadpole), a lovingcouple whose story was told in theFebruary Thump.

MJ and Tadpole’s babies were bornshortly before I adopted my first rabbit,who I named Mopsy McGillicuddy. Shewas a black fuzzy lop, left at the shelterwithout information about her age, nameor background. When I leaned into hercage at the shelter, she put her tiny pawson my shoulder and kissed my cheek.(Mopsy hasn’t kissed me since.)

Soon after, I watched a local news programfeaturing Rabbit Rescue & Rehabvolunteers Cindy Stutts and LoraineKopf, who appeared with three of MJ’sbabies. Loraine was fostering the lopbabies, Robin, Goldie and Queenie.After seeing those long-haired beautieson TV, I fell in love with them. Had Inot just adopted Mopsy, I would haveadopted all three bunnies, but I neverthought seriously about that. There wasno way I could have four bunnies in myapartment. That would be crazy.

Although I knew I couldn’t adopt the trio,I chose to torture myself by going to meetthem at an adoption event in CentralPark. They were cute on TV, but inperson, they were unforgettable. I tackedtheir pictures onto my bulletin board.

I heard that Robin, Goldie and Queeniewere going to be broken up because anadopter of three rabbits couldn’t be found.One bunny would be adopted as a partnerbun; the other two would stay together.

Meanwhile, several volunteers said itwould be good for Mopsy to have afriend. So in the fall of 2007, Mopsy hada series of dates at Loraine’s apartment.Kerstin Aumann and Erin McElhinneywere there to help with the bonding andbrought foster bunnies for Mopsy tomeet. After five speed-dates, Mopsychose Robin, and he came home with usthe same night.

I should clarify that by choosing Robin,Mopsy seemed moderately interested inhim. At home, she made Robin’s lifedifficult (although he certainly wasn’tafraid to fight back). Sweet little Mopsycould transform herself into a ragingmonster. Meanwhile, the addition ofRobin to our family crystallized myposition as Mopsy’s servant. I couldcontinue to live in her world as long as Iprepared her meals on a regular basis.But since Robin didn’t bring her food,Mopsy treated him as a mere annoyance.

Mopsy’s reign of terror over Robin mademe relinquish my dream of adoptingRobin’s sisters and having a warren offour rabbits. That didn’t mean I stoppedloving Goldie and Queenie. Quite thecontrary. I adored them, visited them atadoption events and even went to see

(Continued on page 9)

At their reunion, from left, are Goldie, Robin, Queenie, MJ, Tadpole and Mopsy.

THUMP AUGUST 2010 8

them when they were adopted by a newfamily. When Goldie and Queenie wereadopted in early 2008, I was both happythey would have a forever home andheartbroken that the home wasn’t mine.

In the meantime, Mopsy and Robincontinued dating and after nine stressfulmonths, they became a loving couple.All of the bruises I had suffered fromwalking into side-by-side exercise pensduring bonding sessions were worth it.

Then, in early 2009, Goldie and Queenie’sadopters told Rabbit Rescue & Rehabthat they were moving overseas andneeded to find a new home for the girls.I was trying to be analytical in decidingwhether to adopt them, but in my heartthey were already mine. On March 1, Ibrought Goldie and Queenie home.Because Mopsy is territorial and I didn’twant to risk damaging Mopsy and Robin’sbond, I haven’t tried to bond Goldieand Queenie to Mopsy and Robin. Mytwo pairs are in separate rooms.

It had been a dream to have Robin,Goldie and Queenie meet their parents,who were adopted by Erin McElhinney.Since neither Erin nor I have neutralspace, I proposed a reunion at a Petcowhere a professional photographer wasvisiting and could thus capture picturesof the event. The reunion took placeover the recent Memorial Day weekend.

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From top to bottom: a joyful reunion pileup; Robin,right, kisses his mom; M J meets her daughter-in-law, Mopsy, right; Goldie, right, and her dad.

As soon as we had set a date, I decided mygirls needed a few intensive lessons ingood manners. I didn’t make little Robinattend because he is my peacemaker.With Goldie and Queenie together andMopsy on her own, I lectured over andover – honor your father and mother (ormother-in-law, in Mopsy’s case): nonipping, scratching, growling, boxing orany other naughty behavior.

On Sunday, May 30, I carried my crew intwo separate carriers to the Union SquarePetco. I was excited, but nervous thatone of the bunnies might show aggression.We met in a special room where thephotographer had lighting equipmentset up. Erin and I were immediatelychallenged because none of our bunnieswanted to sit still and pose. They weremore interested in exploring the lightingequipment behind the photo backdrop.

I quickly realized that not includingRobin in the etiquette classes had been amistake as he somehow thought it wasacceptable to hump his mother, father andsisters – all in front of his jealous girlfriend,Mopsy. Luckily, Robin’s friskiness wasthe only incident and the bunnies wereotherwise on their best behavior.

MJ and Tadpole seemed to love theirchildren and vice-versa. The biggestsurprise was the bonding betweenMopsy and her mother-in-law, MJ. Atone point, Mopsy briefly groomed MJ,which was shocking behavior for mytough little girl and her equally toughmother-in-law. MJ also gave personalattention to each of her children.

Erin and I had fun comparing thebunnies’ appearances and personalities.MJ and Tadpole have short hair, butthree of their children—the ones Iadopted—have long hair.

After the bunnies exhausted themselvesby exploring every corner of the room,they flopped all over each other withlittle feet sticking out in an image thatwill forever be ingrained in my memory.There may be no better experience in

life than being in a small roompermeated with bunny joy. Can’t waituntil the next reunion!

And, as an aside, if you think you mayhave adopted one of the other twobunnies who were a part of this family,we would love to hear from you and seepictures of your bunny. The two otherbunnies born to MJ and Tadpole (onApril 4, 2007) had short hair; one wasgolden and one chocolate brown. At thetime, shelter volunteers referred to themas Bronxie and Stat.

Reunion(Continued from page 8)

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RESCUE & REHAB

An Evening at the Shelter

Tues. 6/29/10 at AC&C

Tonight’s highlights:

Cindy took Ferdinand to CAEM. Turnsout his “wound” is a cracked molar.They’ll remove the molar and neuterhim, so he was not at the shelter tonight.

We observed the new lop trio, and themale (Frankie) was being very aggressivetoward the two females, constantlychasing the girls. It created a lot of stressin the pen. The bunnies all startedcircling/chasing each other. It was gettingchaotic, so we decided to separateFrankie from the two girls, and he’s nowin a separate cage, and the girls arechilling together. The orange and whitegirl, Zuzia, looked pregnant to us. I knowJane has alerted Medical, and hopefullyboth girls will be spayed very soon.

The pair of lionhead boys also meritswatching, in our opinion. Graysonappears to be the dominant bun and hasstarted to exhibit a lot of aggressiontoward Darcy. We gave Darcy some outtime by himself, since he seemed a bitstressed. We also wondered whether itwas best to keep them together orseparate them (either temporarily orpermanently). Anyone have any thoughtson this? They’re still together, for now.

Maybe this is normal for young siblings.(Postscript: the boys were adopted as a pairand are doing fine together.)

We treated Raoul’s lip with Nolvasan andHealx. (Tomorrow’s volunteers: theNolvasan gauze pads are in the refrigerator.)The tech came while we were there togive him his pain medication and Pen G.

We washed Jessy’s oil-soiled back withsome dishwashing liquid and water. Sheis an amazing bunny, great personality.

We still couldn’t find the nail clippersKatelyn donated a number of weeksback. Some of the buns need mani/peditreatments, so some volunteers mightwant to bring clippers from home overthe course of the next week to do sometrimming.

Once again, there are some cats withringworm in one of the smaller back cages.

So 15 rabbits total:

RebaGiselleAaronGrayson and DarcyNicholasNancyJessica

Jessy – The prior posts have said F/S,but it doesn’t say she’s spayed on hercage card. Can we check this?

From top, Ferdinand, Tosia and Frankie, Zuzia,Darcy and Grayson, Jessy

Manhattan volunteers take care of therabbits at the Animal Care & Controlshelter on East 110th Street as well asat two Petco locations.Volunteers visiton a daily basis, providing fresh greens,giving each rabbit some time to rompin a secure exercise pen, and checkingfor any problems. After each visit, thevolunteer sends a group email,updating everyone.

Here is one email, sent at 11:14 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29, by Kirsten Ott,

who was at the shelter that night withKatelyn Belyus.

The email shows the work that volunteersdo daily, and how observant each groupmember is. The information from oneday’s email is helpful not only to thevolunteer who will be handling duties onthe next day, but also to the rest of thegroup.Often memberswill weigh in withtheir opinion about a particular rabbit, oradviceon howto handle a problem.Every -one ends up gaining additional expertise.

(Continued on page 11

Darcy and

Grayson

pho

to: Joa

nna Ung

; others by

Jane

O'W

yatt

ConnorRaoulHermioneFrankie (by himself right now)Tosia and Zuzia

Database is updated.

Good night everyone!Kirsten (and Katelyn)

Email from Katelyn the Next Morning:

Just an fyi: In case the gauze with theNolvasan is dried out, there are cleangauze squares in the medical box.

Note that Nolvasan is a brand name for“chlorhexidine diacetate.” If you need tomix fresh chlorhexidine, there is a bottlelabeled in the medical box. Use 1 partchlorhexidine to 10 parts water.

Be sure that the solution is room temp. tomake comfortable for poor little Raoul!

gracias-kb

ps. thanks to jane for once again savingme in the world of medical terminology:)

RESCUE & REHAB

Ashes in the Spotlight, Post-AmputationBy Genevieve Hannon

My little foster girl Ashes is at the Centerfor Avian and Exotic Medicine (568Columbus Ave.) as the window showcaserabbit. She is up for adoption.

Ashes is an amazing bun. She came tous with a compound fracture in her lefthind leg, necessitating an amputation(done at CAEM). After her surgery(amputation and spay, poor thing), shewas placed on heavy painkillers for a fewdays until we moved her onto Metacam.I administered famotidine (Pepcid) sub-Q injections as an inhibitor of stomachacid and Trimethoprim-sulfa (TMS)suspension orally as a broad-spectrumantibiotic. I syringe-fed her CriticalCare for a week, as she was not eatingon her own. She adjusted at my housevery well, living in my big bathroom ona heavy kilim rug for traction with alow-entry litter box and a bowl of water.One week after her surgery, she waseating on her own and hopping aroundlike nobody’s business.

Her left front leg had been splayed out toher side for a couple weeks (to compensatefor the loss of a hind leg on that side),but made its way back underneath hereventually. She now hops and runs likeany four-legged lagomorph!

Ashes is a young, petite, black, shiny,adorable Jersey Wooly girl with a longfluffy furry trim, dark eyes and just thebest personality in the world. She isconfident and playful and loved my fourcats and two dogs, and they loved herright back. She also loves every humanshe meets and is a major licker. Youstand at the sink brushing your teethand she’s licking your ankles. You holdher in your arms and she’s licking yourarms and neck. She loves to snuggle andbe held and brushed and is a real charmer.I miss her so much and was sad to saygoodbye, but I am sure CAEM will findher a great forever home where she’ll bereally happy and where everyone whomeets her will fall in love with her justas I did.

Shelter(Continued from page 10)

Ashes

Raoul

Photo:

Jane

O’W

yatt

Photo: G

enevieve Han

non

THUMP AUGUST 2010 11

Loraine Kopf, left, holding her rabbit, Abbie (a hotot mix), speaks with patient Julia Soto at Coler-Goldwater Hospital.

Volunteers from the Pet Outreach Program atColer-Goldwater Hospital. Loraine’s angorabunny, Stuart, is at the left, in front.

Rabbits Can Make Great TherapistsBy Natalie L. Reeves

While some bunnies wile away the hoursdreaming of salad time, the rabbits ofRabbit Rescue & Rehab volunteer LoraineKopf are helping the less fortunate. Forthe past eight months, Loraine and herbunnies have made monthly visits topatients at Coler-Goldwater Hospital onRoosevelt Island. Loraine has participatedas a volunteer for the Animal MedicalCenter Pet Outreach Program.

AMC’s Pet Outreach Program matchesvolunteers and their pets with people innursing homes, hospitals or other facilities.The patients are blind, deaf or mobility-impaired. Volunteers with dogs, cats,rabbits and parrots make regular visits.

Marilyn Peoples runs the recreationaltherapy program at Coler-GoldwaterHospital and says that patients lookforward to the visits by volunteers withtheir pets. She explains that the pettherapy program consistently meets itsgoal of brightening up the patients andmaking them smile.

Ms. Peoples recounted one particularbreakthrough with a patient who wasterrified of dogs. After encouraging thepatient over a long period of time toattend a pet outreach session, the woman

eventually agreed to do so and graduallyovercame her fears, ultimately evencoming to cherish her time with the dogs.

Not all animals are qualified to participatein the program. AMC’s Pet OutreachCoordinator, Phyllis Brody, emphasizesthat pets must be comfortable travelingto the venues and be at ease interactingwith other animals and people. Thesecriteria certainly would mean a largenumber of rabbits wouldn’t be eligiblebecause of the stress involved in thistype of activity. Nevertheless, three ofLoraine’s four rabbits accompany her onhospital visits, and Loraine believes theyenjoy the interaction.

Loraine’s rabbits may be more suited fortherapy work than the average rabbitbecause she regularly transports herrabbits from the city to a weekend home.For her hospital visits, she rotates herrabbits so that the patients get to seedifferent rabbit breeds. One of Loraine’srabbits, Lavender, is a nipper, so shedoesn’t participate in the program.

At Coler-Goldwater, therapy sessionstake place in an auditorium wherefolding chairs are set up for the volunteers.Loraine carries a small litter box withhay with her so that her bunny can sit in

his or her litter box on Loraine’s lap.The patients, most of whom are inwheelchairs, position themselves next toLoraine and talk to and pet the bunny.One patient, Julia Soto, who has beenhospitalized almost a year while recoveringfrom a stroke, was very excited whenLoraine’s bunny, Abbie, licked her hand.On previous visits, Loraine has takenher angora bunny, Stuart, who hasattracted lots of attention, and her Rexbunny, Ariel.

Loraine said, “The more I work withanimals, the more I’m convinced thatwe human beings are born with anintuitive connection with animals, andthe depth of that connection is forgottenas we lose our innocence and get involvedin what we call ‘life.’ ”

She added, “Volunteering at Goldwater,I see that connection once again when apatient pets a bun and smiles. It’s sogratifying to see the face of someonewho lives in a wheelchair light up at thetouch of a living creature.”

AMC’s Pet Outreach Program welcomesvolunteers who are available to visithospitals or other facilities on Monday orTuesday mornings, or on Tuesday evenings.Visits generally are an hour long andmost are in Manhattan. Volunteers mayparticipate on a regular basis or only astheir schedules permit. If you would likemore information about the outreachprogram, contact AMC’s Phyllis Brody at212-838-8100, ext. 7348. Loraine Kopfis also happy to discuss her experiences andcan be reached at kopf.loraine@verizon.net.

Photo: N

atalie Reeves

Photo: Loraine

Kop

f

THUMP AUGUST 2010 12

ADOPTER’S REPORT

Toffee and S’mores Find Sweetness TogetherBy Ruby Gu

My fiancé and I agreed that Toffee, ourdwarf mix adopted from the AC&C inthe fall of 2008, had way too muchpersonality to be left alone for 8-10 hoursa day while we were at work. So thispast January, following a speed-datingsession at the Long Island Rabbit Rescue,S’mores (a cuddly Dutch mix boy) cameto live with us. We were ready for somebonding, after reading 10-plus articlesabout bonding on Rabbit.org, and weembarked on a journey now knownamongst our friends as “parenting bootcamp,” because rabbit bonding, much likeparenting, is a lot of “learning as you go.”

We did the bonding sessions as instructed –a play pen in a “neutral” area, usingsneakers on our hands to stop anypotential aggression. S’mores began withcuriosity, and Toffee began with a case ofextreme nerves. Whenever he approached,she would jump two feet into the air,startling him. A startled S’mores wouldthen become aggressive and defensive.We tried our best to interrupt the boxingand the biting, but nevertheless, fur flew.A second vet trip later (S’mores scratchedToffee’s eyelid, which healed in less thana day), I made a “what else can we do?”phone call to Nancy at the Long IslandRabbit Rescue. She was gracious enoughto offer to try bonding at her place, sooff to Long Island we went.

Two weeks later came the good news.S’mores put his head down for Toffee togroom, and she groomed him! Nancysaid they were now able to play togetherwithout bad energy, and that we shouldobserve them during playtime for anotherweek or so. They came home to theiroverjoyed parents, and for three days wewatched them groom, binky and play.But on day four, S’mores put his headdown for Toffee to groom, Toffee shookher head “no” and S’mores bit a chunkof fur the off of Toffee’s neck. Bondingwas on hold again.

It was now May, and we decided to usethis break time to take the buns to theirnew vet, Catnip & Carrots in New HydePark, for their wellness checkup. Whilewe were there, we had a nice chat withDr. Saver (golly, I wish she would seehumans so she could be MY doctor!!).She gave us a small dropper bottle ofanti-anxiety Rescue Remedy to rub outsidethe buns’ ears before bonding sessions,and said to not lose faith! After morekind words and a few tips from Dr. Saverand Nancy, we took a deep breath andgave it another try.

What ultimately worked for our buns, Ifeel, is that we stopped being “referees”who oversaw their bonding, and insteadstepped into the pen to participate inthe bonding. We had been so caught upin trying to give them neutral space toget to know each other, that we forgotthat WE’RE a part of the family, too.One of the things Nancy told me to trywas to give both buns head rubs whilethey were close together, so they associatethe happy feeling with each other’spresence. It took a few tries to get themboth to stay still and enjoy the head rubs,but it worked! A week of daily 10-minute,Rescue Remedy-infused head rubs later,the buns were ready to play nice again.

We gradually decreased our participation,and by June 1, they were playing to -gether every day for four to five hoursand all day on weekends. It was as ifthey’d never had their months-long tiffs.They now go out of their way to mushtogether during naps and they groomeach other. S’mores does his thunderousbinkies, and has learned to move out ofthe way when Toffee does her Bunny 500s.

We moved them into their “togetherhome” this weekend, and I slept on thefuton next to them, “just in case.” Iwoke up Sunday morning with Toffeetrying to pull my pillowcase into theirpen, and S’mores looking at me like“Silly mom! How about some bananas?”

It took six long months, but it was worthevery minute to see them so happytogether. When S’mores first came tolive with us, all he wanted to do wasnap, but now he has learned the “how-to-approach-without-sound-and-trip-human” technique from Toffee. Toffeewas never really into food. But now withS’mores, she finishes every last bit of hersalad and pellets. Just the sight of themsitting together in their big litter boxand munching on hay together ... this iswhat Heaven must be like!

Photo: Rub

y Gu

Toffee and S’mores

THUMP AUGUST 2010 13

(Continued on page 15)

MassapequaIn July we received a call from a womannamed Michelle, who reported seeing astray rabbit in the Massapequa Preserve,a vast wooded area in this Nassau town.Michelle walked her dog in this area,and had been seeing the all-white rabbitfor a month. She became alarmed whenshe got a close look at the rabbit andnoticed that she was covered with ticks.Michelle agreed to provide foster spaceif we could catch the rabbit.

That same steaming hot day, Mary AnnMaier and Nancy Schreiber loaded uptheir cars with nets, pens, traps and thegear needed to set the rabbit up in ahome, and went to the preserve afterwork to meet Michelle. We sighted therabbit in the woods, an area of densebrush and poison ivy. We hoped to beable to get her into a clearing where itwould be easier to capture her, but sheproved to be way too wise for us – onemonth of being out in those woods madeher very familiar with the geography andat the same time very leery of people. Wetried setting a trap, but she wouldn’t gointo it. She came close to a clearing atone point, so Mary Ann went to the edgeof the clearing near the rabbit and wasvery still.When the bunny relaxed,MaryAnn was able to quickly and safely net her.

This bunny, who we named Michelle,was emaciated and covered with tenaciousticks that took us days to get off. But sheis now tick-free, beautiful and healthy.Super-friendly, she’ll bonk you to getyou to pat her. She’d love a home to callher own.

WantaghAccording to neighbors, the loose rabbitin the area was a baby whose siblingswere killed by cats. Lori McAllister wasable to scoop “Budgie” up and asked oneof the other LIRRG volunteers, JeanMellano, if she could foster. Well, onceJean named him and took him under

No Summer Vacation(Continued from page 4) Our Initiative With Long Island Petco Stores

We are now working with Long IslandPetco Stores to find homes for rescuedrabbits.Lori McAllister of Wantagh reports:This spring, Long Island Rabbit RescueGroup partnered with two Petco storeson Long Island to help rabbits findhomes. I am a volunteer in theLevittown store at 2965 HempsteadTurnpike; we also have volunteers inGarden City Park (2300 JerichoTurnpike).I am always looking for an opportunityto tell people about what we do. Petcohas provided a great outlet foreducating the public about rabbit care.There hasn’t been a time at Petco whenI felt I hadn’t taught someonesomething, whether it’s just a generalquestion or stressing the importance ofspaying. Some customers didn’t knowthe risks of cancer for rabbits beforetalking with me. Then there was theperson I probably talked out ofadopting by explaining what it’s like tocare for a rabbit (he thought it wassimilar to caring for a hamster). I sawthe light bulb go off in his head whenhe understood what I was trying to say,which was that “rabbits shouldn’t be animpulse purchase.”One of the people who adopted fromus at Petco has kept in touch with me,sometimes with a call asking, “Why ismy rabbit stomping her foot?” Mostlyit’s to tell me how much she loves thenew addition to the family and howafter a short time in their home theycouldn’t imagine life without her.

Jean Mellano of Wantagh reports:

The rabbits that have come throughPetco in Levittown are a varied bunchand all have their share of sad stories.However, their lives have changed forthe better, thanks to some wonderfuladopters and fosterers:

Dante: About eight months old whenrescued from a hoarder situation in theBronx. He is now known as Carameland was adopted by a great family in Bellmore. The daughter is a realanimal lover and researched on the

Web about the care and feeding ofrabbits before adopting. She wrote athree-page report all about bunnies.She certainly did her homework andwas excited to bring Dante home.

Ruby: She was bought last Easter andher former owners had their six-year-old taking care of her. Ruby lived in adoghouse on the dirt in the backyardand escaped during the winter.Whenwe found her, she was skin and bonesand very pregnant. She is now beingfostered by one of the volunteers whoregularly visited her at Petco. She is a real binky bunny!

Wanda: A BIG girl and is such a mush,just loving her pets. She was foundwandering in Babylon and is now witha woman and her son in Levittown.Wanda rules the roost in theirapartment!Penny: A lovely sweet bun who wasprobably about six months old whenshe was rescued. She found her foreverhome with a nice family inFarmingdale. She is the center ofattention in their kitchen and the homeis filled with love, life and laughter. Buddy: A mixed lop who waited whatseemed like several long weeks at Petcoto find his home. He went home with avolunteer who visited him several timesand whose family fell in love with him.

Simba: A black lionhead with anadorable personality. The newest bunto arrive at Petco Levittown, he turnsheads with his beautiful black fur andno doubt will be adopted soon.

Wanda

Photo: Je

an M

ellano

THUMP AUGUST 2010 14

No Summer Vacation(Continued from page 14)

Forever Homes Found!

Rabbits adopted since the last newsletter include:

Edwin, Coco Pop, Reese, Eleanor (aka Bun Bun),

Barbara, Damon, Emma, Dagwood & Blondie,

Jack, Bette, Rex, Tribeca, Abigail, Cassidy, River

& Rascal, Clark, Felicia, Connor, Lucky Lady,

Clark, Hermione, Aaron, Giselle, Nicolas, Grayson

and Darcy, Chip, Knightley, Carol and Joey,

Jeremy, Reba, Addie, Elsie, Frankie, Bettina,

Lucy, Nancy, Sgt. Pepper, Poker Face, Rafferty.

Nancy, adopted July 31

Photo:Dav

id M

ohne

y

her wing, it was no longer a fostersituation and now Budgie Bunny hasfound his forever home, where he isspoiled rotten and is in the process ofbeing bonded with Snoopy Bunny –another beautiful rabbit we rescued,along with his brothers and sisters, fromCedar Creek Park in Seaford almostfour years ago.

These are just a few of the cases that wehave responded to recently. There are

other cases unfolding daily: sightings ofrabbits abandoned by the WantaghParkway, in Levittown, in East Northport– the list goes on.

We respond to callers who can foster bysending out a “swat team” of volunteersbringing expertise in catching rabbits,along with cages or puppy pens, litterboxes, water bowls, hay, pelleted food,fresh vegetables, etc. Your donationsassist us with the costs of these items andwith the costs of spaying and neutering,flea medication, wound cleansers, painmedication, antibiotics, dewormers andother medical care.

All of this field work detracts fromadoptions, adoption events and Petcoadoption participation, which areimportant in order to maintain adoptionrates and enable us to keep savingrabbits. Therefore, we need volunteerparticipation – much more than wecurrently have. There are so manyopportunities: We need people to helpreturn calls and emails, people to helpclean bunny cages, help with adoptionson Sundays, people to keep up our

Steve Tarpinian kisses Budgie Bunny.

Photo: Je

an M

ellano

stocks of educational flyers by makingcopies, folks to post adoption flyers invets’ offices, pet stores and libraries.People with cars are desperately neededto transport bunnies to vets, delivercages to foster homes, pick up hay, assistwhen a fosterer is out of town. Inaddition, we need donations.

Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group is theL.I. division of Rabbit Rescue & Rehab,an all-volunteer, New York State nonprofitcovering the N.Y.C. metro area. You cansupport our rescue work with either yourtime or your tax-deductible donations. Tovolunteer, please contact Mary Ann Maier:altitude8@aol.com (Long Island); CindyStutts: bygolyoly@yahoo.com (NYC);Mary Cotter: mec@cloud9.net (WestchesterCounty). To make a donation, please senda check made out to “Rabbit Rescue &Rehab,” c/o Nancy Schreiber, 12 GraceCourt North, Great Neck, NY 11021.

THUMP AUGUST 2010 15

THUMP AUGUST 2010 16

Remembrances

R.I.P., Storm

By Kerstin Aumann

Sadly, my beloved little old lady, Storm,had to be assisted across the rainbowbridge on July 29. She was 11 years oldand her condition, which had alwaysbeen frail and fraught with healthproblems during the three years she

lived with me, had deteriorated rapidlyin the last couple of weeks.

She had lost her mobility, which forthose who knew Storm realized that thiswas a huge loss of quality of life for her.She loved zooming around my livingroom! And at the end of July, she losther appetite. Having lost her partner,Joshua, about six weeks earlier didn’t

help. It finally became clear that it wastime, and she barely survived the trip upto Symphony. Trying more treatmentsjust didn’t make sense anymore.

I’m happy to say, though, that we weretogether in her final moments, whichI’m sure is what she wanted most, andshe went across the bridge with dignityand that indomitable spirit she hasembodied throughout her final years.

Our warren feels empty without her andJoshua. It was terribly sad to lose both ofthem over such a short period, butmaybe this is what was planned by ahigher power.

Storm and Joshua, such a very special,unforgettable couple, were the subject ofarticles in the New York Daily News(http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/04/11/2009-04-11_unhappy_holidays_rabbits_are_often_easter_gifts_only_to_be_abandoned_soon_after.html) and in the October2009 Thump(http://rabbitcare.org/NYC%20Metro%20Rabbit%20News%20Fall%2009.pdf).

Samson

R.I.P., SamsonBy Megan Krieman

I wrote an article in the last newsletterabout my boy Samson, the elder bun. Inever imagined that I’d be writing anotherpiece about my beloved Samson so soon,most especially a remembrance piece.

I had the privilege of caring for Samson, arescue from AC&C, for only 3 1/2 years.While this wasn’t nearly long enoughfor me, clearly it was his time to go.

“Handsome Samson” had a quiet buthuge personality. He eagerly ran out everymorning for breakfast and did a circledance around my feet while I preparedhis breakfast – much too slowly. Even

after Sam went blind, this routine didn’tchange. He was truly an amazing fellowwho overcame tremendous difficulties with

dignity and grace. Samson, as mentionedin my prior piece, was a special-needsbunny. He dealt with mobility issues,cataracts, blindness and glaucoma.

He was also a wonderful partner to hisbeloved Delilah. Always patient with her endless demands for attention, hegroomed her constantly, just as she liked it!

Samson was a joy to have in my homeand is missed beyond what words canexpress. Delilah and I share a melancholythat will only diminish with tears andtime.

Sam was a very special bunny who willbe remembered, loved and missedterribly by Delilah and me always.

Photo:

Meg

an Krie

man

Photo:

Jane

O’W

yatt

Storm, front, with husbun Joshua, December 2009

Photo: Daw

n

Photo: M

icha

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THUMP AUGUST 2010 17

Bella and Jack Dawn sent us this letter in June about Jackand Bette.

I just adopted Jack and Bette—nowknown as Bella since she is so beautiful:) I wanted to say how wonderful theexperience of adopting these precioussouls was with you.

You all made me feel very comfortableand gave me the extra push I needed toonce again share my life with not onlyone bunny, but two!

Jack is doing great. He has made himselfright at home and enjoys jumping upon the couch to sit next to us or even onour laps. He is such a sweetheart!

Bella is also doing well. Her incision sitelooks great,. She has been active, andshe has been eating everything in sight(which I hear is quite surprising rightafter being spayed).

Again, thank you so much for my newadditions and for all that you do to helpthese gorgeous creatures find lovinghomes.

Dawn

(Dawn wrote again on Aug. 5: They arenow bonded (it took only four days)and they love each other so much! I’venever seen a bonded pair before. Theyare so adorable.)

Arturo and HermioneMichael and Leya, who adopted Hermioneon July 3 as a partner for Arturo, sentthese updates the following week toGenevieve Hannon.

July 4

Hi, Genevieve (cc-ing Cindy)!

Just wanted to let you know how thingsshook out at the shelter today. Arturodid great. We discovered he’s quite alady-killer. After lots of hard work andeffort from Cindy and Lisa, we decidedthat Hermione was the rabbit forArturo. They seemed to be very muchon the same wavelength.

We got them home and had a bondingsession in the kitchen, which wentreally, really, really well. So well, in fact,that my girlfriend and I decided to trythem out in the hutch, just to see. Afterthey got settled, they immediately setabout the task of snuggling. They’vebeen sitting with their heads togetherfor about a half hour. I think we’vemade both bunnies much, muchhappier. Thanks for ALL your help!

Michael

July 6

We had a great weekend. The couple isdoing great. They’re still on “supervisedvisitation,” but they started groomingeach other yesterday, so they’re well onthe way.

As far as the hutch goes, I actually builtit. My father is a shop teacher, sofurniture construction is sort of in my

Photo: Karen

Letters

Pasha andBellaKaren, who adopted Pasha as a partner for Bella,sent this update toCindy Stutts in mid-July.

Bella and Pasha are doing really well! It’s wonderful watching them interacttogether and seeing their relationshipdevelop. They’re quite amusing! Eventhough Bella is three pounds smallerthan Pasha, she is definitely the boss ofhim—and everyone else, actually! Pashais such a sweetheart and so tolerant ofher bossy ways. Often he’ll jump up onthe couch and keep us company forawhile before he goes off looking forBella. It’s so sweet to see them snugglingtogether or sharing a meal. It’s a relief toknow that when we’re at work, Bellanow has a companion to keep hercompany. When I see them together, Iknow that she is much happier nowthan when she was a single girl!

Karen(Continued on page 18)

Bella

Pasha

THUMP AUGUST 2010 18

Letters(Continued from page 17)

Photo: Christop

her K

atsaros

KnightleyJessica adopted Knightley in July. She sentthis enthusiastic note to Genevieve Hannonabout his progress.

Hey Gen! Thanks so much! I love him! Ipicked him up Monday.

Knightley is very happy in his home. Hewas so frightened on Monday betweenthe car ride home, and being transportedeverywhere, that he was shivering andhiding the entire time. Since then, he’swarmed up to my entire household. Heallows everybody to pet his head without

shying away, and he even nudges ourhand sometimes to ask for a rub. He’sout all the time poking around andplaying with his toys (His favorite is theTimothy hay ball I found at Whiskers).

Yesterday night after I gave him a tinypiece of carrot, he even did the flop! Iwas so happy. I played with him thismorning, and he’s just genuinely happy.When I left for work, I saw him loungingaround one of the corners. (He’s alreadyrearranged all his furniture.) Knightleyreally doesn’t like being picked up,though.When I try, he runs away into hiscorner and I have to apologize a milliontimes and offer my hand for groomingagain. He’s a very forgiving bun, though,and he loves getting groomed.

I am interested in bonding becauseKnightley deserves to have a happycompanion to play with. Thanks somuch for everything!

Jess

blood. We originally wanted a Leith, butit was slightly too wide (by about aninch) to go through one of our doors.Our hutch is two stories. The dimensionsof each floor are: 4 feet wide, 21 inchesdeep and 2 feet high. The second storydoesn’t have a roof; I think they enjoybeing able to see the ceiling. The floor isflat (not wire or slotted), with linoleumtiles for easy cleaning, and with towelsaround so they have something soft tostand on as well. It’s strictly an indoorhutch. We love our buns and wouldnever put them outside. Also, I useduntreated wood for the construction, soif they get curious and chew the frame abit, it’s ok. I’ve attached a picture, soyou can see what it looks like and whereit is. Also, I’ve installed a large (20 incheswide, 10 inches deep) hay rack on theleft side of the hutch above the litterbox. Your thoughts on design would begreatly appreciated.

Many Thanks!Michael

Indoor hutch for Hermione and Arturo

SnowballAna and her family adopted Lucky Lady,now known as Snowball. They sent thisupdate in mid-July.

Lucky Lady got a new name – Snowball!She is a female, white and a perky rabbit.

When we got her, we thought it wouldtake a while for her to get used to us, butto our surprise, she felt very comfortableright away.

We understand Snowball almost died froma skin disease, when she was rescued bypeople who treated her very well. Wethink that is probably why Snowballseems to love people and is very trusting.

We made a little “house” out of a card -board box and it is her favorite place! Sheloves two things: food and being petted.

Snowball loves to chew things, especiallythe cardboard at the bottom of theplaypen (she does not chew furniture –yet? – which is great for us!). She usuallywon’t come out of her playpen (even ifwe open the door) unless a person isthere to give her attention. She oftencomes to greet people whenever someonecomes close to her.

Her favorite place in the house is thekitchen (…food! She smells greens andbunny pellets from miles away).Snowball is very loving, friendly andcomfortable.

Snowball licks our hands and purrs(and we thought purring was only forcats!). She seems to be a very happybunny. We are lucky to have her!

Ana

(Continued on page 19)

Photo: M

icha

el Cotten

Top, Snowball in her new home. Bottom, Laura and RonnyGonzalez, who rescued Lucky Lady after she wasabandoned in a Brooklyn park in May, visited her at the AC&C shelter in June.

Photo: Ana

Saito-Schac

hner

THUMP AUGUST 2010 19

Letters(Continued from page 18)

Aurora and FranklinFranklin, formerly called Clark, wasadopted as a partner bun on July 3 bySari, who sent us this report.

Hey Gen and Cindy,

I am happy to report that Aurora andFranklin are now a free-roaming happycouple. They have been doing somegrooming (I have seen both groom, butit’s mostly Franklin grooming her) andthey are cuddling and very comfortablewith each other.

I worried at first because Aurora is avery willful bun, but after only twoweeks of progressively longer dates filledwith yummy snacks like carrots andlettuce, the two became inseparable.Aurora is still mostly the top bun, butFranklin convinces her to groom himsometimes and doesn’t let her push himaround too much.

Although Franklin came to me with theremnants of a leg injury, he can hoponto the couch with ease to beg fortreats along with Aurora. He is afriendly and loving bunny, who is quitecuddly and doesn’t seem to mind beingpicked up.

Thanks for all your help.

Sari

Joey, at top, and Carol Christiana and her husband adoptedCarol and Joey in mid-July. Christianaprovided this update a couple days later.

The people at the shelter were so helpfuland patient; it was a great experience.

We weren’t sure about taking twononbonded rabbits, but Amy explainedhow we could socialize them and howmuch easier it would be to bring themboth home at once.

What she said really made sense. Theyhad their first “bonding” session lastnight, and it went all right. They’re bothstubborn, so this could very well take afew months, but it was cute.

I think the rabbits were in shock for thefirst 24 hours after leaving the shelter,but this morning when I saw them, theywere so excited that they were bouncingin place. I’m really looking forward tohaving them together and free to roamin their “room.”

Thanks again for your help!

Christiana

MimiDavid and Bonnie adopted Mimi inFebruary. Bonnie filled us in on Mimi’slatest antics last month.

Our girl has done it again!

As we know, she is a very neat and smartlittle girl – and likes a very organized space.

Soooooooooo today I needed to mix itup a bit, just to offer her another funopportunity. I made a little toilet paper/hay roll and put it in front of her. Sheimmediately picked it up and beganpulling out the hay, which is exactly whatI expected her to do.

Now, back story: Mimi lives in her ownroom with cool mini stone tiles, a smallflat square rug and a large metal containerthat houses a large pile of hay and herlitter box. The only things that she allowson her floor/rug area are her toys. Herhay and toilet needs stay very neatly in thelarge metal container....her choice! :)

The funny part: When she began pullingthe hay out of the roll and it fell on thefloor, she stopped, looked at me andpicked up the roll and the rest of the hayand – ready for this? – SHE TOSSEDTHE ENTIRE THING ON TOP OFHER HAY PILE!!!

I couldn’t believe it!!! It seemed that shedid not want the hay to fall on her floor,so she placed it with the rest of the hay.

This is one smart bunny!!! I could almostsee her figuring out what to do so thatthe hay would stop falling on her floor.She is too much, our little girl!

You guys have to come and visit her. :)Have a good week!

Bon

(Continued on page 20)

Photo: Sari K

riege

r

Photo: Dav

id M

ohne

y

THUMP AUGUST 2010 20

Letters(Continued from page 19)

CookieAlma and her family adopted Cookie,formerly known as Nacho, in May. Alma’s15-year-old daughter Kaylah sent MarcieFrishberg this update in July.

Hi Marcie. I hope you like my story!

After my sweet rabbit Kevin died after 12years, (yes, I know…can you believe it,12 years??) I felt like I couldn’t live in ahome without any animals. “Mom, canwe get a new rabbit?” I asked.

“Absolutely not!” she replied. Well, mymom and I went to Petco one day to getsome fish and start an aquarium after Ihad begged her for a new pet for weeks.Those fishies were so boring to me.

When we went back to Petco to getaccessories for the aquarium, we saw thecutest little bunny called Nacho. I actuallythought that was kind of a weird namefor a girl. I thought she looked like awhite cookie with chocolate chips so Icalled her Cookie.

Sometimes I would find a reason to goto Petco with my mom just so she couldsee how cute Nacho (Cookie) was. Mymother DID think Cookie was cute.Ok, good start. So, while she would goto see the birds and talk with them inPetco, I would go to see Cookie. I wasfalling in love with this creature. Icouldn’t get her out of my mind. I haddreams of her playing in my home.

Well, day after day, week after week, mymother really got tired of me begging.“Mom please. We can adopt her and sheis trained. Please, I will take care of herso well.” Mom replied, “No Kay.Absolutely not!”

Then, on another visit, Cookie wasplaying in her pen and my mom couldn’tresist (hee hee). I thought, this is it; sheis gonna love her the way I do. To mysurprise, my mom greeted the bunnyand asked if she could go in the penwith her.

When Cookie saw my mother sit down,the bunny came up to her and stood onher legs and put her nose up in the air.My mother moved in closer and theirnoses touched. “WOW, a bunny kiss!!”Mom said. “Awwww....” I knew it wouldwork. My mother thought Cookie wasthe cutest thing ever. She starting talkingto her: “C’mere, bunny mama.” l wassmiling ear to ear.

Well, after meeting the great caretakersof the bunnies, including Marcie, theadoption was on its way. After about twomonths from when we first saw Cookie,she is home with me now. She loves torun and hop in the air, but she doesn’tlike anyone touching her litter box.

She gets along with our two parakeets,Sunni and Skyy. (Mom loves birds.)And the fish – eh, Cookie is not reallyinterested in them.

I love my bunny Cookie and I know sheloves us too....hmmm, Cookie kind ofreminds me of a Dalmatian...I wonder.Cookie would love a pup playmate, Ithink, jokingly. “Awww mom...comelook at these cute Dalmatian puppies onYouTube, do you think we could....”Mom looks at me very seriously andstops me and says, “KAYLAH! DON’TEVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!” (weirdpause) Then we both start to laugh.

Kaylah

RebaBreck and Greta, who adopted Reba in July,sent this email about her later in the month.

Hi Genevieve and Amy,

I thought I’d send you a picture of Rebain her standard “laying down to bepetted” position. She has settled intoour home nicely and spends a lot of timenext to myself or Greta being petted.

She is so gentle and sweet! She’s reallycurious and outgoing and has exploredevery inch of our apartment and evenkind of follows us around.

She likes to hang out in the kitchen if Iam there and I almost think she islooking for food, as if she were a dog.She stands up with her front paws onmy legs, begging.

She is the funniest thing! Anyhow, Iwanted to thank you guys again for thegreat work you do and for introducingus to Reba who we love very much!You really helped us find a rabbit whowas a good match for our family.

Breck

Photo:

Jane

O’W

yatt

Photos: B

reck Hostetter

THUMP AUGUST 2010 21

Licensed HRS RepresentativesMary Cotter, HRS Licensed Educator,Chapter Manager, Rabbit Rescue & Rehab,mec@cloud9.net, (914)337-6146, rabbitcare.org

Nancy Schreiber, HRS Licensed Educator,Co-Chapter Manager-in-Training, RabbitRescue & Rehab, Long Island Rabbit RescueGroup Volunteer, nschreibmd@aol.com, (516)510-3637, LongIslandRabbitRescue.orgCindy Stutts, HRS Licensed Educator,Manager NYC/ACC Rabbit Program,bygolyoly@yahoo.com, (646) 319-4766,nycacc.orgMary Ann Maier, HRS Licensed Educator,Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group Volunteer,altitude8@yahoo.com, (516) 671-6654,LongIslandRabbitRescue.orgDonna Sheridan, HRS Licensed Educator,Long Island Rabbit Rescue Volunteer,hpocus217@yahoo.com,LongIslandRabbitRescue.orgKerstin Aumann, HRS Licensed Educator,NYC/ACC Volunteer,nyc.acc.rabbits@gmail.com, nycacc.orgJennifer Saver, DVM, HRS Licensed EducatorLaura George, DVM, HRS Licensed Educator

Newsletter of RRR/NYC HRS56 West Pondfield Road #5CBronxville, NY 10708www.rabbitcare.org

Editor: Susan LilloCreative Director: Jane O’WyattMasthead Logo Designer: Mary Ann Maier

Rabbit Rescue & Rehab is a not-for-profit,tax-exempt corporation in New York State.Our purpose is to rescue, rehabilitate andfind permanent homes for abandoned,abused and neglected rabbits, and to educatethe general public on rabbit care throughpublications, telephone consultations, homevisits and public presentations. This newsletteris published by RRR/NYC HRS, which issolely responsible for its content. Letters,photographs and other submissions to thenewletter become the property of the NYCChapter and cannot be returned.We retainthe right to edit submissions for publication.

THUMP August 2010

There are lots of adoptable rabbits availablein Manhattan, Long Island and Westchester.

To adopt a rabbit in New York City, contactCindy Stutts at bygolyoly@yahoo.com or callher at 646-319-4766.On Long Island, contactNancy Schreiber at nschreibmd@aol.comor at 516-510-3637 (www.longislandrabbitrescue.org), and in Westchestercontact Mary Cotter at mec@cloud9.net or914-337-6146 (www.rabbitcare.org). Ourgroup’s email address in New York City isnyc.acc.rabbits@gmail.com.

You can visit the New York Animal Care &Control Center at 326 East 110th St., betweenFirst and Second avenues. Volunteers arethere every weekday evening and on Saturdayand Sunday afternoons, but it is best toarrange an appointment first.

Adoptable AC&C rabbits are also at Petco’sLexington Avenue (86-87th) and Union

Square locations; rabbit volunteers are presentat both stores on Saturday and Sundayafternoons to answer questions. There aretwo rabbits living at each of those stores.

On Long Island, there are adoptable rabbitsin the Garden City Park and LevittownPetco stores. Volunteer hours are variable.For more information, call Nancy Schreiber.

Many of our rabbits are living in fosterhomes and you can meet them as well. Youalso can arrange to foster a rabbit until he or she finds a permanent home. ContactAmy Odum at amy@adoptabunny.info ornyc.acc.rabbits@gmail.com.

For basic information about rabbits as pets, go to www.rabbitcare.org,www.longislandrabbitrescue.org and theHouse Rabbit Society main site,www.rabbit.org.

To contact us at the Thump newsletter,email nyc.acc.rabbits.news@gmail.com.

Adoptable Rabbits

DonationsAll donations go directly to caring for ourfoster rabbits and are tax-deductible. Pleasehelp us help them. Checks should be madeout to Rabbit Rescue & Rehab and mailed to:

Nancy Schreiber12 Grace Court NorthGreat Neck, NY 11021

Long Island:Jennifer Saver, DVMLaura George, DVMCatnip & Carrots Veterinary Hospital2221Hillside Ave., New Hyde Park, NY 11040(516) 877-7080

Heidi Hoefer, DVMIsland Exotic Vet Care591 East Jericho Turnpike Huntington Station, NY 11746(631) 424-0300

Manhattan:Becky Campbell, DVMDeborah Levison, DVMSymphony Veterinary Center698 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10025(212) 866-8000

Katherine Quesenberry, DVMThe Animal Medical Center510 East 62nd St., New York, NY 10065(212) 838-7053, (212) 329-8622

Manhattan (continued):Alex Wilson, DVM The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine568 Columbus Ave., New York, NY 10024(212) 501-8750

Anthony Pilny, DVMVeterinary Internal Medicine and Allergy Specialists207 East 84th St., New York, NY 10028 (212) 988-4650

Westchester County:Gil Stanzione, DVM381Dobbs FerryRoad,White Plains,NY 10607(914) 421-0020

Laurie Hess, DVMFine Animal HospitalBedford Hills, NY 10507(914) 666-8061

Bond Animal Hospital, 250 Central Ave.White Plains, NY 10606(914) 949-8860

Here’s our recommended vet list for the NewYork metropolitan area. Please note that manyclinics have multiple veterinarians, and our recommendations are for specific veterinarians inthose clinics. If you can’t get an appointment with a recommended vet at one clinic, don’tassume (no matter what you are told by the clinic) that other vets in the same clinic can helpyour rabbit. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the vets on this list,please contact Mary Cotter at (914) 337-6146. When you make an appointment with any ofthese vets, please tell them you were referred by us.

Rabbit-Savvy Veterinarians