Kayla bath video

For my 300th post to BunnyBlab (I kid you not!), I'll share a video I took of Kayla on May 31, 2009. She died less than 3 weeks later. She was 8 1/2 years old. I miss my little Squirt.

Considering adding a greyhound to the zoo

Having lost 3 bunnies since August '08, I'm feeling like an empty-nester just having SweetPea and Bandit. My first priority is definitely their level of comfort and security (not to mention safety!), but I'd really love to add a dog to the mix.

Something about greyhounds has me captivated. They seem majestic and graceful and sweet and laid back and fun. I've known a grey or two in my life (Pharaoh was an incredibly loving dog), but I'm definitely more filled with questions than with answers at this point.

Now, you may think adding a sighthound to a house with a prey animal and a shy cat is insane, but I think that if I can bond an unneutered bunny boy (Hops) to three spayed bunny girls (Ariel, Kayla and SweetPea) and have them live in peace, I can pretty much do anything with animals. Not to mention the intro of the cat (predator much?) to a mix with three bunnies (Kayla, Hops and SweetPea), two of whom became immobile (read: helpless to run from said predator) during her early residence in the house. No incidents occurred at all between the cat and the bunnies. Now, you may think I just got lucky, that Bandit would run from a fly if it flew towards her (and you'd be right, my friend), but I'd also like to think life is peaceful with my zoo because I introduced them right and took my time and let each of them know what was to be expected of them.

So I definitely need more information on the subject.

Enter my Pet Website Of The Week (if only I could keep up that pace!): GreyTalk.com. These people are greyhound fanatics. And I say that with awe and appreciation and respect. They tell it like it is. I've been lurking on their forum for like a week now and today posted a few queries to the group. I've already gotten several wonderful responses from really knowledgeable people.

So, my questions are: Are greys okay with shy cats (Bandit) and bunnies (SweetPea)? Also, do greys need to run or are a few good walks a day okay for them?

If you have any advice on either of those questions, PLEASE comment on this post or on GreyTalk.com!

Restaurant menus

I got this wonderful email from a BunnyBlab reader...

Hi, I just discovered your website!!! How exciting. We (my husband included) love our 'little' Nellie so very much, I don't know what in the world I would do without her. She is a Netherland Dwarf who is QUEEN of our home.

What I am really writing about though, is something else entirely. I have become quite upset recently with the addition of 'rabbit' to many upscale restaurants here in the Northeast. It is just disgusting to me to even think about. I have written letters about this and called various restaurants. However, it requires a larger effort. Do you have any thoughts on this? They are pets, not food. Just as a cat or dog---one would never find 'cat' or 'dog' on a menu in America. We really need some effort on their behalf. It degrades them and places them in a lowly category. Help!!
--Emily C.

Here was my response:

Emily,

I'm so glad you wrote me about this.

I couldn't agree more with you. My husband, Paul, and I wanted to go someplace for my birthday last year in Boston -- some place kind of swanky. So we tried Hammersley's, a place we've been saving for a special occasion. You guessed it, no sooner did we sit down than Paul opened his menu and saw rabbit on the menu and we were up and out and looking for a new place. We had to hit almost 5 more restaurants on the street before we found one without lagamorph on the menu. So that's how we deal with it -- I usually check the menu ahead of time, but sometimes we forget and then Paul has taken to looking at menus first. We get up and walk of plenty of restaurants (not only here in the Boston area, but in California, Florida, etc.) if they have bunny. It's disgusting, you're right.

I could understand a little bit if it were only French restaurants or only restaurants in rural areas, where rabbit is actually part of the cuisine and heritage. I still wouldn't eat at those places, but I feel like if it's a cultural thing, who am I to judge, even if I love rabbits as animals and not as meat sources? But it's not just those places, it definitely seems to be more prevalent in "normal" nice restaurants, as you've mentioned. I'm not aware of any formal motion to pull rabbit off menus, but I'm sure interested in any if you come across it. I think the best thing we can do is to walk out at this point. Spend our money at places that choose not to butcher the brothers and sisters of our beloved pets.

There is an entire industry of rabbit farms, where the animals are kept in conditions no loving creature should be confined to, just to be grown and slaughtered for their meat. In a country where cows, chickens, etc. are not rare, I'm at a loss as to why this occurs.

Riding the line of yick vs. acceptable, my brother and his wife and 2 kids have a pot-bellied pig. For 17 years, she's been a loving and wonderful (if misunderstood) part of our family. We all still eat pork and bacon, though. And we try not to think too much about where it came from. I suppose everyone has known an animal at some point who has had a loving heart, only to have a similar meat served up on their dinner plate. This is, after all, the way of life on farms. Although those animals do not live in the home and are not awarded "family member" status, as pets are.

I think the difference with rabbits is that us rabbit-lovers are just insane about our bunnies! :-) That and they are very popular -- the 3rd most common animal in shelters in the U.S., if that's any indication.

Let's vote with our wallets to frequent the places that don't degrade themselves to serving rabbit meat. And keep calling! You never know when it'll make a difference!

BTW, I've had 2 ND mixes, one of which was just full of little attitude -- just like Napoleon!

--Dana

Wanna weigh in on this issue? Comment on this post and let your thoughts be heard.

Do you have a way for restaurants to get our beloved pets off their menus? I'd love to hear about it.