March 30, 2012
There are a few things in this world that I’m absolutely nuts about. Snakes are one (but we won’t get into that right now, especially given the response to last week’s column), puppies are another.
And then there’s chocolate.
As I write this, I’ve made an embarrassing number of attempts to scrounge for anything resembling chocolaty goodness, and have come up distressingly short.
A packet of hot cocoa mix with a freshness date of 0909.
A lone chocolate chip, hidden for who knows how long behind a bottle of vanilla extract. And the freshest of the lot, a Reese’s peanut butter Christmas tree. Sure, Christmas was a few months ago, but still within memory. Which is more than I can say for the last time I bought chocolate chips.
So I guess it’s only fitting that this week’s column focus on a pro-chocolate effort I’m proud to endorse: the Make Mine Chocolate campaign, http://www.makeminechocolate.org. With roots dating back to 2002, the effort aims to reduce the number of bunnies—furry, not chocolate—that end up in animal shelters once the thrill of Easter has passed, and the reality of bun ownership has set in.
Through a network of national and international partners, the group distributes informational flyers with these facts:
-The necessary spay or neuter can cost $100 or more, and rabbits require routine veterinary
care. -Rabbits are not cuddly — they can become frightened when held. -Pet rabbits cannot be “set free” — it’s a death sentence.
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Now if you’ve ever visited Hickory Knolls, and met our own Peter Rabbit, you’ll know that we were not daunted by these stark statements—every one of which we’ve found to be true. Instead, we embraced them and have worked hard to let other people contemplating the purchase of a pet bun know that there’s a lot more to rabbit ownership than just food, water and the occasional scratch behind the ears. We’ve also learned, and are not shy about sharing, that:
-Domestic rabbits are best suited to living indoors, not out. -Bunnies chew on anything and everything. -Litterboxes fill up and need to be cleaned, at least once a day and sometimes more. -Rabbits have strict dietary needs, and a bowl of pellets doesn’t come close to meeting them. -Poop—their own—is an essential part of that diet. -Exercise, that is, daily out-of-cage time is a must. -There’s no such thing as a “dumb bunny.” Petey outsmarts us, or at least me, almost daily.
I don’t want to come across as one of those high-and-mighty, noone-is-good-enough-toown-a-rabbit advocates. There are thousands of people who make great rabbit owners. And that’s a good thing, because there are thousands of rabbits that need homes.
But if you’re considering the purchase of a rabbit just because you saw one in a seasonal display, and its cuteness is calling your name, think twice about caving in and remember that the little furball will still be with you ten years down the road.
I only wish that were true for chocolate ones too.
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