8:00am | If you haven’t read Margery Williams’s beloved children’s allegory, The Velveteen Rabbit, the story tells of a stuffed toy rabbit who became real through true love, which manifests in the form of the bumps and tears of life. “Generally, by the time you are Real,” explained the well-worn Skin Horse, “most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Taken in its metaphorical sense, the story works as a life lesson. Literally, it works in reverse—at least for real rabbits. Real rabbits are not toys or symbols to be dumped when Easter’s over and they’ve grown big, with all their issues showing. Being real hurts worse than being grabbed by the ears by Farmer MacGregor when you’re a domestic rabbit having to fend for yourself among hostile wild rabbits if it hurts to be real.
We are deliberately posting rabbit adoption after Easter to make a point that bunnies are real already and need to be loved tenderly, not as you would a stuffed toy. (For the record, we subtitled this article without inserting a second hyphen or en dash between Easter and Rabbit to distance domestic bunnies from the concept of Peter Cottontail.)
Plush toy, cartoon and chocolate rabbits are Easter bunnies. Live rabbits, wild or tame, are not, and if you take one into your home, you’re as responsible for its love and well-being as you would be for a cat or dog. In the wild, they may be springtime symbols of fertility, but at home, they need to be spayed and neutered. Their front teeth grow and have to be tended to. Before you adopt a rabbit, click here or read the Pet Post’s article from last year so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into if you decide you want one as a pet. Then, if you’re willing and eager to make a good home for a rabbit, we have a few candidates.
We heartily thank Long Beach’s own rabbit rescuer, Judy Griffith, for providing us with 24-carrot assistance with this article.
Virtually pets
Photo by Thomas Palomares
Little Chester has Siamese markings, is very gentle, and loves to be held. He’s been neutered and presently resides at The Paw Shoppe Pet Center, 6416 E. Spring St., (562) 425-5131, and is up for a good home. His adoption fee is $34.99.
LBCC Rabbit Task Force candidates
staging-live.lbpost.com editor Ryan ZumMallen’s March 24th article about the task force meeting the challenge of rabbit overpopulation at Long Beach City College described the efforts by staff members Jacque Olson and Donna Prindle, along with a team of volunteers to trap and spay/neuter the out-of-control overpopulation of wild and domesticated rabbits who live on campus. Domesticated rabbits, as mentioned, are not suited to live in the wild. Besides needing funds and assistance for trapping, altering, food and medication, the domestic rabbits need homes. Here are four for consideration. As is the nature of rabbits, there are quite a number to choose from.
Sidney was found in Long Beach and had already been spayed. She is small, with a sweet personality.
Lilly, too, was abandoned here. She is also spayed and is very loving.
And there are all the babies. They, too, will be altered and need especially caring, loving homes.
Rabbit Take-Home Event at LBCC
Prindle and Olson have provided fact sheets for rabbit care and responsibility and about the task force (click here to download the documents). If, after reading the information you are still interested in taking home a rabbit, the task force will be having a rabbit take-home event on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 23, 24 and 25, 2–6 p.m. The rabbit pick-up area is located in the west end of the “Y” building on the LAC campus on Carson and Faculty Streets (map is in link). The task force expects any prospective rabbit parent to have the home or secured yard ready to receive the new pet per the information suggested in the packet. Bring a pet carrier your new bunny or bunnies to their new home. The task force looks forward to anyone kind enough to offer a rabbit a new home.
There is no charge to take home a rabbit, but donations for supplies, feeding, care and vet needs would be greatly appreciated. Make checks payable to LBCC Rabbit Task Force and send to Jacque Olson – LBCC 4901 Carson St., Long Beach, CA 90808.
ACS Alert: Distemper found in raccoons in L.A. County—dogs susceptible
The Los Angeles County Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control Program has identified an outbreak of distemper in wild raccoon populations across Los Angeles County. ACS bureau manager John Keisler says that although none of the cases have been identified in Long Beach, there have been clusters identified San Gabriel mountain foothill communities, Rancho Palos Verdes communities and Seal Beach. The disease has also spread to other species, including dogs, coyotes, foxes and skunks.
Canine distemper is a highly contagious and serious disease. It is caused by an airborne virus that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and the nervous systems of dogs, foxes, wolves, coyotes, raccoons, skunks and ferrets. Keisler advises Long Beach residents to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of distemper in their dogs. Symptoms include the following:
- tired appearance
- discharge from nose and eyes
- diarrhea and vomiting
- loss of appetite
- fever
- twitches and seizures
The disease is often fatal.
Be sure to keep your dog away from raccoons, especially if any have been seen on or near your property, and don’t feed wildlife. To discourage wild visitors, keep food and water bowls indoors and secure any container in which edibles may be kept. This includes garbage cans. To help ensure a healthy pet, make sure your dog’s distemper (DHPP) vaccination booster is up to date.
Keisler strongly advises Long Beach residents to report any suspected symptoms of distemper in family pets to their personal veterinarian and to keep him or her away from other dogs. Animal control agencies across the county, including Long Beach Animal Care Services, will work with veterinarians and wildlife agencies to report any suspect cases of distemper in both wildlife and domestic dogs to the Los Angeles County Veterinary Program, which is leading the investigation.
If you should encounter a sick raccoon or any other type of sick wildlife, do not attempt to capture the animal, but call Long Beach Animal Care Services at (562) 570-PETS (7387). If you have questions about the distemper outbreak, contact the Los Angeles County Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control Program at (877) 747-2243 or (562) 401-7088, or log on to http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/. Local veterinarians may submit completed case reports to the program directly by faxing them to (562) 401.7112.
Pet projects
Chuck and Toby’s Easter Party for Pets and People, 191 Park Ave.
On April 3, Belmont Shore’s Chuck and Toby hosted a meet, greet and eat featuring healthy sweets freshly baked at their boutique. Above, co-owner Scott Rinehart offers Barker a bite of peanut butter and molasses cake as John Squires looks on and Oliver wonders what else there may be.
Rinehart and partner/co-owner Jim Poer on left preside over the bowser buffet. For the human companions, there were devilled eggs, crackers and cheese, and beverages. Oh, and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, although any of their doggie goodies would taste lovely to a human—just go in sometime and nose around. But Scott and Jim refused to feed us from the table.
April 10, 2–4 p.m., Spring ‘Furshion Show,’ Chewsy Dog Boutique, 4107 Viking Way
The four-legged chic clique stops at Lakewood Village’s Chewsy Dog whenever there’s a need for “bone mode,” so it’s no surprise that the staff is putting on a Hollywood-style fashion show for dogs to promote a locally made line of clothing for pets—and their owners—from Ruby & Bee. The show will also host a specialty line of fresh baked dog treats from California K9 Kitchen. Other vendors donating time and resources include I Love Dogs, Long Beach supplier of animal vitamins and supplements, Vincent Sandoval Photography, Miss Priss Cupcakes and Such, and Events by Noonan. This special one day event is open to all dogs and their human companions. Call (562) 354-6040 or visit Chewsy Dogs’ Facebook page.
WOOF! The cape says it all! For the dog who loves to speak up, this reversible cape is a must.
Your dog will be sitting pretty in this School Daze frock by Ruby&Bee Fashions. All doggie designs have matching counterparts for their owners to wear. Design photos by Dana Hindman