** What's New? at House Rabbit Society - New Year's 2005



** They Think No One Cares About Rabbits --
Tell them Otherwise


Clothing designers this season think they can get away with
selling rabbit fur--assuming that rabbits are not as
important as other furbearing animals and that no one will
make a fuss.

Juicy Couture, a company that is selling rabbit fur
handbags, sums up its anti-animal position with a slogan
on its website: "Juicy Couture...couture means never having
to say you're sorry." Well sorry, but we're not buying it--
rabbits want to live and be free of suffering. Contact Juicy
Couture at both email addresses and ask the company to
apologize for selling handbags made from rabbit fur. Not
surprisingly, Juicy Couture's products are sold at Neiman
Marcus, so be sure to send a copy of your email to
Neiman Marcus, too.

Juicy Couture:
contactLA@...
contactLondon@...
Neiman Marcus:
ecare@...

Click here to learn more about how to encourage
Neiman Marcus to stop selling fur and fur trim:
http://www.neimancarcass.com

(The above article was reprinted with kind permission
from a Fund for Animals Action Alert.)



** Score Another Win Against Rabbit Fur!

Congratulations to PETA for persuading Forever 21, a
national fashion chain, to remove all rabbit fur products
from their stores! Read more about this milestone at:
http://www.peta2.com/tc/t-forever21.html



** Heroic Rabbit Saves Man's Life

This wonderful story was carried by the BBC.
http://tinyurl.com/5k996



** Pigeon Adopts Seven Baby Bunnies

May this generous bird be an inspiration to us all.
http://tinyurl.com/5gkua



** Bunnyproofing Tips and Tricks

One of the most important things you absolutely must do to
ensure your rabbit's safety is to "bunnyproof" your house.
This San Diego House Rabbit Society article offers
innovative solutions to problem areas in your home.
(Please be certain to check out the last picture on the
page. It's priceless!) http://tinyurl.com/4d5ah



** Dare to Care for a Hare Poetry Contest

You are cordially invited to enter a poem(s) into the
Dare to Care for a Hare poetry contest. All entries must be
about rabbits, or related to them in some fashion.
Maximum length is 30 lines. Children are encouraged to
enter the contest but all entries will be judged together, not
by age groups. All contest entries will be considered for a
poem anthology. The contest will be judged by poets
C J Sage and J P Dancing Bear. Deadline for entries is
Feb. 28, 2005.

The First Place Winner will receive $250 for the HRS
chapter of their choice and an artistic lithograph of their
poem plus 4 copies;. Second and Third Place winners will
receive two lithograph copies of their poems. Winning poems
will be published in a Spring edition of the HRS online
newsletter, as well as on one of the HRS websites.

Please send poem titles, your name and contact info on a
separate sheet; poem must not contain poet's name.
Include SASE. The fee is $5 per poem or three poem
entries for $12. Send poems, contact information and a
check made out to: Speed Bump Press. Mail to:
Poetry Contest 48 Avon Road Berkeley CA 94707
For additional info: Contact padmarajaoui@...



** Your Rabbit Needs More Room? Think Vertical!

Is your apartment so small, your bunny has to hang out
under your bed? Or, do you have so much furniture, your
bunny has no place to call her own? If you cage your
bunny when you go to work or school, do you worry
about him not getting exercise? Leith Petwerks, Inc. has a
solution for you -- the Bunny Abode Condo.

Leith Petwerks, a small company founded in 1997, is
dedicated to manufacturing comfortable, functional and
stylish rabbit condos in a range of sizes and levels to
accommodate your bunny's needs. Bunnies need a space
they can call their own. Leith Petwerks might just have
the solution for your bunny and you.
Please visit them at: http://tinyurl.com/7ymvk



** Hoppy Holidays Everybunny

This delightful poem was written Mr Fritz, yet another
talented and ever-so handsome New Zealand White.
While we acknowledge that publishing a Christmas poem
now might seem a bit late, we believe that it is never too
late to share the extraordinary imagination of our beloved
lagomorphs. Thank you Mr Fritz, for giving HRS reprint
permission. http://tinyurl.com/6lflz



** Three Petitions Need Your Support

These three petitions still require more signatures. If you
haven't signed them yet, please take a moment to do so
now, then pass them on to all compassionate people you
know. Thank you.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/940099071
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/721866960
http://www.petitiononline.com/bunaide4/petition.html



** HRS Chapter Updates

* SF/Peninsula (http://tinyurl.com/5r7w3)

On Dec. 6, the SF/Peninsula Chapter was invited by
Marguerite Judson, the Producer and Director of Tony
LaRussa's organization, Animal Rescue Foundation
(www.arf.net) to tape a 12 min. show at a Bay Area cable
station. The program will air in Mountain View, Cupertino
and Los Altos in January. ARF's CEO Brenda Barnet
conducted the interview, asking excellent questions about
rabbit care and behavior. Charlotte, our education rabbit,
did a fantastic job and was a super ambassador as usual!
They discussed rabbits as indoor pets, the importance of
spaying and neutering, and proper diets. They also
covered the issues of adopting at rescues and shelters and
the abnormally high number of surrendered rabbits this
year.

Chapter Manager Donna Jensen writes, "I have been a
volunteer at The Peninsula Humane Society for 14 years.
Volunteers come every single day to care for and socialize
the rabbits. This has been made possible by our chapter's
ongoing partnership with the shelter. Volunteers also bring
greens and carrots with them and are responsible for
turning some not so social rabbits into real love bugs. We
could not accomplish all that we do without the devotion
of these volunteers."


* Alabama EARS (www.alabamaears.org)

In late November, the Greater Birmingham Humane
Society Shelter opened its doors to a brand new facility.
EARS has worked extensively with the shelter over the last
few years, and was asked to help prepare and furnish a
bunny room at the new location. Thrilled with the progress
EARS has made in the Birmingham area, Linda Howard,
EARS' Co-CM, happily obliged and was accompanied by
volunteer Connie Cowan to set up the room. The two
brought bunny toys and helped arrange a bunny exercise
area while educating shelter personnel about domestic
rabbit care. In addition, Linda brought packets on bunny
care to be given to potential bunny parents.

On the opening day of the shelter Linda and Connie
returned to show EARS' support to the new facility. "We
were surprised," Linda says, "When we saw the evening
news. Much of the footage showed us playing with the
bunnies, bunnies munching on hay and climbing on toys!"

On December 11th, volunteer Kathy Troup hosted EARS'
annual Holiday BYOB (Bring Your Own Bunny Party).
The party is always a mix of socializing, educating and fund
raising. Volunteer Donna Yester, manager of EARS'
Bunny Supply Store, took sales orders for litter, food
pellets and toys from EARS' members. Members
interested in Bunny Boutique items picked up toys and
bunny-friendly toys amounting in $700 in donations.Santa
made an appearance (looking suspiciously like member
Bruce Stallsmith) for those bunny parents looking for
holiday photographs.

This year, EARS once again participated a gift-wrapping
fund raiser. EARS' volunteers wrapped gifts for weary
shoppers at a Barnes and Nobel in Birmingham, AL.
Donations totaled close to $1330.

Upcoming: Alabama EARS is proud to announce another
victory in the battle to change attitudes about rabbits as
industry commodities in Alabama. The Shelby County
Humane Society is trying to introduce legislation that sets
standards on humane and acceptable housing for all
companion animals in Alabama. EARS has asked that
rabbits be specifically listed as companion animals and the
SCHS has said, "Yes!"


* Indiana HRS (www.indianahrs.org)

In the second week of January, 2005, Indiana HRS is
launching a partnership with PETCO, placing adoptable
rabbits at the Carmel location. PETCO will cease the
sales of rabbits at the Carmel location (48 last year). We
are encouraged with the prospect of reducing shelter
surrenders, 74% of which originated from the metropolitan
area where individuals could have purchased their rabbits
from one of the two Northside PETCO stores.

In time for February "Adopt-A-Rabbit Month", we are
placing binders identifying adoptable HRS rabbits and
shelter rabbits in all metro-Indianapolis PETCO stores
(4 locations) as well as any other pet store that is willing
to display the information. The binders will be maintained
by volunteers, updated monthly.


* San Francisco/Marin (www.saveabunny.com)

SaveABunny, House Rabbit Society's SF/ Marin Chapter
has been extremely busy with many shelter overcrowding
situations lately, most recently, a rescue in Monterey CA.
Twenty-six rabbits were confiscated in a rabbit-meat
cruelty case. Working closely with the Monterey SPCA,
RabbitsNmore and Rabbit Haven, SaveABunny is
struggling to find safe homes for these loving, gentle
rabbits. To find out how you can help, please go to:
http://www.saveabunny.com/newsflash2.php?nmid=89



** Support Rabbit Rescue While You Shop!

100% of every item you purchase supports our ongoing
rabbit rescue, rehabilitation and adoption work. Check
out our newest items at:
http://www.cafepress.com/hayward_rabbits/419757



** Join House Rabbit Society Today!

If you are not a member of House Rabbit Society,
please take this opportunity to join us. A yearly tax-
deductible membership costs only $18 or $25 for
international memberships. All members receive the
Society's newsletter, House Rabbit Journal.
http://rabbit.org/hrs-info/joining.html



** On behalf of all the rescued rabbits, we wish you a safe
and peaceful New Year, a year filled with bunches of fresh
produce and reasons to hope.

Ike--you were loved and cherished and will be missed.