** What's New? at House Rabbit Society – Dec. 2005


* North Georgia Rescue – Help is Needed

The North Georgia Chapter of the House Rabbit Society
has recently assisted in a rabbit cruelty case involving
approximately 156 rabbits. The state Department of
Agriculture was initially alerted to a breeder who had
supposedly "fallen on hard times" and was not feeding or
caring for the rabbits. Approximately 20 rabbits were
already deceased at the scene, with a few rabbits being
humanely euthanized for progressed illnesses. Many
rabbits were emaciated and appeared to have skin and
ear infections, and advanced upper respiratory symptoms.
These bunnies were being kept outside in breeder type
cages, approximately 12" by 12", with no protection
from the harsh winter time mountain elements.

Volunteers with the area's local SPCA and a local
veterinary clinic were able to collect and treat almost 50
of the rabbits. They contacted our chapter of HRS and
we are currently housing 27 of those rescued rabbits. A
volunteer with the SPCA is able to hold the rest in a barn
until we can work together to place them. An Atlanta area
Animal Control Agency took the remaining 87 rabbits to
be euthanized. However, the agency will try to care for
them and place them for adoption as best they can.

We are working hard to place the rabbits that our chapter
has been able to pull from this original group. They are
currently being housed in temporary foster homes around
Atlanta until transports can be coordinated. Our chapter
will be keeping some of the rabbits that we now have from
this group, but obviously we will need to move rabbits to
other HRS chapters and screened rabbit rescues around
the country. The more transport assistance we can arrange,
the more rabbits we can save. Potential placements are
just about everywhere and more potential locations are
being added daily.

ATTENTION!
If you are driving ANYWHERE over the holidays or in the
next few weeks and would be willing to transport rabbits
with you, please contact the North Georgia Chapter of the
House Rabbit Society: http://www.houserabbitga.org, or call
our hotline: 678-526-8884.

A few good destinations include:
Kanab, Utah
Denver, Colorado
St. Louis, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Washington, D.C.
Asheville, North Carolina
Miami, Florida
Memphis, Tennessee
Phoenix, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona

ADOPTIONS
If you are interested in adopting one of the rabbits, please
contact us regardless of your location. Many different kinds
are available, including Lionheads, Jersey Woolies, Holland
Lops, Rexes, and Dutch breeds. All have been screened
and are in good health. All will be spayed or neutered.
Please also let us know if you are willing to foster.

DONATIONS
If you would like to make a donation to help in our efforts
to care for and/or place these rabbits, you can donate
through our PayPal account on our website using this link:
http://www.houserabbitga.org/volunteeropps.html

If transport cannot otherwise be arranged, a volunteer with
the North Georgia Chapter of the House Rabbit Society
has agreed to make a cross country trip to bring animals to
Best Friends in Utah and the Colorado House Rabbit
Society. Donations will be used for transportation and
accommodation costs.

CONTACT
Please contact the North Georgia House Rabbit Society if
you can help. http://www.houserabbitga.org
Hotline: 678-526-8884

Direct Contact: Danielle Collins
HRS Educator and North Georgia Chapter Corresponding
Secretary
Cell phone: 404-207-4064
Email: godotgonzales@...



** Endangered Rabbit Reintroduced on Gallo Farm

In early December, 30 one-pound brush rabbits were
released in California's Central Valley on Faith Ranch, a
property owned by the Gallo Family. The species is on
both the Federal and State endangered list. The release is
part of the Endangered Species Recovery Program which,
according to experts, can only succeed with the
cooperation of private landowners. To read the full story,
please go to: http://tinyurl.com/aomrg

If you would like to send a note of thanks to the Gallo
Family, please go to:
http://www.ejgtwinvalley.com/contact.asp



** Four HRS Chapters and Allies Awarded Grants

Rhode Island, New York, St Louis, MO and North
Georgia are four of eleven recipients awarded Rabbitstop
grants. The groups were chosen for their excellence in the
areas of Educational Outreach, Public Awareness and Fiscal
Responsibility in providing rescue or rehabilitation services.
http://www.rabbitstop.com/grant.html


** Tracy Man Comes to Rabbit Rescue

A big-hearted retired engineer in California's Central Valley
devotes his time to rescuing rabbits: http://tinyurl.com/aa3cw


** PETA Halts J. Crew's Fur Campaign
PETA Halts J.Crew Campaign as Retail Giant Promises
That 'Fur Is Out'

For 11 weeks, PETA's supporters have waged a vigorous
campaign against retailer J.Crew, capturing headlines and
attention throughout the nation and demanding that the
chain stop selling fur clothing, fur trim, and fur accessories.
This pressure, along with a tremendous outcry from J.
Crew's own customers, who were shocked to see that the
retailer was supporting the violent and bloody fur industry,
paid off on November 30, 2005, when J.Crew confirmed
that it will no longer sell fur. Uncorking a bottle of
champagne and accompanied by a giant "fox," Lady
Heather Mills McCartney, who helped launch PETA's
boycott with a protest outside J.Crew's Madison Avenue
store in New York, will celebrate J.Crew's
announcement that it has ended all fur sales and is pulling
all fur from its stores during the busiest selling season of
the year.

Joining the ranks of top fashion retailers H&M, Forever 21,
Gap Inc., Banana Republic, and others that do not sell fur,
J.Crew is sending a powerful message to the clothing
industry that putting rabbits, coyotes, foxes, and other
animals through horrible lives and torturous deaths will not
be tolerated.
http://www.furisdead.com/feat-jcrewvictory.asp

Please thank J.Crew for proving that truly stylish clothing
doesn't come from tortured animals:
Millard S. Drexler, Chair & CEO
J.Crew Group, Inc.
770 Broadway
New York, NY 10003
1-800-562-0258
contactus@...


** Chapter/Educator Updates

* Tampa Bay http://www.tampabayhrs.org

Tampa Bay HRS is actively seeking individuals ready to
take a more active role in the organization. Several Board
level positions, including Chapter Manager and Treasurer,
are available. They are also looking for Membership,
Foster Care and Public Relations Directors. If you live in
the Tampa Bay area and are willing to make a New Year's
resolution and commit 2006 to any of these opportunities,
please contact: tampabayhrs@...


* San Diego http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/index.html

1) San Diego HRS is in the last steps of their incorporation.
The chapter has taken the name San Diego Companion
Rabbit Society, Inc. but will still mostly be known as "San
Diego House Rabbit Society." We are awaiting our
501 (c) (3) approval and when that comes we will be ready
to go! We are retaining our status as an HRS Chapter and
will continue to use the HRS logo and name in our materials.

Our interim board will take their seats "officially" in January
with two-year terms. Officers and Directors will be the
following individuals: Judith Pierce, President/Chapter
Manager; Tina Otis, Treasurer; Patricia Mulcahy,
Secretary; Amy Spintman, Director of Volunteer/Education;
Alison Giese, Director of Communications; and Sandi
Stewart, Director at Large for medical advisory purposes.

2) San Diego HRS has helped three local shelters this year
by purchasing all new cages for their rabbit rooms. They
include North County Dept. of Animal Services in
Carlsbad, Escondido Humane Society & SPCA in
Escondido, and more recently the Chula Vista Animal
Care Center, where new cages are being installed this
week. These cages provide their rabbits with more
comfortable accommodations that are easier for the
shelter staff to maintain and allow them to accommodate
more rabbits than they may have in the past.

3) San Diego HRS held its annual Holiday Party on Friday,
December 16, celebrating its achievements throughout the
year and honoring its volunteers and supporters. The
evening included a Vegetarian Potluck, a raffle for bunny-
theme gifts, and opportunities to make a stocking for bunny
or get their holiday photo taken. Bunnies were also invited
to attend this fun event where our supporters share in fun
bunny stories and celebration of the holiday season.

Judith Pierce
President/Chapter Manager


* Southern Yosemite

I'm delighted to announce that Snowflake, a very special
New Zealand White Rabbit, is guest of honor at a Christmas
Open House. Snowflake was found, taped shut in a small
cardboard box, on the steps of Oakhurst Feed Store on
New Year's Eve day, 1998, in the freezing wintry weather.
Snowflake is loved by many local animal friendly people
who met her there, and she was our first rescue after
moving to our new home in Southern Yosemite.

She will be set up in a lovely Sierra Condo, with timothy
hay and all the other essentials for superb indoor rabbit
housing. This will provide Snowflake (and me) the
opportunity to educate persons attending the gala affair
which is being presented by the exceptional animal
oriented couple who own the store.

Jan Davidson
Educator Extraordinaire


* Colorado http://www.coloradohrs.com

The Colorado chapter of the HRS is in the process of
getting estimates, and finalizing the design, of indoor runs
for its larger rabbits, and for young rabbits, needing space
to develop muscles.

We took in over $5,000 at our Bunny Boutique, and had
two potential adoptions as a result of the open house.

Nancy LaRoche, Chapter Manager


* North Georgia www.houserabbitga.org

We have some SUPER news! Kit Jenkins at Petsmart
Charities called us its pretty much a done deal that she
wants us to send in paperwork as a formality for a grant
but she has slotted $10,000 for our chapter for spay/neuter
for next year!!! This is huge for us. I only know of one
animal control/Humane Society in GA that fixes buns --
and they keep very few buns-- maybe one at a time.
This is huge for buns in GA since we are about their only
chance as there are no low cost spay/neuter programs in
the area. We also learned we got a $250 spay/neuter
grant from a Ferret and Rabbit grant program. In light of
this windfall, we are holding off most bun transports (see
Georgia rescue story above) until January so that we can
get everyone spayed and neutered. $10,250 worth of
spays and neuters will help a lot of buns in 2006! I spoke
with some of the chapters prepared to take some of the
rescued buns and they are happy to wait!

On Christmas Eve, we gift wrapped at Barnes and Noble
for tips and made approx $460! We made about $1000
in our five days working there.

Danielle Collins
N GA HRS Corresponding Secretary


* Austin

It's been "business as usual" on the rabbit front here in
Austin, Texas; rescuing rabbits, fostering them and
successfully placing them in permanent adoptive homes...
we are very grateful that things have flowed smoothly in
this respect over the past year. We continue to do
outreach and education, which always picks up around the
holidays.

We have seen an influx of Katrina animals which we have
done our best to help, and we will continue to do so. We
received an email the week before Christmas from
someone who found a starving little soul in the back yard
of a Katrina evacuee's temporary residence here in Austin.
They left her behind when they returned to Louisiana, and
so it goes.

We have taken on the responsibility of expanding our
operation to include other small mammals such as guinea
pigs, gerbils and hamsters, due to the fact that the main
rescuers who covered them in our city moved to the east
coast and left a substantial void that someone needed to
step up to the plate and fill. (Ed. Note: Kudos to you, Stan.
Compassion knows no bounds.)

Stan Gove, Educator
Austin, Texas



** Join House Rabbit Society

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. Please go to:
http://rabbit.org/hrs-info/joining.html


** Dedicated to Reno. She will be missed by many, but
especially by her hero, Rich. **

** On behalf of the rabbits, may your 2006 be filled
with peace, happiness and lush carrot tops. **