What's New? at House Rabbit Society - February 2004
On January 11th, The San Francisco Chronicle ran a
restaurant review in the "Meet and Eat" column, which
featured a $19. rabbit dish. Marcy Schaaf, manager of the San Francisco/Marin chapter of House Rabbit Society, wrote a letter that was published in the Chronicle's Sunday magazine a month later. The Sunday Chronicle is read by literally millions of people. Way to go Marcy!
http://tinyurl.com/yrzsz
** Rabbits in the News - Rabbit Haven
The following news item about Adopt a Rescued Rabbit
Month appeared in the Register-Pajaronian, a Central
California newspaper: http://tinyurl.com/2cbkf
Rabbit Haven has worked in Santa Cruz County since
1987, focusing on public education and adopting rabbits
out of the area shelters. Please visit them at:
www.therabbithaven.org
(They are in need of plush bunny toys for an Easter
campaign, so if you have any extras, please contact them.)
** Make Mine Chocolate! Easter Campaign
For the second year in a row, the Columbus Ohio chapter is sponsoring its Make Mine Chocolate! Campaign. This educational campaign focuses on the Easter season, encouraging the public to make humane choices when selecting Easter gifts. To read more about the program,
please go to: http://columbusrabbit.org/chocolate.html
** Rabbit Fur Becomes Popular in the US
The following article about the increasing popularity of
major designers using rabbit fur was published in the Wall Street Journal in January 2004.
***
Roberta Amon, a fur lover who divides her time between New York City and Switzerland, has a mink and a sable in her collection of fur coats. But Ms. Amon has a confession to make to her Park Avenue friends: She has fallen in love with rabbit.
"They expect me to be in sable," says Ms. Amon, who recently bought two rabbit coats. "But when they touch it,
they go wild."
Long the poor country cousin of chic mink, the lowly rabbit is suddenly growing more fashionable. This season, London designer Alexander McQueen chose rabbit to construct his best-selling $2,000 bomber jacket covered with metallic sequins. Dress designer Diane von Furstenberg used rabbit to make a snowy white $1,750 cropped jacket.
Retailers are cottoning on to rabbit, too. In Manhattan, Bergdorf Goodman is showcasing rabbit wraps, coats and hats on its main floor next to the fine jewelry and status handbag department. At Bloomingdale's, a $198 pale pink rabbit poncho from BCBG Max Azia has become a hot item. BCBG says one East Coast department store recently sold 240 of the ponchos in a week.
Fueled by a growing demand for affordable luxury, and big leaps in rabbit fur quality, rabbit is even catching on among women who can afford sable, mink or chinchilla. Denise LeFrak Calicchio, a New York socialite who last year bought two rabbit tops by Sherry Cassin -- one in pink and another in blue -- says her rabbit furs are more "fun" to wear than her mink and sable coats while still feeling luxurious.
"Everything doesn't have to be the most expensive to feel good," she says.
Much of rabbit's new higher status is due to a special breed of rabbit known as the "Rex," whose fur is denser and silkier than regular rabbit fur. The Rex's growing popularity, especially among designers not normally known for working with fur, is helping democratize the once elite fur market.
Now, instead of spending $20,000 and up on a floor-length mink status symbol, fur fans are buying a rabbit vest, shawl or poncho for just $150 to $2,500.
***
Following is a list of links to email addresses and /or guest
books for the stores and designers mentioned in the above
article. Please take a few minutes to send them your
thoughts about rabbits as companions and about the
inherent cruelty involved in the fur industry.
Diane von Furstenberg guestbook:
http://www.dvf.com/guestbook_frameset.html
Bergdorf Goodman guestbook:
http://www.ny.com/guestbook/
Bloomingdale's email form:
http://tinyurl.com/ze1n
Designer BCBG:
http://www.bcbg.com/sp04/web/index2.html
Alexander McQueen Head Office, street address:
10 Amwell Street, London, EC1R 1UQ
** HRS Chapter Item of the Month
The Indiana House Rabbit Society chapter is selling note cards that would be perfect to carry your Easter messages to friends and family. An active and very talented volunteer, Sandra Connelly, created these beautiful renditions of rabbits she has known and loved.
The cards are printed on high quality card stock, are blank inside and come in sets of four: http://tinyurl.com/3ckts
On the same Boutique page, you will find other items which also benefit Indiana HRS:
http://tinyurl.com/2cqlv
Please help support the dedicated and ambitious work of this very active House Rabbit Society chapter. 100% of the proceeds from any of these items go directly to Indiana House Rabbit Society.
** House Rabbit Society Chapter Updates
House Rabbit Society's partnership with ASPCA to sponsor "Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month" this month has been quite a success. HRS has sent out over 600 of our new "Did you know" posters to animal shelters and rescue groups across North America. And as you can see, our chapters have been busy in their own ways in educating the public about rabbits.
In the mountain states, the Colorado House Rabbit Society chapter (http://www.coloradohrs.com) just put in a new septic tank and plumbing which is the first step towards building 16 new aluminum 'runs' for their sanctuary. The chapter is also excited to report that the Boulder College of Massage Therapy developed a new program of massaging animals, based on a year's worth of students training at the Colorado HRS sanctuary. Evidently the results have been fantastic, with shy rabbits starting to think people are wonderful, badly stressed rabbits starting to relax, etc. The chapter is now offering massage classes themselves!
In sunny Southern California, the San Diego chapter (http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/index.html)
is getting ready for their Spring Open House slated for Saturday, March 27th,
which will include refreshments and a raffle. If you are in the area, stop by
and shop for bunny supplies or gifts for yourself (including their beautiful
new sterling silver prayer box adorned with rabbits and hearts).
In San Francisco, the SF/Peninsula chapter (http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-francisco/index.html)
held a special bunny class for staffers from Peninsula Humane Society and showcased
one of their rabbits on a local news program.
In the south, our newest chapter, Alabama EARS (http://www.alabamaears.org),
participated in 15 educational events last year, 6 of which the chapter hosted,
were featured on two local television shows, produced the first two issues of
their chapter newsletter, and even were featured in the DoDahDay parade! They
are now gearing up for their March BYOB (bring your own bunny) party, with bunny
boutique, photographer and contest. They are also proud to announce that one
of their local shelters is working with the area veterinary school to develop
a medical protocol for rabbits at the shelter.
In New England, the Rhode Island chapter (http://www.rirabbits.org)
just received their state license to operate as an animal shelter, one of eight
private shelters in RI, which includes other organizations such as the Rhode
Island SPCA. Animal Print magazine is doing a cover story about rabbits for
their March issue, written by the chapter manager and chapter secretary.
The New York City chapter (http://www.rabbitcare.org)
has been working on new fundraising bunny-bracelets with the generous help of
jewelry designer Kim Renk Dryer, to be combined with in-store promotional materials
about house rabbits.
The New Jersey chapter (http://www.njhrs.com)
is proud to announce they just received their tax-exempt determination letter
from the IRS, after an especially long process. NJ HRS's chapter manager will
also be speaking about living with house rabbits on the regional radio program,
Animal Talk, on March 29th. NJ HRS is also holding the first of several planned
Volunteer Drives on March 21st at a Central New Jersey library. Busy Bunny treats
for bunnies will be for sale as well as Jenni Original Soy Candles to raise
funds for medical costs. The chapter hopes to recruit new bunny friends.
On the East Coast, the Maryland/DC/NoVa chapter (http://www.rabbitsinthehouse.org)
just had a very successful booth at the World of Pets Expo, followed by a visit
and talk by Dr. Susan Smith of the Wisconsin chapter, who spoke on rabbit nutrition.
In March, the chapter will have a booth at Pet Fest America, sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, and in April they will have a booth at
the Super Pet Expo.
Up in Canada, our British Columbia (http://www.vrra.org)
representative reports that due to HRS's influence, shelters are implementing rabbit adoption forms, adoption fees have gone up, and spays and neuters are being performed on rabbits. Overall treatment is improving at four local shelters and ongoing training for shelter staff is continuing, thanks to the good work
of our Canadian volunteers.
In the Midwest, the PETCO adoption program being piloted by the Minnesota
chapter (http://www.mnhouserabbit.org)
is doing very well and recently expanded from two stores to four stores in the Twin Cities metro area. In addition, there are plans in the works to continue to expand the pilot into 30 or more stores. Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month appears to be a huge success in Minnesota. So far this month, the total number of rabbits looking for a home in the chapter's region has dropped from an average of around 100 to an average in the low 70s!
Also in the Midwest, Wisconsin House Rabbit Society (http://www.wisconsinhrs.org)
continues to expand its operations across the state. Wisconsin volunteers now operate rabbit socialization and exercise programs in Ozaki, Waukesha and Dane
County Humane Societies, and at Milwaukee's Wisconsin Humane Society. Upcoming spring events include Easter education events at the Madison area Mounds Pet Food Warehouses, the Wisconsin Pet Expo in Madison in May, and their first ever Bunny Day for Milwaukee, to be held at the Humane Association of Waukesha on April 3rd.
Finally, the Kalamazoo, Michigan chapter (http://michiganhrs.org)
is hosting its annual rabbit care and training workshops at the Kalamazoo Humane
Society in early March. This event has been the highest attended workshop at the Humane Society for several years running. To contribute directly to the work of any of the above chapters, please visit their websites. ** Wear Your Support for the House Rabbit Society A tee shirt? A hat? How about a nightshirt or a new coffee cup? All carry the HRS logo and 100% of the profits go directly to help the rabbits. Check them out at: http://cafeshops.com/hrs,hrs2,hrs3
Join House Rabbit Society
If you are not a member of the 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 the rabbits, thank you. **
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House Rabbit Society
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