Easter Amnesty Partner 2013

Easter Amnesty Campaign 2013

For the second year in a row, Red Door has teamed up with local pet stores to discourage impulse purchases of pet rabbits at Easter. The Easter Amnesty campaign works to raise awareness of rabbit welfare issues, as well as educate the public on proper care. It is an opportunity for retailers to openly demonstrate that they take their animal care responsibilities seriously, and that they are willing to put animal welfare before commercial profit. The Amnesty is also a great way of engaging customers, forging long-term relationships with customers and the local community through positive action. From the retailers perspective, a customer who gives the rabbit up after a few weeks or months is only a very small and short-term financial benefit. A customer who is truly committed to the long-term care of their rabbit can be a great customer for 10 years or more! 

As part of this year's campaign, Red Door spoke with Amnesty partner, Kenn Bearman, owner of The Animal Store. This family-friendly pet shop is located at 4364 W. Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood. 

What is the history of The Animal Store?

I bought The Animal Store (formerly known as The Sea Shell) in 1992. We renamed it after a poem by Rachel Fields called "The Animal Store" and expanded the business from being primarily dedicated to fish, to serving the needs of all kinds of pets and their owners. 

How did your family get into this business?

I managed a pet store right after college and have always loved animals. After more than 20 years in retail, I wanted to own my own business and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Having living inventory is a labor of love. There's no such thing as a day off or a snow day. There's always something new and surprising that our animals have to show me. Our customers love to visit us and our animals. On any given day, we welcome parents and their children, scout troops, day camps, classroom fields trips and passersby. We love to answer their questions and tell them all about our animals.

What type of animals do you sell?

We sell everything except dogs. Education is an cornerstone of our mission. We want people to find the right pet to fit into their lives and families. It's important to understand what it takes to keep that animal happy and healthy. Taking care of animals means knowing more than just what they eat:

• How long will they live? 
• What kind of attention do they need? 
• Are they good pets for an apartment? 
• Do they board well? 
• Can they bond with more than one person? 
• Do they do well with other animals? 

Answers to these questions are vital for making the right pet choice. We are all animal lovers here, and our staff is very knowledgeable. We even have a group of young volunteers called the Jr. Critter Crew. These are kids who love being around animals, and their job is to learn about the animals so they can answer questions, and to handle and socialize our animals so that they will be great family pets. 

What small animal products do you sell?

We sell everything you need for the health and happiness of all pets. We have treats and food, habitats and toys, and all kinds of accessories for small animals, from furry friends, to reptiles, fish and amphibians, to birds large and small. 

What is your favorite part of owning a pet shop?

Watching the smiles on people's faces when they find the pet they want to bring home. Pets are important members of our families. There's a lot of joy in playing matchmaker between people and pets, and we love to bring them together.

Check out The Animal Store blog on Wordless Wednesdays for great pictures of happy people with their new pets. They post lots of great information on pet care, new products, and pets in the news. The Animal Store is open seven days a week at 10 a.m. You can also visit their website, TheAnimalStore.com, find them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter @TheAnimalStore. 

Hechos reales sobre los conejos (real facts about rabbits)

Hechos reales sobre los conejos (real facts about rabbits)
Originally uploaded by reddoorshelter

Check out our new Rabbit Fast Facts sheet in Spanish!

Hechos reales sobre los conejos

Huey the Mascot needs your love

Huey has always been a character!

If you've been to Red Door in the past 13 years, you've met Huey. He's the friendly ocicat who is our official mascot and greeter.   He is a hilarious cat, and definitely our most popular cat at the shelter. He is on the A-list and likes to be at the center of the action, which is why he often tries to escape into the front office.

Huey came to us as a kitten when Red Door first opened in 2000; he had been badly abused--including being thrown against the wall--so he had lost some feeling in his hindquarters. His tail droops and he doesn't always make it to the litterbox in time. Despite his cruel history, Huey is a happy-go-lucky guy who loves life and gets along with everyone. He is an inspiration to us all.

We're sad to report that Huey has developed diabetes. We will be providing him with all of the medical treatment (and love) he requires. Please keep our beloved Huey in your thoughts, or better yet, stop by and visit him.  No treats allowed, but hugs are always welcome.
You can even make a donation in honor of Huey through our website:
https://npo1.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=993

Huey is the sweetest, friendliest cat in Red Door history.

 

On Groundhog Day, Elke Didn't See Her Shadow

Most people look for groundhogs on February 2, but Red Door saw a large black rabbit out in the snow. We are happy we were able to rescue her and get her out of the snow.

An added bonus: she didn't see her shadow today, so spring must be near.

And the winner is.....

Recently, Red Door held our first Design Contest. 

Entries were posted on our Facebook page, and fans were invited to vote by "liking" their favorite entry.
Click here to view all of the entries

Here is the winning entry, by Claudia Aguilar, which received 176 votes:

A long-time animal lover, Claudia moved to the Ravenswood neighborhood several years ago and learned about Red Door through a co-worker.  " I started by helping out on cleaning days and dog washes. I've continued to volunteer at events and participated in the Holiday Bazaar. By far my favorite thing has been taking part in "Kitty Boot Camp" this year. It helped me establish relationships with the current Red Door residents and see their personalities emerge"

Claudia received her BFA in Fine Arts from Columbia and currently works at PaperSource in the West Loop, designing crafting kits and samples. "It has always been a dream of mine to use my creativity to help others, so I thought the Red Door contest was the perfect opportunity to do so!"

"When I set out to design something for Red Door's contest I knew I wanted to communicate what they do in a simple, bold way. I played around with ways to combine images of the animals that are helped by Red Door most often, with a message about their work. I feel that it is so crucial to really emphasize the importance of adoption. When I sketched out the word adopt, I liked how the roundness of the letter "o" could be turned into an animal. I added details I felt communicated a cat, dog and rabbit in the simplest most universal way. And of course, I made it red to convey the name Red Door."

We're sure that Gizmo, Polo, Tortilla and Eleanor Rigby (cats) and  Franny & Zooey  (african clawed frogs) may have helped a little.  " I am very fortunate that my pets didn't have to experience shelter life, but it makes me more determined to help those who are in shelters"

So congratulations to Claudia, and to all of our designers.  Look for the winning design as well as several others on a new line of Red Door merchandise coming soon.

We See White Rabbits

We just have a thing for white rabbits. Lots of people don't, but then they don't know what they're missing: the super-sweet nature, the snowy whiteness, the quintessential bunny. White rabbits bring so much to mind: Alice in Wonderland, Jefferson Airplane ("One pill makes you larger, one pill makes you small...."), and, of course, the classic movie Harvey, starring Jimmy Stewart and the six-foot, three-and-a-half-inch pooka Harvey.

So we're particularly happy to thank Laura Lanford and Thomas Rammer, who run moviesontheroof.com. They run a small private movie festival in the Printer's Row neighborhood of Chicago. At each screening, they offer a themed beer and highlight a themed charity.

This summer they chose Red Door as their charity when they screened Henry Koster's Harvey, paired with Pooka Pale Ale.

By the way, a pooka is a benign but mischievous creature from Celtic mythology who is especially fond of social outcasts (like Elwood P. Dowd, the Jimmy Stewart character).Hmm, sounds like many rabbits we have met--although none of them anywhere near six feet tall (except in their own minds!).

We thank them so much and so does Bella Swan, one of the many white rabbits we've rescued and adopted out. Maybe next year, moviesontheroof.com will consider a showing of Watership Down?

Bandit -- One Cool Outlaw Bunny

Don't let Bandit's name fool you -- he is really a very sweet guy who needs no rehabilitation. His only crime was stealing our hearts.

This one-year-old bunny is the nicest rabbit you'll ever meet. And you can at Red Door, where he is up for adoption.

You can see other adoptable Red Door animals at Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/chicago-area-cats-dogs--o_n_1885266.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago#slide=1525477