Greeley proves that if you Respect the Rabbit, good things will happen

At Red Door, we believe rabbits should be part of the family, kept indoors and provided with proper care and lots of love.  But all too often, bunnies are purchased impulsively by parents as an Easter gift. Soon, the novelty wears off, the kids get bored, and bunny gets neglected. In early 2013 we rescued a gray lop from a family who no longer loved him. 

After being vetted and neutered, "Greeley", was posted to our adoption site, and the applications flooded in. Who wouldn't want this sweet, handsome boy? One family stood out as the best potential home. With a thorough interview and training, they soon accepted Greeley into their family. 

This is their story...


We decided to get a rabbit around Easter last year. The Easter part was just a coincidence, we had been talking about it since December.

So we got online to check out buns on the Red Door website.  My girls and I (I have three daughters, 11, 9, and 6) looked through all the different rabbits – we read their names and personality descriptions.

But we immediately became attached to a little gray bunny named Greeley.  His picture made him look like he was posing; he seemed so sure of himself. 

He had been surrendered in February, and it was March. I felt like we already knew each other and we had this plan to come together…I didn’t really pay attention to any of the other pictures after I saw him.

The adoption interview process at Red Door is thorough, and we live in Elmhurst (about a 40 minute drive) so it took us awhile to finally get there to adopt our bunny.

I remember parking and telling the girls to not have their hopes up about Greeley, he may have been adopted already. I was saying it to them, but I was really talking to me. I was nervous.

When we walked in and found out he was there it was true relief – Jeremy (our adoption counselor) brought him to us and we were done.  Greeley was going home with us!

And what a year it has been.  We originally created a room for him in the basement, but very quickly we realized we wanted him on the same floor as us.  He has a pen, but most of the time he roams the house.  He likes to hide under the couch and sit on the vents – he has his own special places.

My daughters give him extraordinary amounts of attention, and he is deeply loved every day. When my oldest was sick, he laid next to her for hours.  When the girls friends comes over, he stays still and lets everybody pet him.  When I watch TV he sits on my lap and enjoys the calm.

Of course, he is still a rabbit.  He eats our paper off the fridge, he tries to chew my husband’s work folders. And he lets you know when he needs space (with a nudge or a nip).  I always tell the girls to respect his “rabbitness”. He is not a dog or cat, he has his own way of being, and it’s our job to understand and respect him.

Greeley goes with us on trips to Galena, he loves spa days at Red Door, and he also goes by the name “Zen Bunny” because he’s the mascot of Zen Parenting Radio, a podcast that my husband and I have doing for several years.

His birthday (or adoption day) is the day before my oldest daughter, so we had a great celebration a few weeks ago.  Our extended family loves him; he fits so naturally into our environment.

We found Greeley at the right time and the right place and we could not be more grateful. 
Big thanks to Red Door for keeping him safe until we could be together.

Red Door sends hugs and kisses to the Adams' for giving Greeley a wonderful, loving home and proving that rabbits do make excellent pets if the family is well informed. Respect the Rabbit!

Adopting a Cat Called "Badge of Honor" by NY Times. We Knew That!

At the shelter, Abigail is bored by the "news" in a recent New York Times article called "I'm a Cat Lady? Thank You."

The story says that the image of a "cat lady," once a term used to connote loneliness in women, is now getting an upgrade--thanks to people like singer Taylor Swift, who loves cats, and the cable TV series Girls, which also features a cat in what the NYT writer considers a hip, young way.

Of course, we've always thought that adopting a cat was a terrific badge of honor! Now tell Abigail something new.

Lucy & Desi Do Glamorous Fashion Shoot

Lucy and Desi snuggle during their break

We are all about romance! And some great fashion thrown in doesn't hurt, either. So Red Door was happy when Glossed & Found asked us to bring a rabbit to their bridal fashion photography session at The Savoy Flea, a vintage curiosity shop located in Chicago's West Town neighborhood.

We did them one better - we brought madly-in-love rabbit couple Lucy and Desi (hint: Lucy is the stunning redhead above) to the shoot. The two bunnies, who were under the strict watch of rabbit-experienced chaperones the whole time, had a great time. And so did all the G&F people, too.

The gowns were stunning, but we think the rabbits were the most gorgeous ones on the set.

Graham Kostic, creative & editorial director of Glossed & Found, offered the rabbits a Red Door credit line. "And we will also support Red Door's "Respect the Rabbit" campaign via our social media channels, plus we will do a dedicated video interview about the "Respect the Rabbit" project."

Graham Kostic and stylist Helen Burken pose with Lucy.

Thanks, Graham! (He had pet rabbits as a child, so the subject is near and dear to his heart.)

Check the final results at the Glossed & Gowned issue and watch the Fashion Film.

Before NCAA Basketball, Hares Invented March Madness

It's that time of year when basketball fans (and those who just enjoy a good office pool), start filling out their brackets for the NCAA Basketball March Madness playoffs.

But first we should pay homage to the original creators of this month's annual frenzy: Hares found in Europe. The first use of the expression "mad as a March hare" dates back to the 16th century.
But the descriptive phrase truly became part of the English lexicon when it appeared in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, published in 1865.

The madness of hares (similar but not the same as U.S. cottontails) starts exhibiting itself in springtime, the beginning of the hare mating season; scientists in Scotland believe that the longer daylight hours and the availability of food occurring in March triggers some kind of hormonal switch in hares.

The animals will stand on their back feet and box each other or bowl headfirst into each other. They also exhibit other signs of rambunctiousness and unpredictable behavior.

In the United Kingdom, the BBC publishes a schedule of when and where observers might best be able to watch March hares going at it--and it doesn't require any filling out of brackets to be part of the fun.

Panda Moves On Up in the World

 It's time for another one of Red Door's Feel-Good-Friday Stories. This one is from Candice, a Red Door volunteer who rescued Panda:

This is the story of how Panda got a second chance and now has a DELUXE apartment in the sky!

Thanks to Red Door I found this little princess that has stolen my heart.  The shelter was doing a cat adoption event at a store that sold "pocket pets" - generally, not the kind of place we like.  I had volunteered to help with the adoption event that day.  The store had two cages with 4 bunnies crammed in together.

Naturally, the rabbits drew my attention.

Life at the pet store was crowded.

Panda (the smaller of the 4) seemed to be off- more withdrawn, a little less engaging than the other bunnies.  I told a sales person that one rabbit had a runny nose and might be sick.The sales person said she'd "talk to the owner and get the rabbit looked at".  I left that day thinking they just HAD to take her to a vet, right? Who wouldn't help that cutie? 

About a month later, I returned to  that pet shop to see if the bunnies were gone. I had been worried about how they were being cared for.  At this point, the store had MORE!!

Panda was now in her own cage, with no food, no water and her little foot was caught in the bottom bars because they didn't have the lining covered the entire way.  It took 2 seconds for me to get her out of there.

Panda's first night in a real home

I hadn't given much thought to what I was going to do with her outside of getting her out of that horrible place.  I immediately took her to Chicago Exotics the following weekend.  They did diagnose her with pasturella and we proceeded to get her on a regimen of medicine to start clearing that up.  So I figured I would nurse her back to health and see if I couldn't find a permanent home for her. 

I was silly to even think she would leave me :)  She won my heart in a matter of days.  She never wanted to leave my side, constantly jumping up on my on the couch and in my bed.  Wanting to cuddle at night and playing catch/chase all over my apartment.  I knew she would be with me for a long time.  We quickly became inseparable.

Panda loves her new mama!

She has continued to have a few medical issues, but they are clearing up. And she's worth the time and energy, of course!

While Panda sure doesn't love the medicine doses, she takes them like a champ and then circles my feet waiting for a little treat for good behavior.  I hope to eventually let her go speed dating and find a bunny friend.

At home in Michigan with the family Guinea Pig

She now owns my apartment where she lets me rent a room from her.  She loves to find the highest place to sit and relax and look over her home.  She does the bunny 500 race daily in hopes of making a world record some day.  Her daily activities include jumping up on the bed, digging under the covers and wrecking every sheet I own :)  

She is wonderfully potty trained and is meticulous about her hay bin.  This little girl owns my heart and if you ever get to meet her, she will have you in the palm of her paw in seconds (and will give you a few kisses too)  

Sometimes I wonder if she knows she is a 3 pound bunny and not a giant lion?  She brings me such happiness and I am glad she has a chance to be happy in my home and I can only hope she is as happy as I am. 

P.S.: The pet store has stopped selling rabbits! Yea!

Life is good.

Go Hawks!

Tales of Murphy: Alaskan Bunny Ambassador & Red Door Alumni

We are always happy to hear from anybunny, but particularly a Red Door alumni. Back at the shelter, we knew him as Sir Paul, a sweet Californian-breed rabbit. He had been found in a field by some high school kids who were cleaning out litter from the brush and bushes. 

Sir Paul found his adoptive mom, Jill, at Red Door and he settled into a great life in Chicago. And then....they moved to Alaska.

Here is an update from Murphy, formerly Sir Paul, on his new life far up north. He's turned into a real Bunny Ambassador for pet rabbits!

"Hello to everyone at Red Door!  Greetings to you from Alaska.  I am Murphy- although some of you may remember me better as Sir Paul.  I was adopted from Red Door by a single mom two years ago this February. 

My mom and I were having a nice life in Chicago until she got offered a teaching job in Nome, Alaska and decided that we were BOTH moving there.  I didn’t want to go because I knew that in the far north of Alaska there are many Eskimos who still hunt and live off the land.  I ate my way out of several carriers to let her know I didn’t want to go.  But she was determined and put me in a large, hard carrier and into the bottom of the plane I went. 

The weather caused us to have an unexpected layover between Anchorage and Nome for 8 hours!  They sure are pretty nice in Alaska because they let me bounce around all over the airport garden and I don’t think that would be allowed at O’Hare!  

Here I am playing outside at the airport in Alaska.

I finally started to settle into my Nome home.  There are lots of other cool animals here like musk ox, moose, seal, walrus, and bears.  There’s even a man who has a pet reindeer that rides around in the back of his truck like a dog!  Next week the Iditarod dogs will be reaching the finish line here in Nome!  Exciting!   And Sometimes I hear the Discovery channel helicopters flying overhead filming Bering Sea Gold.    

Because Nome is a small town, only 3,500 people live here, it didn’t take long for the native Inupiaq and Yupik (Eskimo) students to find out where we lived.  Mom liked to brag about me to her students.  They only understood that bunnies were to be hunted and eaten.  Bunnies are not pets up here.  Pretty soon the students got comfortable with mom and started to stop by to look at me.  I was afraid, so I hid.  But they were really fascinated by me and they wanted to pet me, and play with me, and give me food.  

Pretty soon I realized they liked me and wanted to be friends so I let them pet me and feed me.  There I am with 3 Eskimo girls who come and visit me and fight over who gets to give me my treat.  They like when I bounce around or when I stand on my hind legs and beg.  They will leave me trails of food all over the house and they will just sit quietly and watch me until mom kicks them out.  They come over almost every night now! I really like them.  I even let them take me on a field trip to play in the snow- but mom took me in after a little bit because she doesn’t trust the wild animals or the people driving around on snow mobiles. 

Anyway, I really like it in Alaska and all the attention I get from my new friends.  I like that because of me, they see that bunnies are nice pets.  But I also am working very hard to cheer mom up whenever she gets lonely for family and friends in Chicago.  I will sit on the floor where she can reach me and let her pet me and remind her that even though she is 3000 miles from home, I am still with her and that makes her happy and feeling like she has a piece of her old Chicago life in her new Alaskan world. 

I don’t know where I’ll be next year- I might be here with my friends or I might move to a different part of Alaska and make even more new friends.  I only know that mom is taking me with her no matter where she goes because she loves me so much.  And maybe we will even stop by Red Door to say hello when we come to Chicago for the summer!  We miss you all! "

Murphy, did you get frequent flyer miles for that trip?

Do you have a Tale about your Red Door adopted pet to share with us? Please send it in: info@reddoorshelter.org

It's National Pig Day! We Remember Rescuing Artie.

Since March 1 is National Pig Day, it only seems right that Red Door tells its own Pig Tale -- the pink baby pig we rescued years ago. We called him Artie.

Artie was only about 10 days old when he turned up in need of some emergency care. The story about where Artie came from was kind of -- pardon our joke -- fishy. Several young men, who appeared to be from a nearby fraternity, said they just wanted to help this poor little guy out after finding him. We think Artie was probably stolen from a farmer as part of a fraternity prank.

Artie had cuts on his foreleg, something that looked like it could have been caused by the pig being pulled under a fence. We got him emergency treatment and a lot of baby toys. Artie was capable of doing the toddler-level activity toys that required ringing bells or pushing buttons!

He looked just like Babe, but Artie was destined to grow to over 1000 pounds.

We also got a foster home for Artie and then moved him to a wonderful, rural no-kill pig sanctuary, where Artie like to hang out with -- drumroll -- the dogs who lived in the house at the sanctuary. Turned out Artie had bonded with the dogs in his foster home.

Pigs can be fun as pets, but they are smart and will grow up to be very large and often willful pets--even the ones that are promoted as "small" or "teacup" may remain. Taking one on is a huge commitment. We're happy we got to meet Artie and to help him find the right home. We think of him often-how he ran around the room on his hooves, which looked like tiny little high heels.

Everything You Wanted to Know About Rabbit Health & Well-Being

To understand a rabbit's mind, ask us and we'll tell you it goes like this: "Lettuce...Hay... Run as fast as you can around the room...Flop on your side....Hay...."

To understand your rabbit's medical needs, we always suggest you turn to Chicago Exotics.

For the second year in a row, Red Door is pleased to announce The Rabbit Seminars, a two-part series of talks and discussion about rabbits, presented by the exotic medicine veterinarians of Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital.

Because rabbit medicine differs so completely from that for cats and dogs, these seminars offer the public vital information concerning the care and health maintenance for pet rabbits, the third most popular pet in the U.S.

Chicago Exotics is Chicago's most experienced team of rabbit-savvy veterinarians, seeing hundreds of rabbit patients a month. They are the official veterinarian for all of Red Door's rabbits.

The first seminar--dealing with cardiac, respiratory and dental disease-- is March 16, at 1 p.m. Drs. Susan Horton & Stephanie Moy will be speaking. There will also be a Q & A period.

Admission is free. NOTE: This is a new location from last year. This year the seminars will be held at Devonshire Cultural Center, 4422 Greenwood St, Skokie, IL. Admission is free and there is a large free parking lot. Light snacks will be provided.

If you attended last year's Rabbit Seminars, we want to let you know that the first lecture covers all new material.

Please just send an email to info@reddoorshelter.org saying you are attending.

The second seminar will be May 18, also at Devonshire Cultural Center.

Dr. Susan Horton is a well-known leader in exotic medicine and a member of the AEMV. She graduated from the University of Illinois and has been an associate editor for the Exotic DVM magazine. She opened Chicago Exotics--a full service avian and exotic hospital--in 2000.

Dr. Stephanie Moy graduated from the University of Illinois, where she volunteered in the wildlife clinic. She has completed externships at John G. Shedd Aquarium and at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife in Sanibel Island, Florida.

Dr. Katy Parr graduated from Louisiana State University of Veterinary Medicine. She completed externships with Lincoln Park Zoo and the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

What Does Your Cat Think About You? Here's the Answer.

Admit it...you have always wondered what your cat thinks about you. According to The New York Times, a new book has the answer. Titled Cat Sense by John Bradshaw, the book explores new feline behavior and science, translating it to how you can improve your relationship with your cat.

And the work is going to be all yours, according to  Bradshaw, a biologist at the University of Bristol in England. Bradshaw, who has studied feline behavior for the past 30 years, says that cats make up their minds, based on their natural instincts, on how they are going to interact with humans. And, unlike dogs, cats like to maintain their independence.

Of course, we knew all this. But the book is a good read--particularly with a feline friend nearby. According to Bradshaw, cats probably look at us as either a mother substitute or a very large, non-rival cat.

Check out the NYT's article Cat Sense explains what they're really thinking

Or read this excerpt Inside the Cat Brain

Over the River and Through the Woods - How to Travel with your Pet

It is that time of year, when everyone is taking a trip. If you are planning to travel with your cat, dog or rabbit, you should check out this great story [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/08/travel/were-heading-to-london-but-how-to-bring-the-dog.html in the New York Times about traveling with your dog.

You may not be heading overseas, as the author is, but at the end of his story there is a great reference list that can apply to taking a shorter-distance trip in this country.

Have questions about how to travel with your rabbit or your cat? Email us and we would be happy to help you out.

Want a safe place for your rabbit to go while you're on the road? A place your bunny can have individual attention and all the comforts of home? Red Door does Bunny Boarding, with Oxbow timothy hay, two fresh salads a day, and an individual playpen for exercise time. We can give meds, too.

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

Every Bunny Needs Somebunny (Sometimes)

Love (or at least friendship) was in the air at Red Door on a recent Wednesday evening, with a possible record of 4 sets of simultaneous sessions of "Bunny Speed Dating"!

Rabbits are social animals, and are often happiest with a companion.  While many can successfully bond with their people or other pets, in most cases they do best with a companion of their own kind.

However, anyone who has lived with rabbits knows that nobody can sulk like an annoyed rabbit, so it is usually suggested that rabbits be allowed to help pick out their own companions.  Each rabbit is an individual, but usually the easiest bondings are spayed female with neutered male.  Male/male bondings can work, and the most difficult is female/female.

Many people come to Red Door looking for a companion for their own rabbit.  First they meet with an experienced volunteer to talk about their rabbit's personality and habits - this is important in helping us match them with a likely friend.  Then it's time for Date Night!

Marilyn

Marilyn recently came to Red Door after 10 years as a school bunny.  This dignified seniorbun had a chance to meet Valentino, and they seemed "pretty chill".  We're all hoping that this works out, as she deserves a quiet retirement with a good friend after all she has been through.

Swatch

 

Rolex

   Swatch and Rolex are two of Blossom's babies born at Red Door last year.  They were adopted together but recently have decided that they hate each other.  After a brief break, we tried to introduce them again, but they seem seriously set against each other now.  Swatch had a brief meeting with Winslet (see below) last week, and Rolex was introduced to several girls this week, but everyone seems too stressed out right now for any real bonding. We'll give everyone a nice long break and try again later.

Capri and Frances

Visiting Ex Frances was there to meet Capri, who is one of this year's Easter class.  There was "a lot of circling" but not in a threatening way, and shared some lettuce.  They are going to have their second date this coming Wednesday.




Red Door alumn Winslet was on her third date with Irving.  All continued to go well, with only a few tiny scuffles that were quickly defused.  He has now gone home to foster with her in hopes that everything works out on her home turf.

Irving and Winslet at home

  If you are interested in getting a companion for your rabbit, there is lots of great information online that can be helpful.  In particular, BinkyBunny has quite a few "bonding journals" on their forums, which can give you a realistic idea of the process.  Or just call or e-mail us - we'd be happy to play matchmaker for you!

The Dog Days of Summer

Looking for a splashing great time for your canine?  Look no further than this weekend's Dog Wash!

This annual event, sponsored by our great friends at Central Bark Avondale, is a great way to get your dog sparkling clean and to help out the animals at Red Door.  Our enthusiastic volunteer washers will scrub your pup nice and clean for a donation of $20 per dog.  Nail trimming will also be available for a $10 donation.

(Dogs will be washed outdoors and towel-dried)

Date: Sunday, July 15th
Time: 11:00am-2:00pm
Central Bark Doggy Day Care
3358 N. Pulaski Road
Chicago, Il
773-736-3641

I'd better get a treat for this...

Beat the heat, and come out smelling sweet!