'Tis Better to Adopt than Shop

Karen would like to send a big Happy Birthday out to her Beagle buddy, Guinness, who turned 12 last Friday (and who is just as cute as the Westminster winner). You’re my Numero Uno, Guinnerdoo!

Excuse me. Yes, you with the three tots clinging to your coat, cell phone dangling from your ear like an oversized earring. I’m over here in the cat food aisle, picking up some tasty treats and a new brush for Miss Bella. I couldn’t help but notice that you’re about to buy that cute little bunny rabbit who’s huddled in his pen next to the equally cute little puppies for sale. Your kids are begging for the bunny. The store clerk is tapping her fingers on the counter, not so subtly urging you to hurry up and hand over your credit card.

“Mommy, I promise to feed him every day,” says your tiniest tyke, a boy who couldn’t be more than four years old. Yeah, right, how many times have we heard that one before? You can’t blame the little ones for their piercing pleas. After all, they’re only kids. To date, their biggest life decisions have been whether to continue wearing the big-boy Pampers or climb atop the big porcelain toitee, that brass ring of the pre-school set.  It’s you, mommy, who needs to be the grown-up here and tell your boisterous brood that you’ll get them a pet when: a)  they’re a little older; b) they’ve read up on rabbits and know exactly what’s involved in caring for them; or c) they’re 18 and have moved out of the house. (Just kidding on the last one, but you get the idea.)

Instead, the kids repeatedly tug on the terrified rabbit’s ears and squeal in disgust when his bladder lets loose and covers the floor with pungent pee. All that poor cringing critter wants to do is run for safety. And all you want to do is shush your kids and hightail it out of the store, four-legged purchase in tow. Of all the harebrained ideas…

If I sound hopping mad, well, I am. As an ardent animal lover and foster mom, I see all too often what happens to that furry new acquisition that has been bought on a whim at a pet store. Oh, he may spend a few months being fussed over by the family, but then one day when the novelty wears off, the bothersome bunny is banished to the backyard. And there he’ll sit, day after day, month after month, waiting patiently for someone to notice him, to feed him, to love him. Finally, mom or dad wises up and realizes that they can not (or will not) continue to care for this cute cottontail. So, up goes the ad on Craigslist, where some other unwitting family may scamper over and rescue the rabbit. More than likely, though, the bunny ends up in an overcrowded shelter with other bunnies in the same boat.

But back to my pet store predicament: Mom, you keep asking your kids if they are really willing to take care of the rabbit. Good God, mom, they’ve barely grasped the concept of sippy cups, let alone the importance of caring for a live animal. I guarantee you that there will be times when they will forget to feed their new pet, and on more than one occasion they will leave his cage door open. He’ll escape, of course, and may dash outside to supposed freedom but because he’s a domestic pet, he won’t have the slightest idea how to forage for food or protect himself against predators. Mark my words, he’ll become roadkill or another animal’s lunch before the week is over.

And where will that leave you? Back at the pet store, I suppose, picking out another bunny. You admitted to the store clerk that your last rabbit “ran away.” Did she raise concern about this tidbit of information? Quite the contrary. She jovially said, “Well, if your other bunny returns, this one will have a friend!” So glad that someone is looking out for the welfare of the animals.

What if, instead of buying a bunny (or puppy, kitten, bird, or hamster) from a pet store, you collected up your children and paid a visit to your local animal shelter, where they really care about animals? Trained volunteers can help you determine if your kids are ready for the responsibility of a rabbit and then help you select just the right furry friend for your family. Pet store personnel, on the other hand, are only concerned about the bucks, not the bunnies.

Pet store mom, by choosing to adopt rather than shop, you’ll not only be saving a life, but—to paraphrase that popular Jefferson Airplane song—you’ll have some bunny to love.

 

 

Karen would like to remind readers that BUNS (Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter) in Santa Barbara offers FREE Basic Bunny classes for adults and children. Call (805) 683-0521 or visit www.bunssb.org for more information or send an e-mail message to Karen at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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