If you haven’t read Margery Williams’s beloved children’s allegory, The Velveteen Rabbit, the story tells of a stuffed toy rabbit who became real through true love, manifested in the form of the bumps and tears of life. “Generally, by the time you are Real,” explained the well-worn Skin Horse, “most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
Taken in its metaphorical sense, the story works as a life lesson. Literally, it works in reverse—at least for real rabbits. Real rabbits are not toys or symbols to be dumped when Easter’s over and they’ve grown big, with all their issues showing. Being real hurts worse than being grabbed by the ears by Farmer MacGregor when you’re a domestic rabbit having to fend for yourself among hostile wild rabbits if it hurts to be real.
Last time I posted this article, I deliberately scheduled it for after Easter so as not to encourage “Easter bunny” adoption and to make a point that rabbits are indeed real and not holiday novelties. I’ve had a change of heart; I feel that potential adopters need to see the number of rabbits that have been abandoned after they’ve gotten too big to be “cute” or their owners can’t or don’t want to provide for the needs that they didn’t expect the bunnies to have when they were adopted. Rabbits who are dumped in parks or at Long Beach City College are domesticated and not used to fend for themselves. Often, they starve, contract disease, or are injured or killed by wild rabbits. And if they haven’t been altered, they multiply like rabbits. Responsible rescuers like our “rodent lady,” Judy Griffith, and like the good folks at the rescue at Long Beach City College are well aware of these issues and are careful when interviewing adoptive families.
Plush toy, cartoon and chocolate rabbits are Easter bunnies. Live rabbits, wild or tame, are not, and if you take one into your home, you’re as responsible for its love and well-being as you would be for a cat or dog. In the wild, they may be springtime symbols of fertility, but at home, they need to be spayed and neutered. Their front teeth grow and have to be tended to. Before you adopt a rabbit, click here or read the Pet Post’s article from last year so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into if you decide you want one as a pet. Then, if you’re willing and eager to make a good home for a rabbit, we have a few candidates.
We heartily thank Long Beach’s own rabbit rescuer, Judy Griffith, for providing us with 24-carrot assistance with this article.
When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become Real.
~ Margery Williams, “The Velveteen Rabbit”
Virtually Pets
If you can provide properly and forever for one of these little gnawing critters, show up.
These two guys were rescued by Judy Griffith and are awaiting adoption at the Paw Shoppe, 6416 E. Spring St., Long Beach, (562) 425-5131. The white rabbit is a spayed female New Zealand who’s a bit lively but likes lying upside down while being held. The black one is a 6-month-old neutered male dwarf rabbit who likes to cuddle in Judy’s snuggle scarf. Judy says that he acts like a pet dog. Judy will be glad to meet any potential adopters at the Paw Shoppe or the shelter. Her e-mail is [email protected].
And this little girl was abandoned and picked up by ACS and tended by Judy. She’s about 2 and has also been spayed. Ask for ID#A490871.
And the Rabbit Population Management Task Force at Long Beach City College has 30 rabbits left, looking for their own forever homes. Contact Donna Prindle at [email protected].
Judy G. asked me to remind everyone who adopts a rabbit that they, too, should be microchipped.
Pet Projects
What’s more cosmopolitan than an urban dweller walking a well-heeled (or padded) dog? The Pet Post was informed by the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) about two new pet-oriented businesses that are opening up downtown.
Doggie Paws World Staff
Saturday, March 30, Grand Opening of Doggie Paws World, Camden View Apartments, 250 W Ocean Blvd., Suite F, Long Beach, 4–6 PM
A new state-of-the-art 1,700-square-foot luxury center dedicated to the dog has just opened downtown. Doggie Paws World offers daycare, training and a wellness center convenient to the Camden View dwellers and to other folks in the area who live with dogs. The daycare center specializes in personalized socialization and exercise programs, and there’s a Pampered Pooch Lounge for relaxation (read snoozing).
Doggie Paws World began as a mobile service specializing in high-quality pet care. The founders, Carol Reed, Na Onka Mixon and Joshua Morphis, write in their press release that the new “full-service pet haven” aims to “enhance Long Beach’s vibrant community of dog owners by improving the lives of their pets through education, recreation and social conditioning. Doggie Paws services are diverse, affordable, highly controlled and provided by certified canine behavior experts who integrate play with behavioral conditioning, helping your dog become confident, social, happy and free of danger.”
Dear to my heart is Doggie Paws World’s intent to partner with Sparky and the Gang’s pet-rescue efforts. They’ll be hosting pet adoptions, speakers, volunteer opportunities, and events.
“In the shop and online, we offer fund-raising bracelets with our signature tie-dye design,” Reed said. “More than anything, we want to make a positive impact on the entire canine community.”
In the coming weeks, Doggie Paws World will host a variety of celebrations and events to invite residents into their new location. The grand opening will include refreshments and live music. For information, visit the website.
April 1–7, Grand Opening for Pussy and Pooch, 222 E. Broadway at the New Promenade, Long Beach. Special Open House and Ribbon Cutting Saturday, April 6, 1–4PM
A streamlined version of the Pussy and Pooch boutiques in Belmont Shore and downtown L.A. has just curled up near the Promenade and is ready to outfit and entertain your dog (cats would prefer to stay home and zone out on P&P’s cat “sardines” that are actually killer catnip packaged in tins).
“Our style and philosophy lend itself to this community,” said co-owner Janene Zakrajsek of the Long Beach’s pet-friendly culture. An increasing number of downtown condominium dwellers with pets and the means and desire to treat them well is moving to the area, and Zakrajsek’s husband and the businesses other owner, Rob Gaudio, added that their landlords in the Pacifica building know the population well and wanted to diversify from entertainment and dining in order to add a few amenities. Market research by DLBA helped contribute to the decision.
The new P&P will be, as Zakrajsek put it, its own animal. Like its Belmont Shore sister store, the Paw Bar will feed happy canines (and the occasional cat who wants to hang with the hounds and then show off his cool to his friends). The store will feature the same no-grain healthy food, quality toys and accoutrements (which is what you call fancy necessities like sturdy harnesses, stylish yet practical dishes, self-filling drinking fountains and balcony doors, the latter of which are a great idea for condo dwellers whose kitties need a taste of the outdoors without endangering themselves) as it does in the other stores. What won’t be in there is the grooming salon, but you can no doubt schlep up to Doggy Paws World (see previous announcement) to do that, and there will be training classes given by Woof de Doo. The Happy Hour and Mutt Mingle will take place on the second Saturday of each month to accommodate with the East Village Arts Walk. There will also be a patio setup for the owners to relax with a cup of java from one of the surrounding coffeehouses when their dog clamors for a treat from the shop as they pass by. And yes, Zakrajsek and Gaudio look forward to featuring adoptive pets in front of this location as they do at the Belmont Shore P&P.
During grand-opening week, P&P will offer raffle tickets, Lucky Wheel daily deals, pet treat tastings and $1 Pawbar Meals. Vice Mayor Robert Garcia, who was instrumental in the passage of the policy to allow dogs to dine with their owners on restaurant patios, will preside at the April 6 ribbon cutting. For more info, visit the website.
Thursday, April 18, Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) Fund-Raiser, Veggie Grill, The Marketplace, 6451 Pacific Coast Hwy., 4–10PM
Do you know what happens if you eat aaaaaaaaaaaaallll your vegetables? The dogs at ACS will get a new air-conditioning system and won’t have to suffer through the dog days, and life will improve considerably for all forever-home hopefuls in the shelter. The Veggie Grill, which cooks up stuff that’s so good that even cauliflower is appetizing there, will donate 50 percent of the six-hour purchase total to ACS. Print out the flier or mention it when you sit down.