Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society

Educating at Every Opportunity

by Ingrid Harding
originally published Summer 2002

One part of the mission of the Minnesota Companion Rabbit Society (MCRS) is to reduce the number of unwanted rabbits and to improve the lives of companion rabbits.

Education is one of the very best ways we can fulfill that mission.

This strong focus on education was what impressed me most when I first met Chapter Manager Joanna Campbell and Fostering Director Tanya Hulsey in 1999. It was also what I found most valuable when I was first introduced to the HRS more than 10 years ago in Massachusetts. Volunteers from that state's chapter often partnered with the Boston area animal shelter where I worked. Our shelter was committed to caring for and finding homes for homeless rabbits and other small animals using the same high standards as we did the shelter's cats and dogs, and the MA HRS educational efforts were crucial in our work with families in the community.

And that's how I see this new Minnesota chapter – as an educational resource for families in the Minnesota community. As our small group takes off, we will need to focus most of our efforts to help rabbits in the Twin Cities area. And while we don't have a physical place where people can surrender unwanted rabbits, what we do have is a terrific team of people in place. Knowledgeable volunteers who provide information and encouragement, educating over and over again, so we can accomplish our mission to reduce the number of unwanted rabbits and to improve their lives.

Whether a family seeks help before a rabbit comes home or later in the relationship when things may get difficult, MCRS is there. By educating about rabbit care and behavior (the good, the bad, the cute, and the not-so-cute), we will help more rabbits stay successfully in their homes, and in some cases, maybe cause some families to decide that a rabbit is not the best choice for them. That is successful education, too.

Families have a number of ways to reach MCRS. They can visit this website, or the House Rabbit Society website. We can be emailed with questions and issues at info@mn.companionrabbit.org and our phone number is 651-768-9755, Opt 1. A terrific team of volunteers rotates the responsibility for answering phone and email messages.

We also see MCRS serving as an educational resource for humane societies, animal shelters, animal control, and other animal-related agencies around the state which take in companion rabbits. The need is huge – rabbits are the third most commonly surrendered animals after cats and dogs – and we need to be clear about expectations and the services we are able to currently offer. MCRS can physically take only a small fraction of shelter rabbits into its foster home network – ten rabbits per year is our 2002 estimate – and, indeed, an animal shelter or animal control facility could take in that many rabbits in a couple of days. We can't take all these rabbits, but we can reach out through education. MCRS can provide information materials along with training and support, so shelters and animal control can gain a better understanding of rabbits, provide improved screening and care, manage more successful adoptions, and offer helpful follow-up. Many MCRS members already volunteer at local shelters and educate shelter visitors, too.

As far as education and training, MCRS will help as much as we can and as the agency wants. Through these collaborative educational efforts, we can provide the training and support that a shelter or animal agency may have little time, money, or staff to do. It's all about education, which works toward accomplishing the HRS goal of a future with fewer unwanted rabbits, and that's good news for all of us in the animal welfare community.

Speaking of shelter partnerships, we acknowledge the warm welcome, as well as the educational efforts the Minnesota Valley Humane Society in Burnsville has put forth on behalf of rabbits. We have worked together to update their rabbit adoption information, which is also available from their website, official MCRS representatives have presented fundamental rabbit info to both their volunteers and their staff, and we have also helped them add Rabbit Parent classes for the public (see Upcoming Events). If your local shelter takes in rabbits, ask them to call MCRS if they need help. Because it's not about one shelter's rabbits vs. another or MCRS rabbits, it's about working together for all companion rabbits who need help.

We're delighted to also report that since our chapter's official recognition this past March, we've already had educational booths at several events, like the March Minnesota Shelter Training Conference in St. Cloud, May's MVHS Woofer and Hoofer, and the Anoka Pet Fair in June. Other 2002 plans include a booth and two demonstrations at the Pet Expo this October in St. Paul. We will soon be setting event dates for 2003, so please let me know about any events you think could be valuable for MCRS to attend.

We also look forward to working with what can be one of the best outreach tools of all the media. We are a small (but powerful) group and efficiency will be key. Why, with just one new newspaper article or broadcast piece, we could educate and reach out to thousands of households. The feature article in City Pages this past Spring generated several new contacts and volunteers.

In the future, MCRS hopes to educate the veterinary community about companion rabbits and their unique needs. Amoxicillin, for instance, is a familiar antibiotic safe for most animals, but for rabbits it can be fatal. Many veterinary schools don't teach much about rabbits, and not every vet has rabbit experience. This small group dreams big. I love the MCRS emphasis on educating at every opportunity, wherever and in whatever form it may take-with a telephone conversation or email, through a brochure or photograph, as a shelter volunteer or event participant.

I am proud to see what MCRS has accomplished in less than 6 months and look forward to many more achievements! It's a privilege to work together with such terrific people and to educate on behalf of MCRS helping rabbits and families in Minnesota.

Education is one of the best ways we can make change for animals in our communities now and in the future. While I may be the one lucky enough to have this official Director of Education title, it's my belief that all of us who want to make the world a better place are educators.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, and I hop, er, I mean hope you will contact me.