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February 27, 2011
CHRS Newsletter
We are very pleased to announce that the latest edition of the Columbus House Rabbit Society newsletter is now available for your reading pleasure. Click here to access it.
Posted by Sue at 7:16 PM
February 24, 2011
Midwest Vet Conference 2011
Today was the opening day for the 2011 Midwest Veterinary Conference at the Columbus Convention Center. This marks the 10th year that we have had a booth at the conference. TEN YEARS! Did I just write that? Yes, indeed.
Sadly, I don't think we took any photos of that very first booth. We were up against a back wall, tucked in among tech schools and other oddball groups. We fit right in - our materials were mostly hand made of poster board and glue. The booth to our immediate left was occupied by two men, one older and one younger, who were featuring a device for use in euthanization at shelters (depressing, right?). They asked what kind of group we represented, and when we explained, they snickered. "HOUSE rabbits?"
Over the course of the convention, the men watched as one by one, our fellow back-wall occupants came forward with comments from "I have a friend who has a rabbit!" to "My wife and I watch the wild rabbits in our backyard. They sure are fascinating animals." All the while, no one was visiting their depressing booth. The Exhibit Hall was open from Thursday through Sunday that year. By Saturday, the men admitted they were surprised at how much attention and traffic had come to our little homespun booth. By that evening, they concluded that the conference had not been successful at all for them, and they packed up their device and called it quits. To my knowledge, they have not been back.
On the other hand, our booth has grown by leaps and bounds through the years. Our presentation has become a little more polished. We now have several volunteers who rotate through on shifts, so no one has to endure long days, tired feet and an aching back. We've passed out a ton of articles and literature, we've shown videos, and we've sold everything from books, CDs and DVDs to hay and rabbit toys to Make Mine Chocolate! pins. My favorite memory is of the second or third year, right at the opening bell, a vet marched across the concrete floor shouting "THERE you are! I have been looking for your booth!"
With the help of an outgoing foster bun each year, we are always one of the most popular booths at the conference. We still get the occasional naysayer or skeptic, and we will always get those to whom rabbits are more livestock than pets. But overall, we have become a fixture and the go-to resource for rabbit care information. Our Rabbit Care and Behavior booklet is sought out by vets, vet techs, office managers and students for the solid advice is provides on the basics of living with a house rabbit.
We are proud to again be a part of the Midwest Vet Conference. And we are looking forward to being part of it for another 10 years.
Posted by Terri at 7:17 PM
February 23, 2011
Two by Two
We are pleased to announce that two more - Julie Schram and Kim Banks - have joined our ranks as licensed CHRS Educators! Julie and Kim have been long-time volunteers, reliably staffing our information booth at local events and helping to plan our Chapter's social activities. Julie is also a regular on our CHRS Help-line, answering emails and returning phone calls on a variety of topics from general rabbit care to where to buy supplies to vet recommendations. And in the coming months, Kim will be helping us realize a standing goal of developing fun activities and learning materials to teach children about house rabbits!
Posted by Terri at 6:22 PM
February 20, 2011
Rabbitat Roof Collapse - rabbits in need of homes/rescue
This sanctuary in NE Ohio had their roof collapse in the latest ice storm. They are in need of temporary (or adoptive) housing for their 40+ buns. If you can help out by taking in a bun or two, please contact them.
Please note: CHRS Members -- if you are interested in fostering one/more of the Rabbitat buns, CHRS will assist with supplies. To foster, contact Rabbitat directly.
(Disclaimer: All buns will be the responsibility of the foster home and Rabbitat - including returns, if necessary - not CHRS.)
In the coming weeks, we will be posting their adoptable rabbits on our website in order to help them place their buns in loving, forever homes. (Please note: All adoptions will be handled directly through Rabbitat, not CHRS.)
For more information, visit them on Facebook