Speaking of the Animal Rescue League, when I was there last night I stopped into the bunny room. I talked to a very nice man whose name I forget but who fosters bunnies. (Sidenote: One of the big perks about volunteering at ARL is that I can easily connect with others who love animals just as much as I do. I can talk with perfect strangers for hours about animals!) He had out Sophia, this pretty girl pictured here. She was so inquisitive and cute. She constantly hopped around, stopped, and stood up on her hind legs to sniff and check things out, including this man's shoes and pants and my hand when I reached out to her. I love the bunny room! It's so quiet and calm--all you hear is the bunnies hopping around and munching on hay.Of course, as I talked to the volunteer, I thought again about fostering or adopting a bunny. People who have bunnies are very passionate about them and insist that they make better companions than most people think. They can be litter box trained, and many bunny owners let them have free run of the house. They're inquisitive and social and many come when called and enjoy being petted. The downside, of course, is that they can chew on anything--the volunteer told me last night that he has to keep his TV remote controls away or the bunnies will eat the buttons off of it. So, you have to bunny-proof your house, like putting plastic casing around wires, but that seems doable. I think my cats would be OK with a bunny. I have no doubt that they'd try to eat a mouse or bird since they all came from the streets, but a bunny can be bigger than a cat! It's the husband who might not be OK with a bunny...although, I wonder if he'd prefer a bunny over a dog?
If you are thinking of a pet but don't want the commitment of a dog or are allergic to cats (because there's absolutely no reason why any person (good and decent person that is) shouldn't have a cat unless they're allergic!), consider a bunny! You can meet them all at the ARL (6620 Hamilton Avenue ) on February 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. during the Hug-A-Bun Sundays, when they let all of the shelter rabbits out to play and interact with people in the big multi-purpose room. Let me know if you're going--I might go too!
