Quinn came to Heartland Rabbit Rescue back in August as a result of a call from a local municipal shelter. It seems that Quinn's time had run out and he was at risk of execution because no human family wanted him. The Heartland Director squeezed and squoshed and managed to find a place for Quinn even though Heartland is way over capacity.
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| Quinn (the Mighty Quinn) |
At first he didn't much want anything to do with humans, but has now figured out that human animals can act pretty decently and he is becoming one of those rare bunnies that endures being carried around, even seeming to actually enjoy it. His personality is maybe 5 or 6 times larger than his physical being (he's a fairly small guy, only a couple of pounds right now) with energy to burn.
At the time of this writing he is having to stay inside his enclosure for a few days because his recent surgery (neutering). Once recovery is far enough along, he'll be going everywhere again with all the life and joy anyone could wish for. Quinn is a real treat to be around, one of those folks that makes you smile when you see him. It is astonishing how much niftiness mother nature can pack into a small package.
I'm writing about Quinn because he is a pleasure worth sharing and because Quinn represents all the many millions of "domesticated" Earthlings that are without a human family to call their own. Quinn could be a poster child for adopting, never ever ever purchasing from a "breeder". Too too many of our brother and sister Earthlings don't have homes.
I helped out with an adoption event recently for a local cat rescue group, Hands Helping Paws, and 28 lucky kittens and cats found homes. Hooray!
Bunnies are a little bit different. They are a little more vulnerable, a little more requiring of some education for proper care and a little more needful of a particular mindset if a good fit is going to be made between a family or human and a bunny. Maybe part of the problem is that the stereotypes of popular culture (for instance, the Easter Bunny) and the reality of rabbit behavior don't match up too well. Suffice it to say that most of us (me included) have to put in some time, effort, attention and learning in order to be in a position to be able to offer adequate care to a rabbit.
This means an adoption event like the one for the kittens would probably not work for the bunnies...oh you might get a number of bunnies into homes, the cute factor for a bunny is off the charts...but the likelihood is high that bunnies would be placed at risk for inadequate care and humans placed at risk for disappointment and upset and failure. These factors mean that bunnies finding a home that works is a fairly intricate and involved operation. Compared to a cat or a dog, a bunny is more 'high maintenance'...not too difficult once you get used to it and care becomes routinized...but definitely different than most humans are familiar with or used to. Which means that learning and change has to happen and that is sometimes tough for humans to accomplish.
Quinn is now safe, Quinn is now loved and Quinn will grow and develop. That's pretty good.
You can do your part in helping make all animals safer and more likely to grow and develop if you live as an ethical vegan. And, for goodness sake, adopt one of the Earthlings without a human family from a shelter...if you can....if you can't then volunteer or donate and help out a shelter or a rescue operation...remember...they are trying to repair or stop the damage we have done to the animals. They are trying to clean up and rectify part of the mess the rest of us have made for living beings on our planet...that's a pretty good thing to do.
12 comments:
Quinn is certainly a charmer. I love his tummy too. My personal opinion is it takes a certain kind of person to enjoy a rabbit. Not that we are special of course but some people must have the reward that they think should get from a dog. A bunnies love is more subtle. You must just allow them to give you what they want, not the other way around. Whoosh may never really warm up to me but I can say the best times this week have been watching him binky and race around the room. All the reward I need is watching him happy and enjoy.
Please give Nessie Ray a big kiss from me!
Thank you for commenting Christina. Very well put re bunnies and their ways of interacting. They haven't been influenced enough by human manipulations (because they haven't been a victim of such goofiness for as long as dogs or cats) to be quite as human-oriented as cats/dogs tend to be.
You are exactly correct, what you get from a bunny is going to be precisely what they want to give...no more (and no less). And if you want to understand them, you must MUST pay attention and focus...so much is subtle on their part...they also will bite the hell out of you if they think the occasion calls for it. I've learned to be immensely pleased with just being tolerated. :-)
If Whoosh allows you to spectate at his binky works...then you are special indeed in his heart.
That is the cutest bunbun ever!
'Quinn is now safe, Quinn is now loved and Quinn will grow and develop. That's pretty good.'
Yep, that is pretty good. And the least that our fellow earthlings deserve from us. Thank you for all the work you do at Heartland. If you and your fellow volunteers said, like most, 'Sorry. Would love too but I'm just too busy.' Quinn would probably not be safe now. Or loved. Thank you.
Welcome to a better life, beautiful Quinn.
What a beautiful bunny boy! Best wishes to you, Mighty Quinn! You'll see, all the folks at Heartland have a heart of gold.
Thank you DEM for commenting. He is a treat isn't he?
Thank you for commenting and thanks for the thanks Harry. I find it to be enormously rewarding to be around the bunnies and the other human animals at the rescue. I especially enjoy being corrected by a bunny when I fail to live up to their expectations and standards. :-)
Thank you for commenting Andrea. Quinn is a real trip, you would get a hoot out of him.
"Mighty Quinn (an Eskimo), who changes despair into joy and chaos into rest, and attracts attention from the animals." Great name!!!
But this Quinn is surely an ice-breaker. I'm so happy he's found Heartland. And so very grateful for your part in finding homes for all those kitties!
I thought of you (and rabbits) a few weeks ago... I stopped at a yardsale and even before I got out of the car my dismay set in. I saw a large portable cage and a woman holding a bunny. Always thinking the worst when it comes to seeing humans handling other animals, I thought sure s/he was "for sale". I had my speech all ready to impart some sense into this woman...
AH! But when I asked... You aren't selling rabbits - Are you? She looked at me stunned at the idea! "Of course not!" It was her cherished baby just out enjoying the sun and keeping her company during the sale.
She made my day at how protective she was towards her friend... Found out he used to be someone's "garage rabbit" till they got bored with him.
Snickers was his name... And next to Quinn as cute as could be... a brown and white fluff-ball!
Anyway, that story made me happy... Hope it does you too! Pay-forward for all the smiles you've given. :)
Great story about Snickers, Bea! :)
Quinnie (sorry, I have a habit of doing this with names, snort) is a cutie indeed! And it sounds like bunnies have more the temperament of cats than dogs. Must say that these bunny posts are quite informative, although sadly I now suspect that my family and I had no idea how to raise and interact with rabbits properly which probably contributed to my bunny's premature demise when I was young. :(
Thanks for commenting Bea and thanks for the info about Snickers. It is heartening to hear about folks that have discovered what a treat having a relationship with a bunny can be.
Quinn is something else...ya just gotta meet him.
I've shared your story with folks at the rescue and many smiles were seen. :-)
Thanks for commenting HGV. Quinnie is something I would do except there's a terrific bunny at the rescue named Gwendolyn that I've already saddled with Gwennie...the two would be too confusing so Quinn probably will stay Quinn (actually sometimes I call him the Quinnster).
You touch on an often tragic truth. Rabbits require some education (all of us animals do, but rabbits especially) and many folks that do have rabbits are abysmally ignorant about them. Since they don't howl or meow and are comparatively quiet...they suffer neglect and inappropriate treatment sometimes for their whole lives. If I drug myself out in the yard and kicked my butt everytime I realized my previous ignorance about the other animals...well...I wouldn't have time to go down and let Quinn do his thing. We've all failed, and probably will fail again but ya gotta keep on plugging...Quinn told me that. :-)
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