Rabbit Realities by Mary Sagal | Spokesman Review | April 3, 1998
Edition: SPOKANE
Section: IN LIFE
Page: D1
It was near Easter, and the woman on the phone was insistent.
She wanted to give her children a rabbit. And she needed to get rid of the two turkeys she had given the kids last Easter.
Sue Brennan, who does rabbit rescue in western Washington and was the recipient of the strange phone call, was shocked.
The woman said she bought the turkeys as chicks at a local pet store, part of an Easter promotion. To surprise her children on Easter morning, the woman stuffed the chicks into the colorful, unventilated plastic eggs that L'eggs pantyhose come in.
To her surprise, the birds survived the ordeal. The woman told Brennan she thought the chicks would die shortly after the kids played with them. She never anticipated they would reach adulthood.
Now, she had them locked in her laundry room.
Kit Jagoda of Spokane tells this story while strolling among the beautiful runs and play pens she and her husband, Pete, built to shelter rabbits lucky enough to survive Easter.
As the holiday nears, Kit said, Spokane-area pet rescue groups get ready for an influx of bunnies and chicks. Bought at pet stores as Easter morning entertainment, many are discarded a few weeks later when the holiday passes, the novelty wears off, and the reality of responsible pet care sets in.
Kit said most bunnies sold as Easter gifts were taken away from their mothers too soon. Unfortunately, they sell best when they are tiny and cute, she said.
Once in their new homes, the baby rabbits are usually given pellets to eat when they should still be nursing. "People often put the bunnies in cages lined with pine or cedar shavings,'' Kit said. "But both are toxic to rabbits.''
Besides rabbits, Kit and Pete Jagoda also shelter dogs, cats, ducks, geese, goats, horses and burros on a 65-acre plateau overlooking Mount Spokane. To the less compassionate, the Jagodas might seem eccentric. Weird, even. Both Kit and Pete said such monikers have been tossed their way.
So why do they do it?
"We answered an ad in the newspaper looking for people to foster rabbits,'' said Kit. "It was a real eye-opener. Once we realized how many rabbits are destroyed at animal shelters, we wanted to make a difference. They are the third most numerous animals at shelters, after dogs and cats.''
But the Jagodas are quick to point out that theirs is not a saintly dumping ground for all unwanted rabbits. They only have so much space. And they receive no outside funds.
The Jagodas are not in the business of giving those who view animals as commodities a place to assuage their guilt or ignorance. A few years ago, Kit notes, a member of the House Rabbit Society received over 1,200 phone calls from people wanting to "get rid of'' their rabbits. The calls inevitably increase around Easter.
The word Easter comes from the Saxson Eostre, which in ancient times was also the name for a goddess of the moon.
When interpreting lunar events, storytellers and artists from the Far East portrayed rabbits racing across the face of the moon. Perhaps that is because of a story in which Buddha places a rabbit on the moon as payment for the rabbit voluntarily giving himself to the prophet as food.
Rabbits also appeared in ancient Egyptian stories of renewal and fertility. The two stories tie in neatly with the Christian interpretation of Easter as a time of rebirth both religiously through Christ, and in nature.
Today, however, few people are aware of the mystical role rabbits played in the Easter celebration. Viewed from a strictly commercial standpoint, they are now seasonal objects consumed just like jelly beans.
But rabbits can live to be 8 to 12 years old, much more than a passing holiday fancy.
"It's one thing to get a rabbit if you're going to make a commitment to the animal for its entire life,'' said Kit. ``If you can't do that, it's better to give children a toy rabbit that does not require care, and when the child grows tired of it, it will not suffer from neglect.''
About a year ago, Kit Jagoda adopted out a white dwarf rabbit to an 8-year-old girl and her parents. The girl and her family committed to caring for the rabbit for its entire life, no matter how long - or expensive - that became.
The rabbit is a part of the family. To this day, Kit said, she still gets pictures of the bunny in its new home.
It would be wonderful if all the rabbits rescued by Kit and Pete Jagoda could find homes with such mature, compassionate people. But due to rampant unexpected breedings and rabbits mass produced for pet stores, there aren't enough good homes for all of them.
Too many rabbits, said Kit, must go through experiences like Princess, a black and white Dutch bunny abandoned in a cage on a snowbank on a Spokane County road with no shelter, no food and no water.
It is for such tragedies - and for the hope that they will one day cease - that Kit and Pete Jagoda have named their property Thumpqua, which according to Kit is the Spokane Indian word for rabbit.
The Jagodas named their sanctuary after their dog, River, who is battling cancer.
What will it take for a market-driven, urban society to understand how to properly meet the physical and emotional needs of the animals it takes into its homes?
The Jagodas believe the first step is educating the next generation, the children, to respect animals.
"The ironic thing is Easter is supposed to be a symbol of life,'' said Pete. ``Rabbits, all animals, are life, not commercial objects.''
Caption:
1. Pete Jagoda cradles a rescued rabbit that was caged and thrown into a snow bank. Photos by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review
2. Rescued rabbits relax in the hay on Kit and Pete Jagoda's farm.2 Color photos
Memo:
This sidebar appeared with the story:
HARE'S THE FACTS
Here's just some of what it takes to properly care for a rabbit:
HOW TO HOP TO IT
Interested in applying to adopt a rescued rabbit? Visit www.petfinder.org
Copyright (c) 1998 The Spokesman-Review
Record Number: 9804030437
Section: IN LIFE
Page: D1
It was near Easter, and the woman on the phone was insistent.
She wanted to give her children a rabbit. And she needed to get rid of the two turkeys she had given the kids last Easter.
Sue Brennan, who does rabbit rescue in western Washington and was the recipient of the strange phone call, was shocked.
The woman said she bought the turkeys as chicks at a local pet store, part of an Easter promotion. To surprise her children on Easter morning, the woman stuffed the chicks into the colorful, unventilated plastic eggs that L'eggs pantyhose come in.
To her surprise, the birds survived the ordeal. The woman told Brennan she thought the chicks would die shortly after the kids played with them. She never anticipated they would reach adulthood.
Now, she had them locked in her laundry room.
Kit Jagoda of Spokane tells this story while strolling among the beautiful runs and play pens she and her husband, Pete, built to shelter rabbits lucky enough to survive Easter.
As the holiday nears, Kit said, Spokane-area pet rescue groups get ready for an influx of bunnies and chicks. Bought at pet stores as Easter morning entertainment, many are discarded a few weeks later when the holiday passes, the novelty wears off, and the reality of responsible pet care sets in.
Kit said most bunnies sold as Easter gifts were taken away from their mothers too soon. Unfortunately, they sell best when they are tiny and cute, she said.
Once in their new homes, the baby rabbits are usually given pellets to eat when they should still be nursing. "People often put the bunnies in cages lined with pine or cedar shavings,'' Kit said. "But both are toxic to rabbits.''
Besides rabbits, Kit and Pete Jagoda also shelter dogs, cats, ducks, geese, goats, horses and burros on a 65-acre plateau overlooking Mount Spokane. To the less compassionate, the Jagodas might seem eccentric. Weird, even. Both Kit and Pete said such monikers have been tossed their way.
So why do they do it?
"We answered an ad in the newspaper looking for people to foster rabbits,'' said Kit. "It was a real eye-opener. Once we realized how many rabbits are destroyed at animal shelters, we wanted to make a difference. They are the third most numerous animals at shelters, after dogs and cats.''
But the Jagodas are quick to point out that theirs is not a saintly dumping ground for all unwanted rabbits. They only have so much space. And they receive no outside funds.
The Jagodas are not in the business of giving those who view animals as commodities a place to assuage their guilt or ignorance. A few years ago, Kit notes, a member of the House Rabbit Society received over 1,200 phone calls from people wanting to "get rid of'' their rabbits. The calls inevitably increase around Easter.
The word Easter comes from the Saxson Eostre, which in ancient times was also the name for a goddess of the moon.
When interpreting lunar events, storytellers and artists from the Far East portrayed rabbits racing across the face of the moon. Perhaps that is because of a story in which Buddha places a rabbit on the moon as payment for the rabbit voluntarily giving himself to the prophet as food.
Rabbits also appeared in ancient Egyptian stories of renewal and fertility. The two stories tie in neatly with the Christian interpretation of Easter as a time of rebirth both religiously through Christ, and in nature.
Today, however, few people are aware of the mystical role rabbits played in the Easter celebration. Viewed from a strictly commercial standpoint, they are now seasonal objects consumed just like jelly beans.
But rabbits can live to be 8 to 12 years old, much more than a passing holiday fancy.
"It's one thing to get a rabbit if you're going to make a commitment to the animal for its entire life,'' said Kit. ``If you can't do that, it's better to give children a toy rabbit that does not require care, and when the child grows tired of it, it will not suffer from neglect.''
About a year ago, Kit Jagoda adopted out a white dwarf rabbit to an 8-year-old girl and her parents. The girl and her family committed to caring for the rabbit for its entire life, no matter how long - or expensive - that became.
The rabbit is a part of the family. To this day, Kit said, she still gets pictures of the bunny in its new home.
It would be wonderful if all the rabbits rescued by Kit and Pete Jagoda could find homes with such mature, compassionate people. But due to rampant unexpected breedings and rabbits mass produced for pet stores, there aren't enough good homes for all of them.
Too many rabbits, said Kit, must go through experiences like Princess, a black and white Dutch bunny abandoned in a cage on a snowbank on a Spokane County road with no shelter, no food and no water.
It is for such tragedies - and for the hope that they will one day cease - that Kit and Pete Jagoda have named their property Thumpqua, which according to Kit is the Spokane Indian word for rabbit.
The Jagodas named their sanctuary after their dog, River, who is battling cancer.
What will it take for a market-driven, urban society to understand how to properly meet the physical and emotional needs of the animals it takes into its homes?
The Jagodas believe the first step is educating the next generation, the children, to respect animals.
"The ironic thing is Easter is supposed to be a symbol of life,'' said Pete. ``Rabbits, all animals, are life, not commercial objects.''
Caption:
1. Pete Jagoda cradles a rescued rabbit that was caged and thrown into a snow bank. Photos by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review
2. Rescued rabbits relax in the hay on Kit and Pete Jagoda's farm.2 Color photos
Memo:
This sidebar appeared with the story:
HARE'S THE FACTS
Here's just some of what it takes to properly care for a rabbit:
- They must be spayed/neutered to stem a massive overpopulation problem, and to prevent cancer in their reproductive organs.
- They must have a proper diet, including the right type of roughage for removing hair balls (some vegetables cause diarrhea, which can lead to death).
- They must be brushed when shedding.
- They must live in a safe place, one with an optimum temperature of 60-70 degrees. They make great house pets and can be trained to use a litter box.
- They must be taken for regular checkups to a vet experienced with rabbits.
- They must be kept in a humane enclosure, one that allows freedom to run because they need daily exercise.
- Just part of their daily care includes providing fresh produce and hay, some pellets and water, exercise, and fresh litter box covering; grooming; and an opportunity to play with toys.
- Just part of their weekly care includes cleaning the rabbit house (removing floor covering or sponge cleaning permanent flooring); washing the house inside and out; washing the litter box; and removing old hay.
- Just part of their monthly care includes - clipping nails; checking feet, teeth, eyes, ears and nose for abnormalities; checking for unusual lumps and bumps; and checking for fleas and dandruff.
HOW TO HOP TO IT
Interested in applying to adopt a rescued rabbit? Visit www.petfinder.org
Copyright (c) 1998 The Spokesman-Review
Record Number: 9804030437
