A set of horns goes to the Advocate for not being a friend to animals. I was appalled to see that you suggested live pet rabbits as a last minute gift idea for the holidays (Gift Guide, "Last-Minute Gift Ideas," Dec. 20, 2007). A pet rabbit is a serious, long-term commitment—rabbits can live longer than 10 years and require daily attention, fresh hay and vegetables, human contact, and indoor space to roam (not just a cage, as your blurb suggested). Many rabbits are brought home as pets because they seem cute and cuddly, but once their owners realize the commitment required, the rabbit is often neglected or abandoned (I myself stumbled on a domestic rabbit that had been abandoned in the woods in Shutesbury several years ago).
When it comes to giving pets as gifts, the Humane Society says, "Shelters too often bear the brunt of these unexpected gift decisions. When the recipient decides the pet is not that cute anymore, or too much work, or they just weren't ready for the responsibility, it is often the local shelter that takes in these animals. And because so many shelters are already filled to capacity… euthanasia is a possible ending to an already sad tale." If and when someone did make the significant decision to bring a rabbit or any other pet home, they should consider adopting rather than buying. There are numerous dogs, cats and rabbits that have been given up for adoption and need a home—just contact your local shelter.
Jordan Carduner
Northampton
Sorry to see that you suggested rabbits as a novelty Christmas gift for insufferable coworkers this year. Though I'm a Valley native, I've been living in Los Angeles for the past four years, where there are any number of committed organizations working to foster these sweet, patient, loving creatures, most of whom have been abandoned by the same flakes who are liable to be inspired by your article.
Thousands of domestic rabbits are disposed to the wild every year, particularly after Easter, where they typically survive for a number of days before succumbing to predators, cars, hunters, malnutrition, and even territorial wild rabbits. To top it off, many of those that beat the astronomical odds against being saved find themselves "recycled" into snake food. One way to reduce this pointless death is to encourage adoption, and rabbit rescue organizations have successfully persuaded even major corporate chain PetCo to stop selling bred rabbits in favor of hosting adoptions for their sheltered counterparts.
I suppose your paper gives Dave's a pass on being similarly responsible because you just don't care, but for the Advocate itself to go to the extent of suggesting that people foist off innocent animals on intolerable coworkers as some sort of a gag gift is loathsome—and doing so in the supposed spirit of the holidays is cruelly ironic.
Matvei Procak
Long Beach, Calif.
