Summer 2016 - Rabbit Advocates

PROVIDING
INSIGHT
INTO THE
LIVES OF
HOUSE
RABBITS
SUMMER 2016
THE
RABBIT ADVOCATE
Bunny’s Best Bites has new location
Championships, the Olympic size track
is used for national and international
bicycle races.
the Rabbit Advocate medical fund, which pays
for spays and neuters of rabbits and offsets some
costs of other medical procedures.
The dairy may be best known for its
Christmas in Dairyville. Dairyville is the
farm’s western frontier storefront town.
The Christmas tradition includes holiday
movies in the Opera house, concerts by
local choirs, story book land and visits
from Santa. The event requires nearly
400 volunteers and Tracey has requested
Rabbit Advocate volunteers to help with
this event.
Bunny’s Best Bites needs volunteers. Please go to
the Rabbit Advocate website for more information
about Bunny’s Best Bites and how to join the hay
packing parties.
Alpenrose Dairy is located at 6149 SW Shattuck
Road in Portland. For more information about
the dairy, go to its web site at Alpenrose.com.
Rabbit Advocates would like to sincerely
thank Evelyn Roeloffs, who for years
allowed Bunny’s Best Bites hay to be
stored at her home and for volunteers on
a monthly basis to use her garage to mix
and bag the hay.
Alpenrose has been a Portland company for 100 years and
stepped up to help Rabbit Advocates and Bunny’s Best Bites.
The bunnies are grateful. (Photo by Dave Marvin)
Rabbit Advocates is excited to announce the
new location for its Bunny’s Best Bites program.
Alpenrose Dairy, a local company celebrating
its 100th anniversary this year, has generously
offered space in its barn for hay storage and
packing activities.
The dairy, located in Southwest Portland, has
been at its current location since 1916. The dairy
has been in operation for 100 years, owned and
managed by the same family.
Tracey Cadonau McKinnon, events coordinator
for Alpenrose Dairy, offered Rabbit Advocates
this space. Rabbit Advocates is grateful for the
family’s generosity.
The dairy is busy all year long and hosts wellknown special events. The farm hosts an Easter
Egg hunt each year and is home to the Alpenrose
Velodrome, one of only 20 bicycle racing tracks in
the United States. Built in 1967 for the National
Bunny’s Best Bites is a custom blend of
high-quality hay, specially created for
companion rabbits. Volunteers blend and bag
the hay. Proceeds from sale of the hay goes to
2016
FEATURED ON
PAGES 4 & 5
Welcome to the Secret life
of Rabbit Advocate artists
Unless employed by an animal shelter or a
veterinary care center, taking care of companion
pet rabbits is not a paid profession. Most people
who share their homes with rabbits do so because
they love the rabbits, not because they are paid
to perform the duty. So pet care is already a
personal avocation.
For some Rabbit Advocate volunteers, sharing a
home with rabbits has inspired even more personal
pursuits. This issue of The Rabbit Advocate opens
the door of a number of volunteers’ homes and
invites readers in. In addition to rabbits, readers
will find a lot of activity in these homes. And
the activities are artistic in nature, ranging from
writing to fiber and paper art to creating entire
worlds in miniature. There is a tremendous
amount of creativity within the Rabbit Advocate
volunteer base. This issue peeks at just a little of
it and profiles some of the artists who make it.
Clover on the Moon
by Sarah Yasutake
“Look,” Grandma says. And she shows me how
the moon’s gray spots make a picture of a rabbit.
“In Japan, people say that the moon rabbit is
holding a wooden mallet and pounding rice to
make mochi.”
Grandma is Japanese, like my dad. She makes me
mochi to eat on New Year’s Day. It’s gooey and a
little sweet. I like it.
“Grandma,” I ask, “Where did the moon rabbit
come from?”
“I’m not sure,” she says. “I suppose the moon rabbit
came from someone’s imagination. I remember my
grandmother showing it to me when I was a girl,
and her grandmother probably showed it to her.
No matter how things change here on Earth, the
moon rabbit is always there.”
My bunny Clover is soft and white. He has a
twitchy pink nose, and he loves parsley. He nibbles
everything. I give him lots of hay and apple twigs
to keep him busy.
Grandma loves to see Clover when she visits.
Clover loves Grandma, too. He likes to nibble
her shoelaces.
“Naughty little bunny,” Grandma scolds. But she
smiles when she says it. She pets Clover’s long,
silky ears. Clover closes his eyes and makes a happy
little sound with his teeth.
One morning after Grandma arrives, she calls me
over to look out the window. “The moon is out,”
she says, pointing up at the sky.
The sky is clear and blue, but up high I see the
moon, round and white.
“Why is the moon out during the day?” I ask.
Everyone knows the moon comes out at night.
“Maybe the moon rabbit wanted to pay us a visit
today,” Grandma says.
“The moon rabbit?”
“Haven’t you ever seen the rabbit on the moon?”
Grandma asks.
I shake my head. “No.” I picture Clover hopping
around on the moon, looking for something to eat.
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Just then, Clover hops over and starts nibbling
Grandma’s shoelaces. “Oh, Clover,” she says. “One
of these days we’ll send you up to the moon!” She
reaches in her pocket and pulls out a small piece
of carrot. Clover leaves Grandma’s shoelaces alone
and munches the carrot.
“I wish we could always be together,” I say. “You,
me, and Clover.”
“I do, too,” Grandma says. “I have an idea. From
now on, let’s pretend that the moon rabbit is
Clover. Whenever we miss each other, we’ll look
at the moon and imagine it’s Clover up there in
the sky, and he’ll bring us together.”
“Yes,” I say. “And when the moon gets smaller, it’s
because Clover is nibbling it!”
Grandma laughs. “I bet Clover would nibble the
moon, if he only could.”
Now, when I miss Grandma, I only need to wait
for the moon to come out so I can see Clover—
Clover on the moon.
Editor’s note: Sarah Yasutake has been a volunteer
with Rabbit Advocates since 2000. She and her
husband Kevin live in Maryland with their two
daughters. Sarah is a writer, enjoying the process
of writing short stories and even a full-length
novel. She also contributes considerable time to
Rabbit Advocates as a researcher and writer for this
newsletter. The illustration that accompanies this
story was drawn by Kevin Yasutake.
Ingrid
Bartlett
There is almost no creative endeavor that Ingrid
Barlett has not undertaken. The 14-year-old draws,
paints, sculpts, needle felts and writes short stories.
Last summer she was one of 30 students chosen
to participate in a workshop focused on creative
writing.
Ingrid has two pet rabbits and belongs to a 4-H
group based in Clackamas County, Oregon, and
she shows rabbits at the county fair. She and
her rabbits Momo and Lollipop demonstrate
agility training for rabbits. Ingrid and her friend
Gretchen Pauli were the subject of a story in The
Rabbit Advocate when they came to a Rabbit
Advocate meeting and helped uninitiated rabbits
and caretakers have fun running an agility course.
For more information, see the article entitled “Young
volunteers and their rabbits delight through agility
demonstrations” in the Summer, 2014, newsletter.
Archived newsletters can be found on the Rabbit
Advocate website at www.rabbitadvocates.org.
Dominique Chishti:
Two Flower Photography
Dominique Chishti believes all creatures are beautiful
and works hard to create photographic proof of this
truth. (Photo by Dominique Chishti)
Some of her subjects don’t take directions well.
Dominique Chishti is a native Oregonian, a
Portland State University graduate and a staff
member at an insurance agency. But that’s not
who she really is or what she really does. What she
really does is capture the personality of animals
through photography.
While her introduction to photography started
wit h beautif u l scener y during hikes a nd
backpacking trips, Dominique’s avocation
became a profession when she established Two
Flower Photography in 2015. She was inspired to
take this step after reading an article about how
professional portraiture helps shelter dogs find
forever homes. Dominique loves all animals but
gravitates to rabbits and guinea pigs.
“After reading the article about shelter dogs, I
thought ‘why not guinea pigs?’ Their lives are
as valid as a dog’s and they are badly served by
common misinformation and human hubris,”
Dominique says. “I thought that if I could take
the time to capture their personalities on camera it
might help people see them as living individuals.”
The Rabbit Advocate
The Rabbit Advocate is published
three times a year.
Editor: Leann Bleakney
Layout: Peggy Pfenninger Reed
of P-Town Prints + Designs! LLC
Photographer: Kem Sypher
Writers: Sarah Yasutake,
Guin Boostrom
Proofreader: Joan Gilbert
Because she had already been working with the
Portland Guinea Pig Rescue, photographing the
rescued pigs seemed like a creative way to help
the organization. Dominique connected with
the guinea pig rescue because of Bonniebell, a
pig she rescued from a terrible living situation.
Bonniebell is “certifiably the most beautiful
guinea pig in the world,” Dominique says. As
proof, she has a certificate saying as much, signed
by her veterinarian, Dr. Mark Burgess.
Her desire to unveil the beauty and charm of
these small animals is the root of Dominique’s
inspiration and what drives her efforts to improve.
“The biggest disappointment about photography
is that it’s actually hard work,” she says. “I had
this idea that it would be ‘point-and-shoot’ and
everything would look amazing. It’s not easy, it’s
actually strenuous, engaging work.”
Dominique’s reward is the reaction she gets from
pet parents when they see her finished portraits. “I
photographed a woman’s guinea pigs and she said
that it was like seeing whole new aspects of her
pets’ personalities; another client said she started
crying when she saw a photo of her rescue dog
looking up at her with this totally trusting face.”
Working with small animals, especially guinea
pigs and rabbits, is its own challenge, Dominique
says. Dogs and even cats might be enticed into
looking in a specific direction, or sitting still.
Rabbits tend not to take directions so well. “I
usually spend the first 10 minutes of a bunny
shoot just firing off shots so they acclimate to
and then ignore the shutter sound,” Dominique
says. “If I’m quiet and stay out of the way then
they start to act naturally, and I’m able to
catch their personalities. They’re beautifully
unselfconscious. They don’t have human ego or
foresight. If they worry, it’s not about whether or
not they’ll look nice in their picture. They can
only be Themselves. And every one of them is
beautiful.”
Dominique offers portraiture services and more
information about scheduling can be found
on her website at www.twoflowerphotography.
com. “I hope to be able to work with many other
types of animal in the future - anything, really,
from tarantulas to tortoises,” she says. “Any pet
and every pet deserves to have their moment of
glamour, and I am happy to help them have it.”
For more information, contact Dominique at
www.twoflowerphotography.com. You can find
her on Facebook, again at twoflowerphotography.
For more information about guinea pigs, contact
the Portland Guinea Pig Rescue at w w w.
pdxguineapigs.org.
Milo the rabbit enjoys a little grooming time in the sun.
(Photo by Dominique Chishti)
RA Board of Directors
President: Dr. Melinda Surrency
Vice-President: Karen Anderson
Recording Secretary: Kate Brownlie
Treasurer: Kem Sypher
Volunteer Coordinator: Lora Skelton
Advisory Veterinarian: Dr. Katrina Ramsell
Mary Marvin
Kathleen Slinde
Allen Anderson
June Yamrick
Mary Huey
Joan Gilbert
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B
U
N
N
Y
Welcome to Bunnypalooza 2016
On Nov. 5, 2016, head to the Washington
County Fairgrounds Cloverleaf Building
for a full day focused on companion
rabbits. Adoptable rabbits, rabbit savvy
veterinarians, unique gifts and new
bunny supplies will be featured.
Three of the exhibitors and vendors
featured at Bunnypalooza 2016 are
prof i le d here. T he y—a nd R a bb it
Advocates—look forward to seeing you
in November.
LORRAINE BUSHEK
Paintings perfectly illustrate companion pet
rabbit message
Lorraine Bushek has been an artist nearly
her entire life. She started drawing in her
books before she could read. She studied
graphic design and scientific illustration
at Oregon State University. Her chosen
medium is oil painting. She has been with
Rabbit Advocates since the organization’s
earliest days as a loosely coordinated group
of volunteers and after the organization’s
incorporation, she served on its board of
directors. She has rescued and fostered
countless rabbits.
Af ter retir ing f rom Portland General
Electr ic in 2000 Lor ra ine’s goal was
to return to oil painting. She started
focusing on rabbits as the subject of her
paintings, and in 2008 she began a series
called “Rabbits Belong on Chairs.” The
paintings captured rabbits as they relaxed
on chairs in their homes. These were
not rabbits “caught” sneaking up on the
chairs, nor were they posed on the chairs.
The word “belong” was intentional and
meant to highlight rabbits as companion
pets in the home.
A later series of paintings called “Grumpy
Rabbits” focused on bunnies’ personalities.
Lorraine, at the time, shared her studio
with a rabbit and was inspired by the
animal’s movement and the curves of her
body. “I have been painting rabbits as a
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subject for so long, and observing them
for so long, that I really understand how
they move, the elements of the structure
of their bodies,” Lorraine said. “I try to
bring that to my work.”
Lorraine has ser ved on the board of
directors for the Oregon Society of Artists,
as well as serving as the organization’s
Gallery Chairman. Lorraine has a web
s i t e a n d s h o w s h e r w o r k a t w w w.
lorrainebushek.com.
In the spring of 2017, Trinity Episcopal
Cathedral in NW Portland is having a
solo show of her work, with a focus on
rabbits and eggs during the Easter season.
Lorraine agreed to the show only if she
could include the message that rabbits
are not “Easter” pets but instead are
companion pets and deserve a long-term
commitment. She also secured permission
for Rabbit Advocates to be involved in
the show. The cathedral agreed and
have welcomed the message of rabbits
as companion pets. The Rabbit Advocate
will publish dates for the gallery showing
early in 2017.
Lorraine’s work is highly sought-after
and she sells her paintings all over the
world. She has been featured in group
art shows through the Oregon Society of
Artists and has had solo shows, including
one last summer during Portland’s “First
Thursday” monthly art show. For more
information, see her website at www.
lorrainebushek.com.
P
A
L
BUNNYPALOOZA
2016 Vendor List
(as of July 18, 2016)
Azure Rabbit (handmade bunnythemed jewelry)
B & B Ranch (handmade rabbit
beds)
Bunnies in Baskets
Bunfectionary (gourmet bunny
treats)
Buxton Feed Company (locally
produced rabbit food)
Elvis Parsley (organic willow
wreaths)
Hillsboro Veterinary Clinic
Leith Petwerks (house rabbit
habitats/bunny condos)
Lombard Animal Hospital
Lorraine Bushek, artist
MudBay (pet supplies)
Patricia Rubinelli (rabbit
photographer)
PDX Guinea Pig Rescue
SS Bunny Imports (rabbit decals,
stickers and signs)
Help wanted:
Bunnypalooza
needs you!
Volunteers are needed to
help make this unique and
fun event a success.
To volunteer for the big
event, contact Cherrie at
cjctree@hotmail.com.
See you there!
O
O
Z
CINDY FAULK
Circular rescuing: receiving then giving, help
Cindy Faulk describes herself as a Rabbit
Advocate volunteer, a nature lover, a
bunny hugger and a creativity junkie.
Her interests are broad and varied, which
she attributes to having equal left-brain
and right-brain proficiencies, utilizing
both the analytical and artistic sides of
her mind.
Ci ndy loves gemstones f rom bot h
geological and metaphysical perspectives
but her current artistic focus is on making
art jewelry, often with a rabbit theme.
She particularly enjoys creating what is
called “cold-connection jewelry” which
includes wire wrapping and wire weaving,
as well as metal etching and soldering.
She has recently become intrigued with
metal piercing, a technique she plans to
showcase during Bunnypalooza 2016.
Cindy has been artistic her entire life. She
took that interest and skill for granted
and thought it was not a big deal until a
recent series of events. “That recent series
of events involved fostering a very unique
and special rabbit, which came with an
almost overwhelming financial burden due
to medical issues,” she says. “However,
a number of individuals, mostly Rabbit
Advocate volunteers, came to MY rescue,
helping in any way they could, which was
incredibly humbling, to say the least.”
R abbit Advocate volunteer L or ra i ne
Bushek helped in a very specific way.
Lorraine painted an oil portrait of Cindy’s
foster rabbit to raise money for the
bunny’s medical expenses. “Still to this
day, just remembering this gift brings
tears to my eyes,” Cindy says. “That event
inspired me to focus my artistic talents in
a direction with meaning, one that would
enable me to ‘pay it forward.’ I’m currently
planning the opening of an Etsy store for
my jewelry later this summer that will,
hopefully, enable me to do just that--pay
it forward.”
C i nd y w i l l b e a f e at u re d a r t i s t at
Bunnypalooza 2016.
A
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LEITH PETWERKS
“Only the best for your bunny”
Dinkum was a wedding gif t Scot and
Amy Leith gave to each other when they
married in 1992. Like so many companion
rabbits, Dinkum was adopted in June,
having been an “Easter leftover” rabbit.
“We really didn’t know much about bunnies
at the time,” Amy admits. “But he stole
our hearts.”
L eith Pet werks showcased its bunny
condos during Bunnypalooza 2015 and
they will be back this year, selling multistory homes for rabbits. The condos, called
“Bunny Abodes,” are made of high-quality
materials and are custom created. In
addition, Leith Petwerks sells supplies
rabbits need, including carriers, exercise
pens, watering systems, food bowls and
other toys, treats and grooming supplies.
Before Leith Petwerks became a singular
source for rabbit suppl ies, there was
Dinkum, and a newly married couple who
loved him completely.
Always interested in the manufacturing
process, Scot set out to build a home
for Dinkum when the couple couldn’t
f ind any thing they really l iked. One
constructed home for Dinkum became
another and soon Scot found himself
selling the condos through the local pet
supply store in Bloomington, Indiana.
While Scot concentrated on perfecting
bunny condos, Amy started learning all she
could about rabbits. Living in the Midwest,
Amy notes that people thought of rabbits
as livestock rather than pets. But she was
not alone in her delight of these creatures
as companion pets. She found a copy of the
House Rabbit Handbook and soon became
an educator with the House Rabbit Society.
The process of focusing the publ ic’s
attention on rabbits as companion pets was
not easy, Amy acknowledges. But about
six years after they adopted Dinkum, Amy
joined with a new House Rabbit Society
educator and together they created the
Indiana House Rabbit Society Chapter.
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Today, even though Amy and Scot live
in Oregon, Amy still retains the title of
honorary co-manager.
The chapter worked hard to build momentum
in the state, under the leadership of Amy
and co-founder Dawn Sailer. They developed
a foster program, hosted adoption events
and worked w ith local businesses to
place educational information about pet
rabbits. Amy says the group was also
called in by local municipalities to help
in cases of abuse and neglect. “That’s
something I’m really proud of: we built an
organization that our local humane society
and law enforcement agencies trusted and
respected enough to call and ask for help,”
Amy says.
Scot ’s work to c reate r a bbit condos
continued to grow. Leith Petwerks, initially
housed in a friend’s garage, sold condos,
but customer need drove the business
to add other supplies. Soon the business
outgrew the garage. It outgrew a small
barn. It outgrew a three-car garage. It
outgrew a light industrial space. After a
few years, Scot and Amy bought a “really
funky” old historic building in Gosport,
Indiana. After visiting Oregon in 1998,
Scot and Amy knew they wanted to live in
Oregon. So to Salem they came.
W h ile t he bu s i ness concent rates on
products for rabbits, the Leiths spend
considerable time with their own rabbits.
Amy went from pledging to never have
foster rabbits to once having 13. She
couldn’t resist taking in Charmin, the big
white New Zealand rabbit that had head
tilt. Currently, they have three rabbits of
their own. Each hold the title of Product
Tester.
Through it all, Scot and Amy remain
“bunny people,” as Amy describes it, and
the couple’s quest is to continue to connect
with other “bunny people.”
For more information about Leith Petwerks,
visit the website at petwerks.com
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Thank You
to Our Vets!
We gratefully acknowledge
the generosity of the following
veterinarians and staffs for their
services to our rescued rabbits:
Dr. Katrina Ramsell
Northwest Exotic Pet Vet
Dr. Chris Wilson
Beaverton Pet Clinic, Beaverton
Dr. Mark Burgess
Southwest Animal Hospital,
Beaverton
Dr. Sheri Schlorman
Creswell Veterinary Hospital,
Creswell
Dr. Melinda Surrency
Hillsboro Veterinary Clinic,
Hillsboro
Dr. Doug Ferro
Barclay Hills Animal Clinic,
Oregon City
Dr. Nell Ostermeier
Lombard Animal Hospital, Portland
Dr. Peter Davis
St. Johns Veterinary Clinic,
Portland
Dr. Rebecca Prull
NW Neighborhood Vet Hospital,
Portland
Dr. Ken DeReamer
Dr. Monica Pollock
Paws and Claws Pet Medical
Center, Troutdale
and Peninsula Dog and Cat Clinic,
Portland
Dr. Matt Fricke
McKenzie Animal Hospital,
Springfield
We’d love to add more names to this list!
Please call us at 503-617-1625 if you are
a rabbit-savvy vet who is able to donate
services to help rescued rabbits.
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Kiley Tanabe: Proof of the
healing power of art
Kiley Tanabe creates small woodland creatures
from fluffy wool, poking it over and over with a
sharp, barbed needle to get the shapes just right.
She builds the creatures slowly, compacting the
wool to give the shape structure, adding colors
to develop the creature’s character. The process is
called “needlefelting,” and it can be used to make
free-standing shapes as Kiley has done, or even
embellish other fabrics.
The technique takes advantage of the characteristics
of natural fibers to shrink and compact when
treated harshly, as anyone who has accidentally
shrunk or “felted” a wool sweater by washing it
in the washing machine can confirm. Kiley “felts”
her wool on purpose, and the harshness to which
she treats it is the sharp needle that repeatedly
compacts and shapes the creatures.
Kiley began needlefelting a couple of years ago
when she developed a terrible bout of bronchitis.
She suffers from asthma, which makes her lungs
vulnerable if she contracts a cold. A cold led
to bronchitis and Kiley coughed so hard she
tore the muscles in her rib cage. Her doctor
prescribed bed rest so that the muscles could
heal. In desperation for a project she could do
while bedridden, Kiley found an online video on
needlefelting. Soon she gathered the materials she
needed and began creating her own little woolen
friends. Her first creation? A rabbit, of course,
inspired by the companion rabbits with whom
she shares her home.
Already a knitter and crocheter, Kiley feels
needlefelting is a natural step in her dive into
fiber-related art and craft. Her ultimate goal is
to open her home to a couple of angora rabbits,
which will provide her with the woolen material
to needle felt. Angora rabbits are the only rabbits
that produce the long, sticky locks that can be
turned into fiber creations, including the needle
felted creations Kiley makes.
Kiley can be found on Etsy under the shop name
CottonRabbitDesigns.
Mary Marvin: Returning to the
art— and subjects—she loves
Mary Marvin
doe s it a l l,
l iter a l ly.
She a nd her
husband Dave
rescue rabbits,
foster rabbits,
care for
rabbits, serve
a s volu nteer
project leads
for R abbit
Advocates and
Mary serves on the organization’s board of
directors. With all that hard work, it is surprising
that Mary has the energy to draw and paint. But
it’s not surprising that she wants to, because it is
both a creative outlet for her and she most often
chooses as her main focus domestic and wild
animals.
while raising my family.” When the Marvins’
youngest daughter was graduating from high
school, Mary decided to become involved in
pursuits she enjoyed to alleviate the impending
“empty nest syndrome.” It was a pleasant
circumstance that both mother and daughter
ended up at Portland Community College taking
art classes together. The two took drawing,
sculpture and a pastel painting class.
“I have been interested in art since childhood,”
Mary says, “but I put off art for about 30 years
For more information about Mary’s paintings,
contact her at mkmarvin@frontier.com.
“It was the pastel class that reminded me how
much I enjoy working with this medium,” Mary
says. “As I concentrated on the pastels, my
technique began improving as well. Today my
main focus is painting animals, both wild and
domestic. I would like to paint the likenesses of
my rabbits, but they don’t seem to hold still long
enough for a photo, so forget about them sitting
for a painting!”
Sarah Funseth Baran:
Creating miniature worlds
Sarah Funseth Baran began creating her intricate,
detailed dioramas as a creative outlet to celebrate
her rabbits’ personalities. Her pieces range from a
single scene to an entire furnished dollhouse, with
bunnies in every room. It is not difficult to see that
in each, there is an abundance of bunny poop.
Nearly all of the materials Sarah uses in her
dioramas are recycled or repurposed items,
found in a variety of places. The dioramas
are fantastically detailed and allow Sarah the
opportunity to both focus intently and the chance
to be creative.
Sarah explains that some of her rabbits are
wonderf ul therapy rabbits outside of the
home. Sarah is the director of Bunnies in
Baskets, an organization focused on visits with
rabbits trained to be therapy animals. Sarah
maintains the organization’s website at www.
bunniesinbaskets.org.
Sarah’s creations are sometimes for sale. She can
be reached at sarah.baran@aol.com and through
the Bunnies in Baskets website.
RABBIT BENEFACTOR
Monte Wagner, in appreciation of
Pamela Wagner
Heather Maurer Bechtel
Diane Shank
Michael Smith
Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply
Your Cause LLC
RABBIT SPONSOR
Jennifer Green
Kimberly Daum
Jacki Gerdes: Hallmark’s
got nothing on her
“My first card ideas began with humor,” Jacki
says. “One card I made depicted a woman lying
comatose on her back with the phrase: ‘dying
for chocolate’. Today, bunnies and cats are my
main themes.”
Carolyn Ackerman of Let Carolyn
Paint It
Karen and Pat Stelter
Matthew Lass, in appreciation of
Cindy Faulk
Katherine Klinko and Carolyn
Emrick, in memory of Buster
Bunny
Julia Heydon, in memory of Maggie
Lorraine Bushek
The bunny poop (it’s actually poppy seeds
sprinkled around) featured in the dioramas are a
nod to her pets’ home behavior.
She became interested in stamping designs
and illustrations several years ago after seeing
a coworker’s wonderful handmade cards. This
coworker introduced Jacki to the creative outlet
of stamping and from there, Jacki began making
greeting cards.
RABBIT ANGEL
RABBIT RESCUER
While Sarah’s therapy bunnies exhibit excellent
behavior outside her home during therapy visits,
they behave completely differently at home.
“Quite honestly, they are terrors,” Sarah explains.
“My rabbits tear up my cookbooks—on the
kitchen table—chase the cat and don’t appear to
feel any remorse when I discuss with them my
basic expectations for their behavior.”
Jacki Gerdes provides sentiments for others. She
makes greeting cards, many of which include
themes of pet rabbits and cats.
KUDOS
Jacki and her husband Kevin have been Rabbit
Advocate volunteers for many years. They have
rescued rabbits, fostered rabbits, and spent
countless hours caring for their own rabbits. Jacki
helps support Rabbit Advocates through her card
making as well. A percentage of the proceeds
from the sale of rabbit themed cards go into the
Rabbit Advocate Medical Fund.
Jacki says she is pleased to accept orders for
cards, and will create personalized cards with
or without sentiments on the inside. For more
information and to place an order, email Jacki
at choclattcatt@hotmail.com.
RABBIT FRIEND
Kathryn Fischer
Kathleen Tierney
Kathi Lamm, in memory of Patches
John Zalewski, in memory of Bruno
and Phoebe
Kristi Johnson-James
iPro Service
Barbara Ray
Joel M. Babin, in appreciation of my
rabbit friends
Connie Kenney
Rabbit Advocates is grateful for these
generous donations. All donations
made after July. 1, 2016, will be
acknowledged in the next issue of The
Rabbit Advocate. All donations are
tax deductible and are very much
appreciated.
7
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Portland, OR
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
™
Permit No. 2191
Rabbit Advocates
PO Box 14235
Portland
Oregon
97293-0235
Helpline:
503.617.1625
Website:
rabbitadvocates.org
“Promoting
the Welfare of
Domestic Rabbits”
Upcoming Meetings & Events 2016
General Meetings
Bunny’s Best Bites
Education & Adoption Outreaches
3rd Sunday of the month
3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Hay Packing Parties
Rabbit Advocates sponsors educational events featuring
adoptable foster rabbits along with tips on rabbit
handling, diet, housing, health and general care.
Experienced volunteers provide grooming and nail
trimming services for rabbits (suggested donations
of $5 for nail trims and $5 for light grooming are
appreciated). Outreaches are held the second Sunday
of each month from noon-3 pm at the Tigard Petco
at 11705 SW Pacific Highway, Tigard, Oregon. For
more information, see the Rabbit Advocate website at
www.rabbitadvocates.org
2016 Dates
AUG 14
NOV 13
SEP 11
DEC 11
OCT 9
Location: Humane Society for SW
Washington, 1100 NE 192nd Ave.,
Vancouver, WA
Meetings begin with a “Bunny
Basics” Q & A session where we
invite your questions about any
aspect of rabbit care. The public
is welcome!
2016 Dates
SEP 18
NOV 20
OCT 16
DEC 18
*Rabbit Advocates will not be holding a monthly
meeting during the months of July and August. Check our web site for more information.
Volunte e r s blend and bag dif fe rent
types of hay to create Bunny’s Best
Bites, our own custom blend of hay. For
more information about the hay parties,
see the Rabbit Advocate website at
www.rabbitadvocates.org
NEW Location:
Alpenrose Dairy
6149 SW Shattuck Road
Portland, OR
2016 Dates
AUG 6
NOV 5
SEP 3
DEC 3
OCT 1
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