Little Miracles Rabbit Rescue (EDIT: STOP THE NEGATIVITY!)

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Sweetie wrote:
RosL: so what I am getting is that you think that this situation is hopeless. That this is a never ending battle because she will always win. I am just trying to understand all of this.
No, not at all. It isn't easy and many things have been tried, so far without much success, but no, I don't think for a moment that it's hopeless, and I don't think I said or even hinted that.

I just want the discussion to stay focused on what is happening to the rabbits, rather than sidestepping to Kris' private life, which really I don't believe is relevant to this at all.

Several people who have contributed to this thread have personal experience of what has happened to the rabbits and other animals in LMRR. The word needs to be spread until enough people will take notice, including the proper authorities, so that action is taken, her activities are stopped, the animals in her 'care' are actually rescued from her and she gets the help she very clearly needs.
 
Yes at times it does seem hopeless...because she always manages to get away w/ everything...I just think of the rabbits and I will never give up!
 
RosL wrote:
Sweetie wrote:
RosL: so what I am getting is that you think that this situation is hopeless. That this is a never ending battle because she will always win. I am just trying to understand all of this.
No, not at all. It isn't easy and many things have been tried, so far without much success, but no, I don't think for a moment that it's hopeless, and I don't think I said or even hinted that.

I just want the discussion to stay focused on what is happening to the rabbits, rather than sidestepping to Kris' private life, which really I don't believe is relevant to this at all.

Several people who have contributed to this thread have personal experience of what has happened to the rabbits and other animals in LMRR. The word needs to be spread until enough people will take notice, including the proper authorities, so that action is taken, her activities are stopped, the animals in her 'care' are actually rescued from her and she gets the help she very clearly needs.
Thank you for explaining this. I think that digging into her private and work life will have a great effect. It will hold up in court and she will not win in court.

I hope that she does get the help she needs and those rabbits will get deserving homes that will take very good care of them.

 
Oh goodness. I recently found this forum, and I feel that I need to add my story to those already posted. Where to start? I am an ex-volunteer of LMRR Florida (2008-2009). While I was there, we had a wonderful group of volunteers who tried very very hard to make life better for the rabbits and other creatures under Ms. Corson’s care, and we finally all left when we could not take the awful conditions, illness, and death any longer.

Let me address some points and concerns from Pipp’s post. They are certainly valid points.

There are two sides to every story. I don't know any of these people, but I'm a journalist. We never believe anything at face-value. This campaign against Little Miracles has been going on for quite some time, and it appears to originate with one person, or a small group, the ever-present disgruntled ex-volunteer segment of the rescue world.

The complaints do not come from one person or group. LMRR originated in New Jersey, and yes, that is where the original group that spoke out against her came from. However, there have been several other groups of people who have spoken out again LMRR since then. I can only truly speak for the group that I was a part of, however, I have since listened to their stories, and based on the similarities of our experiences, I fully believe them. As for the group I was part of - several other volunteers, including myself, visited LMRR and naively thought we could fix it. I thought that Ms. Corson was simply overwhelmed and needed some help. We recruited lots of volunteers, worked for more donations, and worked extremely hard to make things better (Brings up another of Pipp’s points -
Do I think LM in can do a better job? With help and funds, yes, of course
-I do not share the same opinion, and this is why). After a while, it became clear that things were getting worse, not better, and not for a lack of effort on our part. Ms. Corson kept bringing in more rabbits after we repeatedly begged her not to – there were too many. When I left, she had run out of cages and actually had a bun living in the hay bin. Our “group” left in August of 2009. This does not include the odd volunteer here and there over this period of time who also gave up and left. This was a mass exodus of 7 or 8 volunteers. There was another mass exodus in summer 2010. I want to stress the point that NONE of these groups knew one another until AFTER leaving/dealing with LMRR. People look for others who have had similar experiences, and well, we found each other.

I am not merely a disgruntled volunteer. I was truly concerned by the things I was seeing. The decision to leave was agonizing, because I was horribly worried about the conditions the bunnies would be in after we all left. We were the only ones doing anything. I just couldn’t support her any more. I realized we were all enabling her. I would like to share some actual correspondence between myself and another volunteer before we left LMRR:

Yeah, I totally respect your decision to quit. I've been thinking about it for quite some time. I'm just tired of continually making excuses for Kristie… I'm just torn. I love those bunnies…I feel like I can't leave them...but at the same time, you're right...she's being enabled…Hmm...I just keep getting more and more disturbed about things… I wish we could start our own rescue! I want to be part of a rescue I'm proud of...not one where I'm constantly worrying about the welfare of the buns and fighting bad press (which is around for a reason).
(Quote from my actual email)

This is why we left. I don’t do this because I have tons of time on my hands (I don’t – I work a very strenuous job 45-55 hours a week, volunteer at another rescue, and have my own 2 buns, 2 guinea pigs, hamster, and fish tanks, plus a social life), nor do I do it because I have some sort of personal vendetta against Ms. Corson. I have my own opinions of her personally, but that’s neither here nor there with this issue. This issue is about the safety of the rabbits and other animals in her care.
Kris appears to be good at getting vet care and caring for the rabbits, she gets them spayed/neutered, she's good at fundraising, seems to be good at organizing volunteers, and she seems to be able to largely ignore the ridiculous rescue politics.

Yes, she APPEARS to be good at these things. The one thing I’ll agree on – she is good at fundraising. As for the rest – I personally witnessed many rabbits who needed vet care who did not get it. I can give you names of rabbits, particular instances, and approximate dates if you wish. She promised us she would bring the bun to the vet on her next day off. This almost never happened. These were rabbits who needed more than things like sub-q fluids or ear mite treatment. These were serious issues, like EC. I will not say she NEVER took any to the vet – she did occasionally, but this was not the norm. She is good at begging for volunteers, but she hated dealing with the day-to-day organization of it (and didn’t really take part), and therefore the job got delegated to me. I had to constantly fight to KEEP volunteers, as she tended to chase them away. She does get rabbits spayed/neutered, but there were a few we came across that were supposedly fixed, and were not. There were rabbits that sat there for a year or more before getting fixed. She may act like she is “above” rescue politics, but she most certainly is not. She has given her share of unprofessional rants.

To those who plan to visit and make a decision at her Open House – I can PROMISE you it will look sparkling clean that day. First of all, things are brand new. She’s had a rash of volunteers and donations. It will certainly not look dirty, and I can promise you that if there are any sick rabbits, they will be hidden elsewhere. I’ve participated in cleanups. I’ve seen her hide away sick rabbits. Of course it’s going to look nice at the open house. As others have suggested, go visit unexpectedly a few months down the line. Maybe even volunteer. Honestly, if she can keep things up and genuinely take proper care of the rabbits, I would be happy. It’s just that I’ve seen history repeat itself with her over and over – and now she’s got more room than ever. Look at it logically. This building she’s renting has a $1200/mo mortgage, not including utilities and other operating expenses. Her only income is donations and what her parents give her. Will she be able to keep that up, especially with a child on the way?

To finish…those pictures were not taken on “bad days”. That is how LMRR looked nearly every time we walked in. I only wish I could share the smell in the building with you. I can vouch for the first picture on the thread (the bunny in the dirty, small dog crate) – I took that photo on August 8[sup]th[/sup], 2009 in the LMRR Florida building. The rabbit in the photo was named Hollin. The other volunteers and I would spend about 12 hours every weekend cleaning all the cages. Ms. Corson RARELY assisted. I work full time. I did what I could, but I knew it wasn’t enough. I was typically over there at least twice a week (with one day being the all day clean-a-thon on the weekend). I simply didn’t have the time or the funds to do anything more. There were TOO MANY BUNNIES. We couldn't keep up. When the volunteers were unable to come, cleaning didn't happen. When we dumped litter pans, the bottoms were moving with maggots. The flies were awful. Fleas were a nightmare. Black widows made nests in the corners. There was filth everywhere. It was dreadfully hot. I saw more dead bunnies than I ever cared to see. Her personal bunny, Sophie, died in my arms, and Sophie’s son Foo died the next morning. Another rabbit, Faever, had already died that afternoon. I walked into the rescue and found him dead (covered in fleas). I was worried about some kind of epidemic. Ms. Corson said she was distraught and would take them in for necropsy right away. Those two bunnies were in the fridge for well over a week before a volunteer finally buried them in the backyard. I witnessed emaciated bunnies – and they were not emaciated upon arrival. In that first picture, I’m not sure where the “wood shavings” are? That’s the floor in back of the cage, covered in hay and poop. LMRR only uses water bottles. There was not water in that dish. When the volunteers did not feed and water, there were times when it was certainly not done on a daily basis. Ms. Corson regularly traveled to St. Petersburg on weekends (well, her weekend – she worked irregular hours), and she called me on several occasions (after she had arrived up there) to ask if I could go feed and water the bunnies. I was the only volunteer who lived close by with reliable transportation, so I was pretty much it. There were a couple times when she asked me this, and I was unable to go to the rescue due to other obligations. The bunnies did not get fed and watered on those occasions. I could go on with accounts of my experience, but I hope this is enough to get my point across.

The idea of jumping in and helping to make LMRR better is a noble one, but I fear a foolhardy one. You see, I’ve been there done that. It didn’t work. I am frankly ashamed that I ever supported her, but all of us were just trying to help the bunnies. As for what would happen to the buns if she did get shut down – well, I’m pretty sure there are a lot of folks who would be willing to help out.

I hope that in writing this, I have not come off as sounding merely like a “disgruntled volunteer”. These are my personal experiences, and I felt that I had to present them. You are free to make your own decision.
 
I asked this in a previous post of mine, but no one answered, has anyone contacted the House Rabbit Society? I really think they may be able to help you. I know each local chapter is different and I am lucky that I live in an area with a great local chapter. But I really think contacting the local chapter near where she has moved to, may help you guys keep watch, which would be really beneficial. I can tell you if you contacted my local chapter with this information. We would make frequent visits. That documentation would help.

I really do support you guys in what you are doing. I want to help. I saw those pictures and that was enough proof for me. If I walked into a place that looked like that, I would report them and do everything I could to help the poor rabbits who don't have a voice.
 
lagomorphlvr: Thank you for doing your best to help the rabbits when you could.

This lady, Kristi Corson, sounds to me like she is a hoarder and takes in rabbits without thinking about the cost to feed them and make sure that they are healthy.

It is terrible what she has done. She also sounds like she doesn't really care about the rabbits. If she did, she would take them to the vet all the time and not just on ocassion(sp).
 
the only time anybody does something about these kind of things is if there is a big stink about it...if alot of people are talkin about it then they listen.....theres a writer for Examiner.com that is at this moment looking for stories to write about bad Animal Rescues in preferrably the New Jersey area..
the link
Examiner writer
..and another website asking for info on bad rescues..
painfultruths
 
a good idea is try to contact a person who deals with animal hoarding, the mental aspect of it, and get their opinion on what a animal hoarder exactly is. then from there go to the state with evidence. hoarders are mentally ill and if convicted of animal hoarding and abuse can go to jail if they ever own another pet.
 
To everyone concerning, Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com , I've bought toys from this company for yrs. I recently sent them an email explaining why I would not purchase their toys due to the fact they were supporting lmrr. After emailing back and forth...with their permission, I'm re-posting their email to me. I don't want someone else or a business to suffer because of lmrr.

Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com


"As for LMRR, this entire issue has been very frustrating for us.

As a manufacturer of toys for rabbits we get donation requests ALL
the time. We do not have time to check into each and every rescue.
I never heard of LMRR until they posted on our wall asking people
to order toys and send them to them. I thought it was a grand idea so
we offered to match each order (we offer wholesale to rescues so by
matching it we where basically sending them toys at the wholesale
price).

Then all the crap hit the fan. Now we are accused of supporting them
AND accused of hating them at the same time. I decided that I was
going to end the conversation on our page. What are we supposed to do?
If it looks like we support LMRR we lose customers, if we look like we
do not support them we lose customers. Now we take a neutral stance
and we lose customers on both sides!



[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]That means we lose customers for something that has absolutely nothing
to do with us and nothing we where trying to get involved with in the first
place.
[/font]
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]
I am sure you have more info about LMRR than I do since you knew them.
We do not know them. We do not dispute anyones stories or facts but
I did not have any of this information when we decided to send them a donation.

If I would have know there was controversy I would not have made the offer
in the first place.

Here is how we will deal with this from now on: If they want to order our toys
wholesale, we will let them. However they will not be featured as a rescue
in any of our newsletters and they will not be chosen for donations in the future.
Such an action would spur too much controversy and we are not willing to go
down that road again.
I feel this is fair and hope others feel so as well.

Feel free to share this email with others, even LMRR supporters if you like.
We do not hate them or support them. We are a small, independent company.
We support our family by making toys for rabbits and selling them to rabbit lovers
all over the world. This is our main source of income. All I ask is that the LMRR
conversation takes place elsewhere, not on our page where we need to concentrate
on making and selling our products.

If you have any further questions or comments please send them to me. I am
happy to lay this issue to rest the best we can. Obviously at this point I can
not make everyone happy. We've been cornered and pulled into an issue that
has nothing to do with us simply because we did not know the history of a
rescue that requested a donation.

Thank you again and I look forward to hearing back from you!

Ali Thompson
http://www.pet-rabbit-toys.com"
[/font]


 
the only time anybody does something about these kind of things is if there is a big stink about it...if alot of people are talkin about it then they listen.....theres a writer for Examiner.com that is at this moment looking for stories to write about bad Animal Rescues in preferrably the New Jersey area.. the link Examiner writer ..and another website asking for info on bad rescues.. painfultruths

I live in Northern NJ and also write for Examiner.com...
My Examiner page

I'd be willing to write something up as well, preferably after the holiday season as I've already been working on articles for the holiday season and will also be taking some time off around Christmas.

But I'd like to maybe get some statements from ex-volunteers or even set up an email interview with someone if at all possible.

I've been following the issues with LMRR through a few different sources and although I've remainded relatively neutral so far, I'm finding the testimonials from ex-volunteers and other rabbit rescues harder and harder to ignore. I think I'll also try to get out to LMRR sometime in the next couple of months, after the open house to see how things are going.
 
fsubunnee wrote:
To everyone concerning, Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com , I've bought toys from this company for yrs. I recently sent them an email explaining why I would not purchase their toys due to the fact they were supporting lmrr. After emailing back and forth...with their permission, I'm re-posting their email to me. I don't want someone else or a business to suffer because of lmrr.

Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]
[/font]
Thanks for posting their message, fsubunnee I think it would be unfair for the company to lose business simply because they tried to support a rescue, which was a generous act on their part. I hope anybody here who wants to buy rabbit toys will not let this company's former support for LMRR's rabbits put them off. After all, we all want to help the rabbits.
 
RosL wrote:
fsubunnee wrote:
To everyone concerning, Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com , I've bought toys from this company for yrs. I recently sent them an email explaining why I would not purchase their toys due to the fact they were supporting lmrr. After emailing back and forth...with their permission, I'm re-posting their email to me. I don't want someone else or a business to suffer because of lmrr.

Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com
[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"]
[/font]
Thanks for posting their message, fsubunnee I think it would be unfair for the company to lose business simply because they tried to support a rescue, which was a generous act on their part. I hope anybody here who wants to buy rabbit toys will not let this company's former support for LMRR's rabbits put them off. After all, we all want to help the rabbits.
Pet-Rabbit-Toys.com makes awesome toys at great prices. I don't think that their former support of this rescue should reflect on whether any bunny lover's buy their toys. I have bought their toys in the past and will continue to support them.



 
Amy27 wrote:
I asked this in a previous post of mine, but no one answered, has anyone contacted the House Rabbit Society?
Waiting for an answer to this as well.

I joined the Bunny Justice Facebook page and looked at all the pictures. Clearly they were taken at LMRR.
The conditions were deplorable and inexcusable in my opinion, especially for a rescue.
 
Happi Bun wrote:
Amy27 wrote:
I asked this in a previous post of mine, but no one answered, has anyone contacted the House Rabbit Society?
Waiting for an answer to this as well.

I joined the Bunny Justice Facebook page and looked at all the pictures. Clearly they were taken at LMRR.
The conditions were deplorable and inexcusable in my opinion, especially for a rescue.
I've seen you ask this a couple of times. Sorry nobody has replied. I believe contact has been made, but will check with some of the contacts I have and let you know.
 
The president (Kristie) states in a message of defense that the bad conditions happened when she was in and out of the hospital after being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.
 
Happi Bun wrote:
The president (Kristie) states in a message of defense that the bad conditions happened when she was in and out of the hospital after being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.
She will have an excuse for everything....she had volunteers when she was in the hospital...there is NO excuse for these conditions!!! If your going to own/run a rabbit rescue....you need to be responsible...have back up plans, limit the # of animals you take in...
 

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