TreasuredFriend wrote:
^ my thoughts exactly, pla'.
How sad that pets are pushed out when another fancy (novelty) comes along...
:soapbox
Boy oh boy have you ever hit on a sore spot with me - especially over the last few weeks.
You know - for the first 17 months or so that I had Zeus - it was like I couldn't connect with him. Sometimes I tried - sometimes I didn't and just gave up. I often wondered what was wrong with me.
It was when the animal communicator worked with him and I found out that he was SCARED of being returned to the shelter and therefore unable to connect with us - that we started to really connect and now I'm seeing his true personality come out - and wow - what a difference. I can tell already that he's feeling more secure because the little twerp is driving me up the wall and getting into mischief - and yet coming for pets and love all the time.
I hate the "my pet is a toy" mentality - almost like little girls playing Barbie dolls (oh here - I'll trade you this one for that one..) or like they're trading clothes or running out to buy new clothes because its a new season and they're tired of the old clothes.
Yeah...right.
I'm learning that animals (and rabbits) are more than things - they're more than just pets even. They're furry minature humans (in a way) that have feelings and fears and thoughts and dislikes and likes. They have emotions that can hurt and they can have relationships with people and other animals that can be broken if we're not careful.
I just hate this attitude - I really do. When I see it on this forum - it makes me :banghead:bangheadand Pipp has to continually remind me that "this is their rabbit - they can do what they want with it.". It really hurts though - especially when there is often one story told on this forum and a different story told on another one...then you really want to :crash- especially since as a mod you hear all sorts of things.
However - what it did do for me is to make me look at all of my bunnies and decide to commit to them thatI would not rehome them unless it was absolutely necessary (except for the flemish babies I'll have and even then - I will take them back if need be). We had talked aout rehoming some in the fall because now my girls have to live in cages and stuff - but I realized it is better for them to live in cages and get their playtime here - than to rehome them somewhere else and have them not understand why their lives got so changed.
I'm sorry - I'll step off my soapbox - I know y'all got more than your :twocentsfrom me.
I hope that whoever takes the rabbit from the Craigslist ad - makes a commitment to KEEP it and not trade it and pass it around, etc.
I need to remind myself that this forum is here to help the BUNNIES - even if sometimes the actions of people really make me hurt....