Bunnies and Easter go hand-in-hand, but when deciding on giving a rabbit as an Easter gift, consider the chocolate, candy and stuffed animal toy kind first, and if you’re really serious, then think about ADOPTing a rabbit. Adding a real, live rabbit to your family should be a well thought-out decision.
SUNSHINE is currently available at the ARL’s Boston shelter.
Here’s what you should know about rabbits:
They should live indoors.
They have a lifespan of about 10 years.
Rabbits are sensitive and can be stressed out by small children.
They like to chew on cords and furniture, so your home must be bunny-proofed.
Rabbits should be neutered or spayed or they will mark your house.
Marianne G., Manager of our Boston shelter, has the following advice “if you are thinking about adopting a rabbit this Easter remember to ask yourself the question, ‘Was I interested in a rabbit before Spring or am I getting caught up by the holiday fever?’” She also notes that “rabbits make fun and entertaining pets. It can be an exciting surprise to add one to your family at Easter time as long as you have considered the commitment and the care that will last long after you’ve devoured your last Cadbury Crème Egg!”
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and yesterday marked the beginning of Animal Cruelty and Human Violence Awareness Week.
Your dog can raise awareness about animal cruelty by wearing one of the ARL’s doggy t-shirts!
Starting this weekend when you make a $25 donation at any of the ARL’s shelters in Boston, Brewster, or Dedham you’ll receive a limited release “See Something, Say Something” doggie t-shirt.
Thank You Amelia Hughes, Urban Grape & Polka Dog Bakery
This past Saturday, the Urban Grape – a neighborhood wine store with locations in Boston’s South End and Chestnut Hill – held a B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Dog) wine tasting event at their shops and donated 10% of Saturday’s sales to the Animal Rescue League of Boston. They raised $1500 for our shelter animals!
We’d like to extend a special thank you to Amelia Hughes, an extraordinarily generous volunteer and donor, and member of the ARL’s Board of Overseers, who was named Urban Grape’s customer of the month and selected the ARL as her charity of choice!
While humans were enjoying tasting various wines, Polka Dog Bakery was on site providing snacks of the canine-kind for all of the dogs in attendance. They generously donated all proceeds from treats purchased at the tasting to the ARL.
Thank you to everyone who helped support the animals at the ARL through this event! We are so very grateful to have such a wonderful community of supportive donors and businesses!
As a reminder that April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month, today we’re sharing a video featuring Lt. Alan Borgal, director of the ARL’s Center for Animal Protection. Lt. Borgal emphasizes the link between cruelty to animals and family and community violence and encourages you to contact local authorities if you suspect animal cruelty or neglect. Remember YOU can give a voice to the victims of animal cruelty, if when you see something, you say something!
A very special thanks to GreatGrandPaws for producing the video for us!
FIVER is one of the bunnies who’ll be at the event. His adoption fee has been waived thanks to a generous sponsor.
Please join Boston Veterinary Care for a special Easter event celebrating their dedicated clients and welcoming new faces.
Bring the whole family (pets too) today, Saturday, April 12 from noon-3pm for photos with the Easter Bunny, refreshments, and Easter egg hunt and YES live, adoptable bunnies from the ARL!
Decision provides critical tool for preventing animal cruelty
We’re celebrating the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC)—the first animal-related decision in 40 years!—to extend the emergency aid exception to the warrant requirement to animals.
The emergency aid exception allows police to enter a home without a warrant when they have objectively reasonable belief that there may be someone inside who is injured or in impending danger of physical harm.
The office of Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett argued the case before the SJC for applying the emergency aid exception to animals.
The ARL joined several local officials and national organizations including the Attorney General, the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund in filing a friend of the court brief in support of extending the emergency aid exception as well.
Today, the SJC issued an opinion agreeing the exception applies “with equal force” to animals:
“In light of public policy in favor of minimizing animal suffering in a wide variety of contexts, permitting warrantless searches to protect nonhuman animal life fits coherently within the existing emergency aid requirement, intended to facilitate official response to an ‘immediate need for assistance for the protection of life or property.’”
The timing of the ruling during Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month is particularly meaningful to our ongoing efforts to rescue animals from suffering, cruelty, abandonment, and neglect. Four out of five cases of animal cruelty remain undiscovered; reporting concerns to your local authorities is critical to prevention.
This week is volunteer appreciation week and we’re dedicating today’s “Thank You Thursday” to all of our outstanding volunteers, without whom we could fulfill our mission! They are such a vital part of our organization.
We’ve been celebrating them all week with special events at all three of our shelter locations. Dedham’s volunteer event was held on Tuesday, Boston’s was yesterday and Brewster’s is tonight – the winners are still a secret!
Thank you all for your commitment to animals and the ARL We truly appreciate everything that you for us and animals in need!
Kate Hanson one of the Best of Boston winners. [Photo: Maria Uribe]
Several volunteers particularly stood out this year and we’d like to give them an extra shout-out below:
Best of Boston – Jane Urban and Kate Hanson
Cape’d Crusader – Will be announced tonight!
Dedham’s Most Dignified – Rachel Sisson
Medicine’s Most Marvelous – Maryanne Hertel
Boston’s Unsung Hero – Laurie Gail
Admin’s Above and Beyond – Marilyn Wales (Dedham) and Margaret Wirth (Boston)
Four Footed Friends Best Foster – Will be announced tonight!
Subtle indications that may indicate an animal is at risk
During Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month this April, we want to help the public better understand the importance of reporting suspected animal cruelty to local authorities.
While most members of the public recognize that punching, kicking, burning, choking, or hitting an animal with an object are acts of animal cruelty, there are some more subtle signs to watch for that could indicate mistreatment, neglect, or abuse:
Howling or barking for a sustained period of time or hearing an animal cry in pain with higher pitched, more persistent vocal sounds than usual
Singed, matted, chronically or excessively dirty hair or fur
Wounds, unusual scars, hair loss, frequent limping often on different legs, or signs of improper nutrition such as weight loss or prominent visible ribs
Animals kept caged or tied with little room to move for long periods of time or without regular interaction with people
Lack of protection from the weather or fece- or debris-strewn living areas for animals
Collars, leashes, or halters so tight they visibly dig into the animal’s face or neck
A large number of animals coming or going from a property
See Something, Say Something
If you know or suspect animal cruelty, report concerns to your local authorities. Learn more about how you can give a voice to the victims of animal cruelty: arlboston.org/take-action
The Boston Marathon is two weeks away and our runners could not be more prepared!
After months of training through extreme winter weather conditions, the runners are relieved to finally enter into the taper portion of their training. This means that they run less and rest more for the last 3 weeks before race day, giving their bodies time to recover from the intense training that they have been doing.
They’ve been working hard and deserve some love! Please show your support for the ARL’s Boston Marathon Team, by donating to them on their Crowdrise page and cheering for them on Marathon Monday. For information on how to track the progress of our runners using the AT&T Athlete Alert visit: http://bit.ly/1e9LjEZ
To receive alerts for our runners, you’ll need their bib numbers which are listed below:
The ARL’s Dedham shelter will host their annual Rabies and Microchip Clinic on Saturday, April 5 from 10A.M.-2P.M.
Rabies vaccines are $10 each ($7 for seniors citizens)
Microchips are $15 each ($12 for senior citizens)
For everyone’s safety, all dogs must be on leash and cats in carriers.
For more information or if you have questions please call (781) 326-0729 or email dedham@arlboston.org.
![Kate Hanson one of the Best of Boston winners. [Photo: Maria Uribe]](http://www.arlboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Pg-12-Volunteer-Kate-Hanson-Best-of-Boston.jpg)
![[Graphic by Coalition to Unchain Dogs]](http://www.arlboston.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/04-02-14-Signs-of-Cruelty-Unchain-Dogs-Photo-300x293.jpg)
