The Humane Society of the United States has discovered that major retailers are selling clothes mislabeled as having faux fur. In fact, laboratory examination showed that the fur was actually real. Many jackets were lined with fur from rabbits, raccoons, and raccoon dogs (a type of dog bred in China whose fur resembles that of a raccoon).

The list of retailers included Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Dillards, Yoox, and Bloomingdales. Offending designers included Burberry, Andrew Marc, Adam+Eve, Ramosport, Aqua, Marc New York, and Preston & York.

For more information: http://hsus.org/furfree/news/holiday_shoppers_real_fur_as_faux_122007.html

(Thanks Jen for alerting me to this!)

Marni Soupcoff of the National Post writes about the life lessons she learned as a bunny owner. Read the article here: http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=167041&p=1

These are really cute, and they are inspired by house rabbits!

A free bunny pattern and a free carrot pattern are available for personal use courtesy of Kwoozy. This tutorial is also provided.

The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund is launching a new campaign aimed at educating children about proper care of pet rabbits to be launched during Britain’s National Rabbit Week, January 21-27, 2008. The Jaffa Club, named after its founding rabbit, is a program for children aged 7-11, and will feature care sheets, videos cartoons, and a forum.

I found this news story particularly disturbing. Apparently, in Kelowna, British Columbia, pet rabbits that have been abandoned are now breeding and living in people’s yards. Many homeowners are upset about damage done to their property and would like the rabbits culled. Relief is widespread in knowing that many of the rabbits will not survive the winter.

There is a lot of debate as to who should handle the feral rabbit population – individual homeowners or the city. Parks manager Joe Creron maintains that it should be left to individuals. “I think the [property owner] goes to a pest company, the pest company will help trap them. It’s no different than mice,” Creron said. “We all have a responsibility here, and the government can’t do everything for everyone on their private property.”

View news article: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/12/07/bc-bunnyexplosion.html
View news video: http://www.cbc.ca/clips/mov/allen-bunny071207.mov

A family from Bloomfield, NJ is calling out to anyone who might have information about their three missing English mini-lop rabbits. According to the pet owner, “My kids are devastated. I’m numb, I’m exhausted.  Thousands of commuters pass our street every day. I’m hoping someone who knows something will contact Bloomfield police immediately.”

Read full story here: http://www.baristanet.com/2007/12/three_pet_rabbits_stolen.php 

Well, to continue this trend I started by accident, here’s another cute bunny pattern. This time it’s a free crochet pattern from Jilly-Flowers.

Twenty years ago, as a student at the Art Institute of Boston, Annette LeBlanc Cate wrote and illustrated a children’s book about a magician and his rabbit set in Harvard Square. But it wasn’t until this year that the story, The Magic Rabbit, went to print. Published by Candlewick Press (who also published Guess How Much I Love You), the book features black and white illustrations with accents of yellow.

Buy The Magic Rabbit from Amazon

Well I liked the topic of rabbits as eco-friendly pets so much that I decided to do further research and write an article about it on My House Rabbit.

I thought of seven ways pet rabbits help contribute to a healthy environment. If anyone can think of more reasons, please let me know!

http://www.myhouserabbit.com/tip_environment.php

An Atlanta, GA couple has created a new bunny cartoon called Baxter the Bunny based on their own English Angora rabbit, Buster. Ernie and Kim Martin teamed up with recent Auburn graduate and artist, Miles Davis to develop the characters. The cartoon, which can be found at www.baxterthebunny.com, features a new story every week.