Are You Prepared?
Many of us are prepared for many things in this life. Most of us have a plan in case of a natural disaster, a fire, etc. But what if something unexpectedly happens to you? You probably have a plan for your children, but what about your animals?
Whether you're a farmer, a homesteader, a show breeder or a pet owner, you need to have a plan in place. Most people don't know when something is going to happen to them, and being unprepared can cause even more devastation for your family and your animals.
Today I learned of a woman in Canada who recently lost her father and was left with a large number of breeding rabbits. From the sounds of things, she really doesn't know what she is doing, but bless her heart she is trying! She reached out to a rescue group, and that group has shown her compassion and is trying to help her find homes for these rabbits and get them down to a number that would be more manageable for the woman. In trying to help her, they have reached out to other groups and calls for help have been shared on social media. The result? People are verbally attacking the woman. People say this is a "welfare issue" and that she needs to be reported for "abuse and neglect!" And as I'm seeing these horrible, unfounded, accusations, I realize that this could happen to any of our families in the event that something happens to us.
We need to have a plan.
The woman I mentioned above mentioned finding "frozen babies" and "injured rabbits," which have been taken to a veterinarian. People say "that is evidence of abuse/neglect! Call the police! Report her to animal control!" However, we don't know what kinds of injuries she's even referring to. Are they injuries, or genetic defects? Perhaps they're babies that were "over cleaned" by mommas. Even if they're true injuries, how can people justify blaming the lady who just acquired these rabbits via her father's death? And anyone who knows rabbits knows that sometimes, injuries just aren't preventable. Rabbits are like kids in that way, you just can't keep them 100% safe from every little thing. But even if you explain that, people still hear of "frozen babies" and lose their minds. However, those of us who raise these amazing creatures know that babies die. Sometimes they crawl away from the group and succumb to hypothermia. Other times, they die of unknown reasons, and are found frozen because momma pulled them away from the other to protect the living babies. Sometimes they get trampled. Most of the time, we don't really know why they passed, not with 100% certainty anyway. It's just part of raising prey animals. This is not anyone's fault, but especially not the fault of a woman who just recently acquired these rabbits because her father passed.
So I leave you with this thought today: Have a plan. If for nobody else, for your family. Make sure they know how to care for your animals, and who to contact in the event you become indisposed and your rabbitry/homestead/farm needs to be dispersed. If you can't teach somebody in person, consider writing instructions down and keeping them in a blatantly obvious location. Consider asking a friend to reach out to your relatives regarding your animals in the event that something happens to you. Be prepared, because eventually, we all must leave this earth.
A special thanks goes out to the Against All Odds Rabbit Rescue, for promptly removing rude, accusatory, comments from their page. Animal lovers everywhere thank you!
Whether you're a farmer, a homesteader, a show breeder or a pet owner, you need to have a plan in place. Most people don't know when something is going to happen to them, and being unprepared can cause even more devastation for your family and your animals.
Today I learned of a woman in Canada who recently lost her father and was left with a large number of breeding rabbits. From the sounds of things, she really doesn't know what she is doing, but bless her heart she is trying! She reached out to a rescue group, and that group has shown her compassion and is trying to help her find homes for these rabbits and get them down to a number that would be more manageable for the woman. In trying to help her, they have reached out to other groups and calls for help have been shared on social media. The result? People are verbally attacking the woman. People say this is a "welfare issue" and that she needs to be reported for "abuse and neglect!" And as I'm seeing these horrible, unfounded, accusations, I realize that this could happen to any of our families in the event that something happens to us.
We need to have a plan.
The woman I mentioned above mentioned finding "frozen babies" and "injured rabbits," which have been taken to a veterinarian. People say "that is evidence of abuse/neglect! Call the police! Report her to animal control!" However, we don't know what kinds of injuries she's even referring to. Are they injuries, or genetic defects? Perhaps they're babies that were "over cleaned" by mommas. Even if they're true injuries, how can people justify blaming the lady who just acquired these rabbits via her father's death? And anyone who knows rabbits knows that sometimes, injuries just aren't preventable. Rabbits are like kids in that way, you just can't keep them 100% safe from every little thing. But even if you explain that, people still hear of "frozen babies" and lose their minds. However, those of us who raise these amazing creatures know that babies die. Sometimes they crawl away from the group and succumb to hypothermia. Other times, they die of unknown reasons, and are found frozen because momma pulled them away from the other to protect the living babies. Sometimes they get trampled. Most of the time, we don't really know why they passed, not with 100% certainty anyway. It's just part of raising prey animals. This is not anyone's fault, but especially not the fault of a woman who just recently acquired these rabbits because her father passed.
So I leave you with this thought today: Have a plan. If for nobody else, for your family. Make sure they know how to care for your animals, and who to contact in the event you become indisposed and your rabbitry/homestead/farm needs to be dispersed. If you can't teach somebody in person, consider writing instructions down and keeping them in a blatantly obvious location. Consider asking a friend to reach out to your relatives regarding your animals in the event that something happens to you. Be prepared, because eventually, we all must leave this earth.
A special thanks goes out to the Against All Odds Rabbit Rescue, for promptly removing rude, accusatory, comments from their page. Animal lovers everywhere thank you!