Erinn sent this story of Fozzy's brief time as an Easter bunny.

FOZZY'S STORY

It was the day after Easter and I was sitting at home watching TV with my four other bunnies. I had just put another load of laundry in the dryer and was just glad to not be out in the cold and wind. My phone rang, and it was a friend of mine. The day before, on Easter Sunday, she had seen her neighbors take a cage with a bunny inside their house. Twenty four hours later, the bunny was sitting in his cage out by the trash cans on the curb. Knowing that I was a bunny lover and that I was a volunteer for Red Door, my friend called me and asked if I would come rescue the bunny who had obviously worn out his welcome as an Easter gift. Sadly, she could not take him inside her home because of her dogs, so I had to hurry.

When I got there, the poor thing was shivering from being out in the cold rain for hours. I immediately wrapped him in my coat and put his cage in the car. I turned the heater on high and sat him in my lap for the ride home. By the time we got home, he was warmed up, but obviously still shaken up by the events of the day. I wrapped him in a blanket and turned on the wedding music CD I had been listening to earlier. As it turns out, he loves classical music and immediately perked up and began to relax.

A few hours later my fiancé came home from work, and we named the little Harlequin-Lionhead-Lop mix Fozzy. Although we already had four bunnies, we knew this little guy was special and that he was not going anywhere. I took him to Red Door so that he could be checked over and given a clean bill of health. He had his ears cleaned and his fur trimmed. Now he looks like a million dollars and spends his time stealing hearts. Since we are believers in bonding bunnies, as they are very loving creatures, we are considering bringing home a friend for him after he is neutered.

Thankfully, Fozzy's story has a happy ending, and we are very grateful that Erinn was able to get to him in time.

Hope your holiday is filled with delight!

We'd like to thank each one of our supporters for your ongoing efforts to help the bunnies: one flyer, poster, email, or conversation at a time! However you do it, it all adds up to another great campaign!

For some last-minute Easter reading, we encourage you to visit these sites:

The Etsy Rabbits Team Blog

Be the Change for Animals

Earlier today, foster buns Scarlet, Charlene, and Amber charmed the children of CenterPointe Church with their sweet faces, funny antics and soft, silky fur. Fellow CHRS Educator Danielle Patterson and I spent the morning with the families attending the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the church in Lewis Center, OH. The festivities were moved indoors due to the wet ground and threat of more rain, but that didn't dampen the fun! The kids got to hunt for Easter eggs and candy around the church and play in a "bounce house."

Our spunky sisters took turns in Danielle's arms so the children could gently pet them.

Some of the children were excited to get an HRS Coloring Book and other word puzzles and games. We also passed out info to the parents on living with a rabbit, and many of them commented on our "Reindeer" poster! It really hit home with them!

Our girls did very well with all the activity and excitement, but I'm guessing they spent the rest of the day sacked out, glad to be back home!

Thank you to everyone who supported CHRS through this raffle. We made $172.00 for the rabbits! And a big thanks to Adrienne Lang who donated it to us.

"Let's all go to the lobby....Let's all go to the lobby..."

That's right, folks! "Make Mine Chocolate!" is going to the movies! Starting tomorrow - April 22nd - the Make Mine Chocolate! public service announcement (PSA) will be shown at the AMC Theater at Easton in Columbus, Ohio on all 30 screens, before every movie, and on three lobby screens!! Our message that rabbits are not disposable pets or Easter toys will be seen by hundreds, if not thousands, of movie-goers over the next three weeks!

This dream started with the announcement of the movie HOP. We thought it would be wonderful if we could get the PSA shown to coincide with the release of the film. When we investigated what this would take, we found out that our taped copy of the PSA was on old technology. With no way to easily convert it to a useable format, it seemed we were at a standstill.

As I was surfing Facebook one evening, someone suggested it would be great to have the PSA shown on the screens prior to HOP. I mentioned that we had looked into it, but found out our tape would not work in modern equipment. This prompted Toni Greetis of Red Door Animal Shelter in Chicago to press me for details. She said she thought she might be able to get it converted to a digital format, and I gave her the specifics on the tape and the format specifications from AMC. She confirmed that her friend, Rogelio Gazga, co-owner of SPI-tv Media Group, could accomplish the conversion, and I immediately packed the tape off to Chicago! Within days, our tape was converted to an acceptable digital format and ready for upload to AMC's media site. All that was left was to sign the contract and receive upload instructions. And that's where we hit a snag. The contract was signed and faxed on a Friday evening and emails continued to fly over the weekend. With a Monday deadline, Ro attempted to upload the file. The website would not work! In a panic, I called the AMC representative and explained the problem. I begged for an extension to allow us to overnight a CD with the file. The rep said she'd see what she could do, and I waited on pins and needles to hear back. Mid-afternoon, she called with the news that we could send the CD and they would put a rush on it, as the problem had been on their end and not our fault! Whew!! What a relief! Toni and Ro took the CD to FedEx, and we all held our breath.

The following day, I emailed the rep to make sure the CD had been received. She confirmed that it had been, that the file was in the correct format, and that the rush order had been approved. Everything was set. In all of the panic, we seem to have won her over. She wrote that "in my reasoning for the rush I explained about the digidelivery issues but mostly said it was FOR THE BUNNIES!"

Now pass the popcorn!

On March 26th, they hosted a table during Kid's Day at Younker's at Rivertown Mall in Grandville, MI. Three foster buns helps staff a booth which displayed the MMC flier. The centerpiece of their table an Easter basket of bunny shaped chocolates and plastic carrots filled with jellybeans. Booth visitors enjoyed the candy while they flipped through a binder of adoptable pets and learned about responsible rabbit ownership.

They held another Make Mine Chocolate educational event on Saturday, April at the Pet Supplies Plus Store in Grandville, MI. The centerpiece of their table was again the MMC flier and a large Easter basket filled with chocolate along with handmade bunny toys demonstrated good alternatives to live rabbits for Easter gifts. They proudly displayed two recent issues of Cats and Dogs magazine which included stories from WMCH telling the true personalities of house rabbits. Kids attending the event were entertained with educational word searches, crossword puzzles and other handouts promoting proper rabbit care and nutrition. A big thanks to fosters Dave and Lisa V. (pictured) who staffed the WMCH table.

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Thank you John and Charley! We know you'll be great!!

When blogger Jennifer Holsman spotted our Partnership with Rescue Chocolate, the makers of fair-trade, vegan chocolate whose proceeds are donated to help animal rescue groups, she felt inspired to resurrect her own dormant website. VaVaVaVegan is where she combines her love of pop culture and fashion and her devotion to animal welfare. She gives commentary on everything from how and where to find animal-friendly accessories and beauty products to tips and tricks on updating your cruelty-free wardrobe! And did I mention she's a bunny-parent to boot? It all adds up to a pretty glam Partnership, and we're happy to have her on board!

Now, go make yourself fierce!

April 9-30th
This Easter Sponsor a Bun and help a rescue/sanctuary bunny. Your sponsorship will help with food, treats and vet care. Sponsor a Bun for Easter will focus on bunny education and why not to buy that cute pet store baby bun. Using Make Mine Chocolate educational materials and our own booklets we hope to make people think before buying. We will have a special sponsor program featuring some of our sanctuary bunnies. When you sponsor a Bun for Easter you get an Easter Bun picture and a gift with your sponsor packet!

April 9-10
Come see our adoptable bunnies! We will have foods, treats, gifts, Make Mine Chocolate raffles baskets and a great tattoo raffle! Bunny educational materials will be available. Bunnies are available to go to new homes May 1st.

April 16-17th
Bring your bunny to get pictures with our Easter Bunny!
Pictures with pets and kids Saturday 12:00-2:00 & 4:00-6:00, and Sunday 12:00-3:00.
$5.00 donation.
We will have adoptable bunnies to meet, bunny supplies, our raffle baskets and bunny educational materials. Bunnies are available to go to new homes May 1st.

April 23rd
We will be at Angels for Animals in Canfield, OH with our adoptable bunnies for you to meet, bunny foods, treats and educational materials. 12:00-3:00

If you are in the Youngstown/Warren/Niles area, we encourage you to stop by and support them in their campaign!

The Columbus House Rabbit Society's MMC Day at Capital Area Humane Society on April 2nd was featured on 10TV's morning news the following day.

Thanks to everyone (and everyBUN) who attended the CHRS "Make Mine Chocolate!" Day at the Capital Area Humane Society in Hilliard, OH today!! What a GREAT event!!

The timing was perfect, too, because this morning was orientation for new shelter volunteers and then in the afternoon, the shelter hosted about 60 Girl Scouts (4 to 5 Troops) working on their animal care badges. The girls spend time learning about caring for animals, how the shelter works, and then making toys and treats for the animals. They are accompanied by their moms and troop leaders, and sometimes their whole families. It all added up to a lot of foot traffic coming past our tables! Our volunteers took time with each group of Girl Scouts to talk about the challenges of living with a house rabbit, explain the goals of the "Make Mine Chocolate!" campaign, and to find out what the girls had learned about rabbits in their day at the shelter and answer their questions.

We had lots of winners for our fabulous raffle prizes, gave away lots of info on living with a rabbit, enjoyed sweet baked goodies thanks to our friends from Job's Daughters, and will be featured on the 10tv news at 11:00pm tonight! Plus we raised nearly $700 for the bunnies at CAHS!!!

I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all the volunteers who made it all possible, and to CAHS for allowing us to set up in their lobby!! GREAT JOB everyone!

Louie also spoke with Heather about other "Make Mine Chocolate!" activities both locally and nationally. Heather spoke about our featured partnership with Rescue Chocolate and their support of the campaign. Heather mentioned that listeners can keep tabs on the campaign by visiting www.makeminechocolate.org.

Louie has been a supporter of rabbit rescue and "Make Mine Chocolate!" for years and we appreciate his tireless efforts to raise awareness. Please tune in to his radio show online at www.louiefreeshow.com.

During the conversation with Louie, Heather brought up concerns about the new movie Hop, in theaters April 1st. The movie depicts the Easter rabbit who causes mischief as a house pet. The concern is that children will see the movie and ask their parents if they can have a pet rabbit because they look like so much fun. Heather pointed out that parents should use this movie as a way to educate their children on the importance of being a responsible pet owner. Heather reminded parents that if children beg for a pet rabbit after seeing the movie, buy them a stuffed animal to put in their Easter basket and explain to them that a pet rabbit needs a lot of care and they are not animals that like to be picked up or carried around. A stuffed animal is a better alternative for young children.

Louie is very passionate about the well-being of rabbits and Heather has a calm demeanor which makes for an interesting conversation! You never know what Louie will say but its nice to know that he strongly supports "Make Mine Chocolate!" and is willing to do whatever he can to help rabbits. Heather plans to talk to him again in a few weeks to further discuss the responsibilities of having a rabbit, and why they should not be an impulse purchase.
To listen to the Louie Free Show, please visit www.louiefreeshow.com.