Big December Update!

Wow, what a month! It's been so busy, in so, so many ways. Linda and I are both kind of down for the count right now. Linda has a terrible cold, and I've got a "bun" in the oven! This holiday season has just been treacherous on both of us, as I know it is for most people. I have to clean my bunnies first thing in the morning or I don't have the energy to do it at night, and Linda has had many cancellations due to the Holidays, though we have had many people throw in a wonderful helping hand to pick up a lot of that slack! We both appreciate it immensely!

Our Christmas Party this year was wonderful. We had over 75 people attend, and I believe with the fundraising letter that went out on top of the party, we raised over $2,000 much needed dollars. It went fast since a check for $1,900 went straight out to one of our vets! We had over 80 spays/neuters this year! WOW! With an average of $150 an alter, we have really been cruising along, and there is no way that we could do this without the help of our very, very many volunteers and contributors. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We have many bunnies we are currently trying to help families to place. Sadly we do not have the capabilities of taking on personal pets. There are so many other in desperate need that those are the ones we must help out first. We are, however, trying hard to educate anyone who calls us with rabbit problems in ways to tend to their problems and understand their little furry friends more!

We had several adoptions this month including Cleopatra! We are just thrilled that she has found a home after her long stay here and her long illness. We have someone coming in this week that seems to be interested in Bay, which would be wonderful! We adopted out Diamond, Dumbo, Martin & Evie, Venus, (I know I'm missing more buns!) 2 guinea pigs, 2 gerbils, and several hamsters this month as well. We still have a Dumbo Rat looking for a forever home as well as a few more gerbils and piggies. We did a fundraiser at Petco on the 15th and moved Captain and Morgan into our Hex at Petco. We are now officially in the Petco, Norwalk location! We are excited to see where this will go.

From Linda:

First, Leo the beautiful, gentle White Lop passed away today. He had been adopted out almost a week ago. His panic stricken owners called me at 5:30 AM this morning. They had just found him laying still in his cage. I had him by 6AM but he was far along and there didn't appear to be much hope. Leo passed away at South Wilton Vet hospital around 11AM. I am heartsick as Leo deserved better. Bunnies are such delicate creatures. Seeing this happen to Leo has made me realize that I have to emphasize all the more how urgent it is to watch for stasis. All new adopters will now be getting a letter detailing the symptoms and how quickly a bunny dies if it is not caught in time as well as verbal instructions. I have learned that verbal instructions are just not enough, in the excitement of getting a new bunny it can get missed.

The good news......Martin (our 3 legged-amputee) and Evie just left for their new home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Much happiness to them. It's been a very long wait for Evie. Linda

Ok, I don't know what I'm missing, but I'm sure it's something, but now that it's almost 8pm, I've stayed up late enough to sleep through most of the night, I have been going to bed by 7pm! Wishing you all a very Happy Holiday Season from all of us at the Hollow! Thank you all for your continued support!

Brandee :o)

Hop-A-Long Holidays! Bunny Pictures!

Ok, no more cranky Brandee, too much going on. At the Hollow Party this coming Sunday, Nicole C. is going to bring her wallaby! We are so excited! For anyone coming, don't forget the party is from 1-4. We had a blast last year, and the Thibaults' decorations are amazingly beautiful! We had aprox. 70 guests last year, and December was a wonderful adoption month for us. We can really use that this year, as well as all the prayers and wishes.
This little girl is Violet who is being very disapproving about having her picture taken. She came in with Sasha.




Mr. Magoo came down last Friday from VT where he was being fostered. He was one of 14 rabbits that was to be culled, I believe due to a breeder"closing down." He has a libacious cyst on his back that will be removed when he is neutered and we had full blood work done due to an enlarged liver and drinking of a lot of water. We want to make sure his organs are completely functional prior to having surgery. His liver could improve after he is on a good diet for a while, we have no idea what kind of diet the breeder had him on.

We got a call on Mary Jane from a couple of different people. She was let to run loose in Harvest Commons in Westport. Her owner mentioned that she was too big. Well, my coffee cup next to her is regular sized, and she's maybe 3lbs. She is a 6 month old, very sweet little girl with beautiful bright blue eyes. She will be altered next Wednesday and is ready for adoption.
Cleopatra had her spay yesterday, finally! She really made a great recovery after over 7 months on Baytril and Bicillin not working. The 14 days on Zithromax just worked miracles for both Cleo and Butterscotch, who got neutered 2 weeks ago.




Well, so much has been going on lately, so many bunnies coming and going, we also have with us now Nikki, and a new pair named Bonnie and Clyde who were altered prior to coming in but the family never put the 5 year olds together. They are now a bonded pair. Pepsi has been adopted and is now bonded to Bunny (aka Elvis) and they will be going home tomorrow or Saturday. Wesley was brought in by West Haven Animal Control (what my neighbors must think seeing all these animal control cars pull up to our house!) a few weeks ago. He was neutered then taken to the Hollow last Wednesday morning and adopted that night. Well, more later!

Bunnies on the move! Lilly's passing.

It's been a while since I have blogged, a long while! So much has happened that I don't even know where to begin!

OK - HOLLOW STUFF!

December 9th 1-4pm Hollow Christmas Party! E-mail me at brandeesbunch@aol.com for more info. A fun time all around, come and see the animals of the Hollow!

December 15th 10-4 Hollow Fundraiser and possible opening day at Petco in Norwalk. If we have enough volunteers, Hip-Hop the Hollow bunny will be there for photographs!

RECENT ADOPTIONS: Jo-Jo, Mike, Pepsi, Pom-Pom & Thumper, Hannah, Misty & Boxy, Toby and Wesley!

NEW RESIDENTS: Violet & Sasha, Wesley (not for long!), Clover, Bella, Leo, Nikki, and I'm trying to think of who else off hand, but my mind is racing!

We have 3 rabbits we are trying to assist with catching at the moment. I have 13 rabbits here (a long with my 5) and we have 29 in the Hollow for adoption (and a few more in Linda's house!) at the moment. We have only TEN RABBITS at the moment that aren't altered!!! We are getting caught up, finally! Maybe we can catch up to our vet bills!

Degu's came in 3 weeks ago, 4 more babies were born today. I think that should be it, all should be under control now. YEAH! All will be up for adoption.

On a very sad note... Lilly, daughter of Honeydew and sister to Lilac and Thistle, passed away this week. She had a necropsy that showed internal hemorrhaging. She was bonded to Buster bunny and will be deeply missed by her whole family and us here at the Hollow. God Bless little bun.

I'm trying to think of what else there is going on. Oh well, I'll get over it, I've got too many more things and little ones to worry about right now. It's almost 10 and way past my bed-time this month! I'll post more pictures, etc... when I get a chance!

The Bonding Of Evie and Martin, Magik

So far, looks good with these guys, stayed overnight in the guest room with no problems, and I don't foresee any issues, unless other rabbits get them going. They will be taken to Linda tomorrow who will house them inside for a week just to make sure all is well before going back outside! YEAH FOR MARTIN AND EVIE! I may try Moody and Casper next! Things are going ok today, Linda isn't feeling up to herself, and I think the rain just makes me tired, although it's been a very busy past 7 days! We have a new big boy that will be coming in, a fawn colored New Zealand, gorgeous male. The family that found him and nursed him back to health have offered to help with his neuter, THANK YOU! He is has that awesome fat-face that Jet and Cadbury have. I love it! We need a new name for him. They were calling him Lucy and were shocked when I said they might want to consider another name. Help me out here guys, I was going to name him Magik. Ali or Michelle L. will just change it anyways! Hope everyone has a wonderful day, I am going to pick up another book to read, like I have time! Oh, for anyone who doesn't know, I found a lump in my Rusty's chest and took him to Dr. Pieper yesterday, it's just a fatty tumor which I had thought anyhow, but can't remember if I mentioned it. Well, crock-pot is going (chicken, cream of broccoli soup, broccoli, onions, carrots and potatoes) so the house will smell great when I get home tonight, I'll have a book, a blanket, and animals will be done. Blackberry's month of Marquis is just about up, we'll get blood-work done next week and see what happens. Keep your fingers crossed!

Brandee

Baba's Passing

Darling, sweet, gentle little man. Yesterday at 4:30 after having cancer surgery in August and battling to continue on ever since, Baba Bunny was put to sleep. He tried his hardest to be the best bunny he could, to pull through for those who loved him. He attempted to use the butt-cart and to keep himself cleaned without the use of his hind legs. Baba was tired, but a trooper straight to the end. Yesterday morning it was believed that Mucoid Indonitis was beginning, which would mean hemorrhaging would come next. His appetite was nil yesterday. He was done. My friend Deb and myself sat outside for 3 hours in the grass and sunshine with Baba so he could be out in the world one last time. I always feel closer to God outside in the Fall. The Farlekes Family is away, and after receiving their permission, I, along with Ben, the 10 year old I nanny for who offered to come with me (very compassionate) went in with Baba and held him as he went peacefully to sleep. He will be very missed. My condolences to the Farlekes Family.

Hopstock/Hollow Stock - REMODEL OF THE HOLLOW!

What we got accomplished today was unbelievable! We showed up around 9, moved all bunnies to carriers and smaller cages for the day with their name cards and info, and moved all the cages out of the Hollow. Everything was sterilized with a betadine solution (through a high powered washer), washed, put through the washer with bleach or just thrown out. We had a dumpster donated by the Malone’s (Malone’s Rental Services), who also bought a ton of soda &, water for the volunteers and lettuce for all the bun’s. Their son’s Matthew and Alex were there to start with the clean up by getting all the toys, food dishes and water bottles prepared for the bleaching. Thanks Boys! All the shelves and other loose pieces were taken out of the cages and discarded.
Greer drove up from Long Island, Ali from Stratford, and Jess from Wallingford. Harvey (Fairfield Hardwood Supply & Chelsea Carpentry), Chris (LaCava’s Martial Arts & Westport Acupuncture Center) and Stan took care of the new sub-floor and tiling. Michelle M. was there to clean and Virginia and Jim came as well to help take care of things! So much happened so fast today… Harvey even ripped the fireplace right out to add to our space! WOW! The following pictures will show our day. The Hollow is amazingly more roomy, sterilized, and GOOD TO GO! It was hard to believe we had so many cages that we had enough to leave 27 cages out on the back porch in the shade for the day while the other 27 were getting sterilized! God graced us with perfect weather! Everything was catered by Letizia’s Pizza in Norwalk (AMAZING SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS!). Thank you Dennis, Michelle & Madison Letizia!
Fantasia stopped by to have Billy and Zula’s nails clipped, we clipped all the shelter bunny’s nails today and Vicky stopped by with her 12 baby bunnies from 2 litters so far (THANKS AGAIN TO PETSTORES!) to be sexed. Greer took 2 home to foster. They are SO GORGEOUS! They all look like either Jersey Woolies or Lion Heads. We are going to try to help with getting them altered and into good homes. (Pictures to follow!)

Terri Saumel has donated SEVERAL (like 20) books on tape that will be now available to listen to at the Hollow. We’ll have a tape player and CD player there for passing of time. THANK YOU TERRI! Terri donates items on a regular basis, but I have to mention that she donates these wonderful little cardboard items that when folded together make the perfect houses, she also donated all those cardboard boxes with lids on them that we tote our stuffed tubes (and she donates tubes/treats too!) back and forth in. Please say a thank you and prayer. One of Terri’s bun’s Gray-C that she adopted from us had a abscess in her neck that was just removed. Pray she comes through fine, she is in a very pampered and spoiled home and bonded to the very handsome Asher bunny.
Thank you everyone so very much for showing up and helping out. Everyone did so much work, and we accomplished so much! We are still collecting Ink Cartridges (No Toner Cartridges) and Cell Phones, please remember to collect for us! Also, we are still in need of Vinegar, Bleach, Laundry Detergent, Large Black Garbage Bags and Paper Towels.

Thanks again to ALL! – Brandee -

Check out Ali's Buns! Baba & Bugs, John S.S. & Merri & Blackberry

Let's get the bad done first... Baba has the cancer growth again - he has about a month maybe a couple of more. We don't know exactly what we are going to be doing so it will be day by day and God's will. All I can do is try to keep him eating and keep him pain free. Time will tell. Bugs on the other hand is doing great. His organ function is back to normal and it looks like he'll be able to be around for that bladder stone surgery next month. A very trying time all around. Blackberry's EC CBC blood test thingie came back with full blown EC. Good Call Dr. Pieper. She has already started the Marquis, our first bunny on the $200 a tube medication. We are hoping for good results - blood work again after one month of being on the meds.

On a good note, Leenie went to her new permanent home with Wiggum and Nugget yesterday. They are doing great so far, Congrats to proud mama Christine. I'll post pictures when I get some! John S.S. and Merri are in the process of being bonded to go home with Chelsea (S.S. was hers already and needed a friend) and it seems to be going well, but again, time will tell!

NOW!!!! THE MOMENT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!! LET'S TALK ABOUT ALI'S BUNS!!! Fluffy, and furry and round... Ok, come on, get your minds out of the gutter! Scout and Alex are trying to work it out to accept Mr. Uggs into their lives! Look at all the cute Bunny butts! All Ali's! (Love you Ali!).

GREAT PICTURES!! Gussie, Elvis, Annabelle, Babies...

The following are pictures first of Gussie and Elvis together with their pet cat, and then some pictures from our event at WildOats where there were Pet Photographers that took some bunny pictures for us! I will get the name and post the organization on here, they were so wonderful!

Bugsy and Baba update/Victoria and Stormy - A letter from the buns!

Bugs had fun visiting Bah Bah today.....enjoy the photos....... We wanted the two boys to see each other and spend a little time together as we felt that would be good for the will to live in both of them. They finally had to be separated as Bugs felt pretty good and started to hump Bah Bah so we said enough of that stuff!! There is also a shot of Brandee doing a syringe feeding on Bugs. He is getting more cooperative each time thank goodness! Lori - tomorrow is the day that will tell a lot. Bugs gets a blood test at the vets. Just a short visit to have blood drawn by a tech and then he comes back home with me. If his kidney values are getting bad again after being off all intravenous fluids then there is no hope and it's time to give up. If they are still good on the Sub Cutanious fluids I have been doing on him then we start slowly cutting back on his fluids till hopefully they are completely gone. He can then go home to you and get stronger for his surgery.

Baba will also be going to Dr. Pieper tomorrow to drain an abscess he has near where his tumor was removed. I feel a lump and am hoping to God that it is only the abscess and not tumor regrowth.

hello aunt linda....... its us tori & stormy. we wanted to call or email you sooner but it has been so busy this spring & summer. we have been to the new vets many times, my mom takes us every time i sneeze (stormy). but we love our vet, she is so cool, she holds us and says we are very well behaved and very good looking. she says she may keep us one of these times mom brings us in to see her. her pet bunny passed away last year. but mom has also been very busy with our big brother lou the leaping lab, his allergies are so bad mom & the vets are trying everything. he was scratching his face so bad it has been bleeding, he cut his foot (pad) from licking it so much, so he had to have it wrapped (but we did not laugh at him mom said that would be rude).so poor lou sleeps alot since he has been on his new meds. they still are not working very well. did we tell you we love our brother he lets us do anything, even walk on him (instead of going around we go over him). and diesel our brother cat had to have his teeth cleaned by our vet and then he had to have 5 teeth removed. now he thinks he can get wet cat food everyday & mom says only for a treat, so he follows mom around yelling at her and mom just keeps telling its not going to work you have dry food to eat. then we have darbie we don't get to see her much except for when we are in phoebes room looking out the window. darbie lives in the barn dad says no goats in the house mom says thats not fair & darbie should live in house & dad should live in the barn. but we love our new house we rule the house.......we have free range of the whole house, except the kitchen we don't like the floor we can't get any traction. our cage door is always open we go in to sleep sometimes, but we do go in to eat, drink and poop. mom says she just love us. everynight we get a huge helping of fresh hay, a big fresh salad, and some fresh water. mom has come in the bedroom during the day to find us, lou & diesel all asleep on the bed together. but we always do it when aunt kimmy's camera is at her house. moms cameras are all broke. mom took some pictures of us the other night to send ot you but we need to download them mom said. so she said she would send them later. oh yeah by the way we rock at binkies. we are always showing off. and friday night phoebe & riley spent the night and we got to sleep on the bed with lou, diesel, mom, phoebe & riley. phoebe still wants to get a bunny she still talks about thomas, and we told her that he is a good friend of ours. but they are doing some work on their house so they need to wait a little while longer. but anyway we better get going to bed it is close to our bed time. mom should be making our nitetime salad soon. we love our mom she rocks, she lets us climb all over her and her new couch & chair. but best of all we love when she picks us up and cuddles with us and tells us how much she loves us. i wish you could come and visit us. mom said she would love to come and see how everyone is doing and bring out some gifts from us.we love and miss you and thank god everyday for you and brandee.

all our love tori (two-ton-tori) and stormy (stormer)

Snow, Hannah, Buster, Lilly, Radish, Cookie, Blackberry

Ok, here's the day. Got up, went to Dr. Piepers to drop off Cookie for her spay, went to Fairfield, jogged 3 miles, weighed in at weight watchers, went to the diner for breakfast then to pick up Jojo the Pug for the day while her mommy had jury dute. I went to work and changed the laundry, went back to Dr. Piepers to pick up Radish from her spay yesterday a long with a tube of Marquee to start Blackberry on for EC ($200). I went home, checked on everyone's food/water/hay, paid some special attention to Baba the butt cart bunny, then did some laundry. I packed up Snow and Hannah for the day (their bonding isn't going badly, just not as well as I had hoped) and spoke with Ann E. to bring back Buster and Lilly who were great here but as soon as they got back home again, they were pulling fur. I went by Lori's to see how she is doing since Bugsy got very ill yesterday and had to be rushed to South Wilton. She has been hit so hard with Baba being ill and now Bugsy. Took Jojo in to play with Major and Sugar for a while, then went back to work. Jojo was picked up around 2, and I took a shower at work. At 7 I dropped off 5 cheerleaders, then went back to pick them up at 9pm. I got home around 9:45, Chris is out at a Scorpions concert with friend Dennis, and now I'm blogging and cleaning.

Toby came back the same night (morning actually, 4:30 am) so all is safe and sound. I did trap a possum trying to trap him in the Havahart trap, and they run fast when they want. Going back in to mix up the Marquee for Blackberry, and then do whatever around the house till I pass out. I'm tired, and the sinus allergy season is a killer the past 3 days!

Hope all is well with everyone! Goodnight!
Brandee

PS... RE: Billy Bunny

The day from H.E.double Hockey Sticks...HELP!

Today I got up, went to work, then went back home to pick up the two baby bunnies that were dumped in a box in Greenwich last week on the side of the road (flea ridden and a third bun was in the box dead) and dropped them at the Hollow since they are ready to be seen and good to go now. I had breakfast with Michelle L. and then shot down towards Norwalk in hopes of meeting my friend Deb at some point for a jog and a quick browse at Sports Authority. I stopped off at the Hollow and I picked up Michelle's (volunteer) bunny Snow to bond with Hannah (keep your fingers crossed, so far, going OK) and then went back up towards work in Fairfield cause meeting Deb wasn't in the cards today. I then got a call from Lori, whose bunny Baba is still here in recovery from his cancer removal, and her other bunny Bugs seems to have injured his leg and has stopped eating. I went back to her house in Fairfield and ran Bugs down to South Wilton. They have yet to get a hold of us to let us know his condition. We are very, very upset not to have received a phone call tonight on his status. I then went back to work. I did get in my 1/2 hour run/walk that I needed, thankfully, it helps clear the head and I have really been enjoying the endorphin release, it almost counter acts all the sadness at the moment...

I have a bunny here that was brought to me on Friday named Blackberry and she has two huge bulging eyes, like cloudy marbles. Everything that Linda has researched on it sounds as if it's going to be terminal and she's not even a year old. Her owner has 3 children and after we have our vet visit with Dr. Pieper (hopefully tomorrow) I will have to explain to them what is happening to their bunny. Buster and Lilly Emerson were brought here tonight to be re bonded, seem to be doing awesome so far, thankfully. Buster had gone into stasis and the animal hospital won't keep two animals together, so him coming home smelling funny had broke the bond. ARGH!!! They are just as beautiful as ever.

OK, so I let my birds out everyday for playtime. I closed the bottom of the windows and raised the screens so they wouldn't eat through them. I forgot to pull one screens down and left the window open, and now our feral kitty Toby, totally sweet but afraid of people, is missing. I have a Havahart trap set outside with smelly kitty food in it, but I am beside myself this evening, feeling like the most horrible mommy ever. I don't want to go to bed, what if I do trap him and he's outside crying all night, or what if he doesn't come back this way at all? I am so worried!
In the mean-time... We have 5 baby bunnies at the shelter, all under 8 weeks of age that are up for adoption. Bugsy and Mike left for their new homes this past week. Hopefully all will go well with Hannah and she will go live with Snow. I have found a new spot in the top middle of Evie's back that when she is scratched, she arches her back for you and sticks out her tongue. Christine's (Wignug) is still working on Martin and Leenie with Wiggum and Nugget. I am supposed to take all 4 in the next day or so, but don't know what I can do till next week now, with the extra adoptions and bondings, and the ill bunnies - HELP! Her boss has graciously offered us several CPU's (computers) amongst other items, that I will be picking up this week and trying to re-format so that we can sell them to raise funds for the Hollow (probably about $250 each, I have to see what the ram and hard drive space is, etc... when I re-format them to establish the fair price).
We are again at an all time low in our bank account. We currently owe Barnum Animal Hospital over 1,250 dollars and need help with funding or we will have to cancel all of our upcoming spay/neuter appointments, approximately 20 of them. If you can contribute in anyway, you can always call and make a credit card donation to the Hop-A-Long Hollow via phone at 203-378-0687, send a donation to our Pay Pal account at hopalonghollow@aol.com or checks can be made to either Barnum Animal Hospital or the Hop-A-Long Hollow and mailed out to Linda at 1 Woodside Ave, Norwalk, CT 06855. ANY HELP IS MUCH APPRECIATED!

Good night to all, please say a prayer that Toby will come home and that Bugsy and Baba will be OK.

Brandee

Expo at Westchester

Hi Linda,We had a pretty good day. The expo is more education and exposure for the Hollow as opposed to fund raising, although we did take in almost $210. There were so many other rescues there and we are all competing for those donation dollars. We sold just one shirt to a woman who wrote a check for $20. Oh, I found a really good way to get the $ out of the donation jar - a kitchen spatula and it works really well!I called the two people who won the Webkins but were not present and will mail them out on Monday. Peaches, Claudie's hammie that came from to her via the Hollow was a big hit right up front. Greer's *so* mellow bunnies were the best ambassadors to bunny land - we had them in a pen on one side of the booth and they were very friendly for many hours! Greer also walked the aisles with each of the bunnies to drum up interest and visitors. The unnamed Dutch girl (that came from Pet Supplies Plus with two broken back legs) that I've tonight started calling Bit 'o Honey Bunny (also, Lil Bit and Bitty for short) was a perfect show girl - she ate, drank and seemed very relaxed the entire day. She's downstairs now chowing down on greens and I will bring her back tomorrow before my girls get too attached.The names that some folks came up with for Lil Bit were Susan, Cookies & Cream, Sugar, Daphne and maybe one other (G & C, did I miss one?)The cupcakes and other baked goods were a big hit and the source of most of our donations. Hip Hop made an appearance with a balloon attached to her zipper in back, and the info booth guy was very accommodating in announcing our raffles and helped out by mentioning the Hip Hop sightings. Hip Hop even got to share a hug with the Big Red "C" Guy from Commerce Bank, one of the sponsors of the event.At one point in the late afternoon, we blew up some balloons and got a rush of kids. Our next booth neighbors were Wally and Sharon Wall, of all people! We had a special visit from a black and white greyhound girl dog, who was sporting a bonnet, purse, jacket and purple mani/pedi. She was lying down in our booth - it was quite a scene with all of these black and white animals in one place. Pictures will follow when I get a chance to off load them from the camera. I'll stick them up on Dotphoto and send invites to y'all.

Apparently, Mimi Cotter used to attend these up until this year, but didn;t come this year so Sarah, one of the coordinators, was very happy to have us there. Two vendors want to talk to you about setting up the Hollow as a donation site - one is Eric.Gold@ Pawscause.org and the other was Denise Barbolla from www.AngelstoAnimals.com (the email on the site goes directly to her). Both are e-commerce sites selling pet supplies and 100% of the profits are donated to animal causes. You can email them and let them know that they spoke with me today at the Fair and that we want to explore doing reciprocal links with their sites

I'll email Ann shortly to let her know that no ferret organizations were there, except that Sean had one or two, right Claudie? This is that fellow Sean that Brandee got Major from, I think. Greer and Claudie can add their experiences when they get a chance. We were asked if we wanted to attend an adoption day next week in Yonkers (we wouldn't do it) but I think it was nice to be asked and to be included along with the dogs and cats. I think Greer and/or Claudie spoke to a few serious potential adopters, and that's who you may have heard from today - one of those folks.That's all I can think of for now. The table cloths are washed and packed along with the T shirts so they'll be ready back to you tomorrow for the next event.Thanks again Greer and Claudie.Michele

Meriden, Sonia and Toby!! Forgot, read blog below too!!!

Meriden was dumped at the Meriden Humane Society...

Sonia was found running the streets of Ansonia...

Toby's owner became very, very ill...

As of today, all are unaltered, Meriden and Toby had been living on wood shavings, so we need to wait the 6 weeks before altering them (can lead to death under anesthesia!). All sweet and looking for homes!

New Babies, Wild Oats, Westchester EXPO, Wiggum, Nugget, Martin, Leenie, Annabelle, Casper, Benji, Moody, Baba, Major

Today I got up, ran/walked 3 10 minute miles with one of my greatest friends Deb, then went home and got ready to go the Wild Oats Pet Awareness Day in Norwalk. Christine (Wignug) and Michelle L. along with animal lover daughter Madison helped pack up Annabelle, Baba who is temporarily staying with us for surgery rehabilitation, Christine's buns Wiggum and Nugget, and our Leenie and famous amputee Martin to go, along with Baba's "Butt Cart" and pens. We put Wiggum, Nugget, Martin and Leenie in a pen where they spent the 3 hours together. Martin and Leenie went home with Christine today, and if all works out, they may both have a home with almost total free run and so many bunny toys and activities, such as 2 floors of a house and home built stairs with tunnels going through them, they'll never run out of things to do. James, Christine's man, built amazing little play stairs leading into a rabbit home and up to the cage where Chinchilla's Button and Larrie live so they have easy access to the rest of the home.

Mandy at Cottontail Rabbit Rescue of Northford helped us out last month by taking in 3 baby bunnies we had dropped off whose mother had died during birth. She had a lactating mom with 4 babies (cast on the moms leg, and she still did a great job nursing all those babies - part of an abuse case) and we lost one of our babies, but the other two survived. We told Mandy we would take all the boys since she gets a much better spay/neuter cost in her area than we do. She brought them down to be sexed today, and FIVE were boys! The little girl already has a home, so Mandy happily left us 3 boys and took the other two back to her rescue. I want to Thank You Mandy, you and the bunny mom did a great service for us. Unfortunately the mom had already been pregnant again by the time Mandy got her and there are so far 3 more surviving kits that will be looking for homes.

Annabelle, Casper and a West Haven AC drop off Benji, will all be going to a new home with Dr. Poster. Annabelle has been a love and joy and has loved her time running in the back yard with our Shepard, Major. She is somewhat messed in the head we, and our vets, believe due to the people who brought her and Dakota to us putting topical dog medication on them (should have killed them!) and will be more happy living at the farm with the other rabbits in there large indoor/outdoor play area. We will be able to visit, and Annabelle needs the room to run! She was 8.5 pounds at adult size coming in, and has managed to get up to 12.9 at the time of her spay! I believe she is bigger even now! Best of luck to them all! Casper has no great love of people, and Benji seems to be inbred to the point of no return. We will post updates on how they are doing. Thank you Dr. Poster for your kind help and offer to give these guys a wonderful life. I wish that I could pull off what is in the House Rabbit Handbook where all the bunnies live outdoors together in harmony, but I am not equipped to do so. Ahhh, a rescuers dream come true!

Little Miss Moody was to join the above, but is on meds for an upper respiratory at the moment.

We only pulled $37 at Wild Oats, but made contacts that I am certain will come in handy. Don't forget we are at the Westchester County Civic Center this coming weekend for the adoption fair. I am going to try to get down there at some point with the children I nanny for, staying with them next weekend - all older now (7 years at this job this coming month - by the Grace of God! Awesome Family!). I'd like Sean Casey of Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Brooklyn (http://www.scarnyc.org/) to see Major, our Shepard that we got from him, and see how well he is doing! He had severe muscle atrophy when we adopted him, was just getting over pneumonia and sarcoptic mange, had Giardia and a yeast infection in one of his ears. He is BEAUTIFUL and loving, a big dope of a dog, a mommas boy!

We also have the upcoming Bear Fair, our Grand Opening at Petco in Norwalk, and our 3rd Annual Christmas Party, dates to be announced!

Goodnight!

Great Blog From Linda! Many Pet updates!!!

Just wanted to update you all on the little lop eared bunny who was dropped off in the cardboard box on my sidewalk yesterday. She saw Dr. Fahey at South Wilton Vet Group last week and after cutting away some of the matted fur was diagnosed as a female. So please,everyone, meet Rose. Rose is doing far better than expected. She is developing some real mobility in her hind legs and can propel herself across the floor quite quickly though I believe it is very painful for her with the horrible urine scald that covers her entire tummy. Painful or not when I approach with the medications she manages to get away from me rather well! All four of her hocks have severe deep infected sores and the doctor is very concerned about getting them to heal. It will take a long time and a lot of work but I think we can do it. Rose is on antibiotics, pain medication, Critical Care force feedings and cream for her wounded feet and tummy. After she heals a bit I'm going to start with Bag Balm and nu-skin on those poor feet. She is doing well with the stasis issues which I believe were brought on by her inability to get herself to food. Any movement was extremely painful for her with that horrible matted fur tugging at her fire red, burned skin. Thankfully there was no fly strike! She has a long, long way still to go and probably months of treatment but she looks and acts like a different bunny just a week later. I'm thrilled with the progress and feel confident it's going to continue. While initially I expected to have to make the horrible decision about euthanasia I feel pretty certain that is not going to happen! Now, I have a plea. If anyone reading this blog has any information about this bunny please, PLEASE call me on the Hollow number at 203-247-4661. I will not attempt to find out who you are if you are the one who dropped here here. You obviously tried very hard to help her yourself and you did help a lot by getting her here that night. I had the medications she needed and I believe we will be able to return her to relative health. But...some information on her history would be very helpful and only you can provide that. I promise I will do nothing to try to find out who you are unless you decide to tell me.Our splay legged bunny boy, Tennessee Jed was neutered last week along with Martin the little amputee bun and every one's favorite bunny Zippy. All did well and will be returning home tomorrow. When Jed's hormone levels drop and he is ready for a friend we will be adopting Rose to be his bond mate. I believe with Jed's spunky attitude he will inspire Rose to great goals like raiding the garbage can together with our dog Jessie!

A few months ago Rain was adopted into a loving family and yesterday I was delighted to get this update. How exciting. Rain is perfect for the job! Amanda writes....We have come to call Rain - Eeyore because of her beautiful coloring and her docile temperament. We think it fits her perfectly! And I thought you would be pleased to know that Eeyore is starting her certification to become a therapy bunny. I have been wanting to get involved with that for quite some time, and our three dogs and 2 cats aren't up for the job. When I found the Delta Society, I became informed that they register rabbits, guinea pigs, llamas and birds, as well as many other domesticated species, in addition to dogs and cats. And since Eeyore is one of the sweetest, calmest rabbits I have ever met, I thought she would be perfect, and she could touch a lot of hearts and improve the quality of a lot of people's lives. My little sister will be joining the team when she turns 16. We are very excited!



Guy & Christine who some time ago adopted the Flemish "Gentle Giant" and a beautiful big beautiful tan bunny named "Bambi" have moved to South Carolina. Christine writes about the journey...
All the babies fit in the van amazingly enough, 13 cats, 4 rabbits, 4 chinchillas, 2 mice, 4 rescue birds, and Guy and I..............and MrBiggs the dog. I was so scared they would not make the 13 hour drive, but all were well and in better condition than we were, we had told the house owners we had pets and they didn't know how many but the eyes got wider and wider as we took them out I wanted to put them in the barn till settlement but he would not hear of it, animal lovers, you cant beat them! We have 3 acres surrounded by cornfields and a neighbour half a mile away it suits me to a tee. What a journey Christine! Congratulations on your new home! Our best to you and yours in your new home and with your wildlife rehab!



A great note from Greer who adopted Elvis last month as a friend for Gussie......

Shadow is up for adoption if anyone has it in their heart to adopt a very healthy old timer kitty! Let me just explain the picture first off, I did not get one when all five animals were in the cage nestled together, but God I wish I had. These animals just amaze me, no care for the fact that something isn't their species, simply a nice warm belly to sleep on. Everyone is doing well, I have to bring Shadow to the vet tomorrow however and get the Soft Claw caps cut off because for some reason he isn't shedding his nails like my other two do and they are getting so long that they are starting to grow into his paw pads and I can't clip them through the caps. As for Gussie and Elvis, they spend much time exploring and cuddling in their cardboard condo, still having trouble keeping Elvis out of the cat's litter box, he likes digging, I guess it could be worse, he manages to get into some of the most obscure uncomfortable looking positions when he sleeps legs sticking out all over the place, absolutely hilarious, and they are beginning to share their food better, Gussie now goes up to the bowl as soon as I put it in and they do the whole Lady and Tramp spaghetti thing but with celery sticks instead, adorable! Oh and I included a pic of shadow, even though I know you don't know him, but to see him the way he is now compared to the poor terrified and terrorized animal he was when he came to me 4 months ago, it is like a miracle, you would never know it was the same cat.

Linda's Day, as told by Linda...

It’s been another wonderful day in the life. Makes me wonder so often why we all do this. Life would be so simple without these poor little creatures. I’d get to eat undisturbed and sleep occasionally too.

It started early this AM with the phone ringing with yet another woman wanting to dump her no longer wanted bunny on the Hollow. I told her as I have told 100 other people this last month that w have space for 50 and we are already at 68. I just can’t take any more bunnies in under any circumstances.

I ended up cleaning Chelsea’s bunnies because I felt so guilty about yesterday and the insanity I caused upstairs. I’ll tell that story first!

I had a good shopping trip to Goodwill yesterday where I picked up an adorable double decker plastic doll bed that’s perfect for a bonded pair of bunnies. I decided to give it to Simon Peter and Punky. They adored it! They jumped on both levels and inspected it thoroughly. Then Punky decided to use it as a springboard and jumped as high as she could, cleared her pen and landed in the pen next door with the three girls! The three girls decided they would happily kill Punky the evil intruder and each other while they were at it. It was quite a sight. 4 bunnies all trapped in a 4’ pen trying to kill each other with me screaming and tossing a full size garbage can over top of Punky to keep her safe till I could climb into the pen. I managed to separate all four bunnies and kept batting them to the sides of the pen till Chelsea heard my screams and came running. With time the situation calmed down and the girls forgot they were trying to kill each other and Punky was happily reunited with Simon. Everyone was fine except Chelsea and I. But we survived.

This morning I cleaned Chelsea’s bunnies, vacuumed the shelter for Michele who was arriving soon to start cleaning half of the shelter today. Did a dump run with 12 garbage bags of bunny trash and a load of bunny laundry. Came downstairs and cleaned the 6 bunnies down stairs. Called Brandee to check in and talked with Michele a while about Indiana’s pending adoption. Called South Wilton to make an appointment, cleaned the cage of the guinea pig I was babysitting for and got him ready to return home this afternoon. Turned away another bunny on the phone then did the dishes and l cleaned my bathroom. Spoke to another lady who was worried her bunny was in stasis and helped as much as I could.

I met Maria and her daughter here at noon so they could visit their bunny Snowy who has been recovering here from his broken leg. They visited for an hour, Michele left, Teresa who cleans the other half arrived and a lovely family called who wanted to meet the bunnies. I set the appointment for 4PM as the other family was picking up their piggie at 3:30. Mr Pig left for home and the family came and visited and tried to decide on what bunny they wanted to have join their family, while yet another volunteer arrived to brush bunnies and give hugs and pets to everyone. Of course they really wanted to see the bun I had sent to Brandee’s yesterday to be neutered so they left and will be back Friday night. Fantasia stopped by as I raced to get to the Post Office and get back here for the next appointment. Another typical day in this neighborhood.

I spent part of the night on the computer commiserating with Brandee about bunnies and how much time they take out of our lives. She had the same kind of day and was deeply saddened about a bunny she is caring for while a friend is away who has severe healthy problems and cannot move. He has urine scald and requires a lot of care and he doesn’t seem to be getting better. We were talking about him and when it’s time to say “that’s enough”. To put a living creature to sleep forever still remains the hardest decision for both of us,. Selfishly I thought to myself thank goodness it’s her that has to make the decision this time and not me. Well- I should not have thought that! I got punished. I was busy complaining because there are two sneezers in the shelter tonight when......

A friend of Chelsea's made a late visit tonight about 10:30 and he stopped in my office and said ”Linda, you do know there is a rabbit in a cardboard box outside your door don’t you?” I smiled and said good joke Noel. They I realized from the look on his face he wasn’t kidding.

On the road outside the front gate was a huge cardboard box with holes cut in the side and a whole carrot and apple inside it. Also a syringe of water and a bunch of bunny food and hay. Along with the goodies was the most pitiful bunny I have ever seen. A beautiful young,yellow Lop with two completely splayed front legs and it appears in complete inability to move his back legs. His tummy fur is a solid urine soaked matt and he is covered in urine scald. He cannot move at all. He will take small amounts of Critical Care and I have given him pain meds. The first thing in the morning we are heading to South Wilton to find out if he has a chance. It may be that his back legs are so weak from hunger that he may be able to regain some movement. I have no idea. I hope the doctor can make the call if he has a chance. If he does then I will do whatever I can to make it work. He is gentle and beautiful. He is frail, skinny and appears half dead. Somewhere someone tried their best to help him. Obviously someone has used the syringe to try to give him water,. Someone cared enough to really try but didn’t have the knowledge needed. We may never know his history but oh my god - how very sad.

I have just finished his 4th force feeding. He has had pain meds and we will both go to sleep now. I know that somewhere someone is wondering how he is doing. I don’t understand why they didn’t call and ask for help instead of leaving him in a box outside in the dark all alone. So vulnerable. With the raccoons and animals around here at night if Noel hadn’t visited he probably would have been killed by the time I found the box in the morning. Apparently some higher power had decided he gets another chance so I’m going to do my best to give it to him. I’ll update tomorrow on what the doctor say. I am seeing that he is regaining a little use of the back legs. I think he is starved and dehydrated perhaps he was too weak to move them. He can now propel himself a few inches before they give out. So perhaps he does have a chance. All I know is that I'm tired and angry and confused. I can only imagine how he feels. Say a prayer guys, send white light, whatever you believe in. He needs all the help he can get.

Hey if anyone can fill in for me at the hollow tomorrow or Wednesday please let me know. This guy is going to take some intensive nursing care for a couple of days and I have no volunteer for Tuesday and Wednesday is a partial volunteer who may not be able to make it. I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Wondering why I got myself into this mess. It's been pretty intense lately for both Brandee and I. I could really use your help if anyone has some extra time to donate day or evening. Linda

My Weekend, Rootbeer, Meriden, Steiff Bear Show

Hello to all! Well, again, I'll have to add pictures later! On Friday, I had the wonderful time of bringing Michelle Letizia along with me for a ride. It was a pretty quick/easy day. I went to Petco to get crickets for the bearded dragon and seed for the cockatiels and dove. We then went over to Stratford Animal Control to pick up a couple of carriers and saw all the dogs looking for homes including a beautiful Pit Mix with a very scarred face, it's believed he/she was used as a "bait dog." There are also 5 beautiful mix-breed puppies, look like they have some min-pin in them, eyes still closed. All will be looking for homes, along with all the other doggies there. Afterwards we went to my house to unload and then went to a friends house to pick up her two rabbits (one with severe urine scald as it has been unable to walk since having a large cancerous tumor removed - I have picked up meds and am trying to control the situation) and her Shepard I'll be watching for the next 20 days. Thanks for the company Michelle!

Saturday - blur... What did I do Saturday? I know I cleaned the bunnies, did laundry, house-work - but anything exciting?

Sunday... Chris and I actually slept until 10 which is not like us at all! Got up, did bunny meds,
met a Shepard Mix at my house that will be looking for a new home (4 years old, beautiful!) then went to the Meriden Humane Society where I picked up a bunny (Meriden), a hamster, and 7 of the most beautiful spotted gerbils I have ever seen! I have never seen Gerbils of these colors! I then went to Ansonia to pick up some cat supplies off Freecycle, Shelton to pick up a dog-crate, Stratford to pick up a rabbit cage, then went to the Hollow to drop off the cage and do a bunny swap. Then I went home, set up new cages, took out old ones, and re-arranged a bit in the basement while cleaning cages. It was a busy day.
Jed and Martin will go in for their neuters tomorrow. Both are doing really, really well. Shadow and Bugsy just got neutered and went to the Hollow. Bugsy may go to live with the people who found him in Bpt. They have called religiously to check up on him! Rootbeer went to his new home yesterday. I think he's going to do really, really well!

A note from our courageous leader (come on, she puts her hand in Evie's cage!):

Just a quick update on some Hollow stuff....First I'd like to thank Loftex Industries of New York City for their more than generous donation of towels for the bunnies. A huge box, filled to the top with thick, soft towels arrived yesterday and it's so very appreciated! Comfortable, warm for the bunnies and pretty to look at for the volunteers! Thanks Loftex!I sent out tons of publicity releases for the upcoming Teddy Bear Show and I'd like you all to see one. It explains a little more about the show specifics. If anyone would like me to email you a copy of the actual release to post where they work or play please drop me an email at hopalonghollow@aol.com. The more publicity the better! Here it is.....
October is when the leaves start to turn and the bears and animals come out to play at the 23rd Annual Bristol Teddy Bear and Doll Show on October 14, 2007
Bear Artist Sarah Forrest has taken the show to a new level of excellence. This show will feature some of the best artists in the world of teddy bears and soft sculpture art. There will also be retailers with manufactured and artist pieces, a Steiff event, and appraisals will be available for your antique animals or dolls.
To keep pace with the show’s growth it will now be at the Clarion Hotel in Bristol, Connecticut. This new venue will give collectors and artists a new more comfortable setting to call home. There’s something else new in this year’s show. It will also be a benefit for Hop-A-Long Hollow, a rescue group for homeless rabbits in Norwalk, Connecticut. A soft sculpture collector and benefactor of Hop-A-Long Hollow generously donated a portion of her collection to the shelter. There will be a silent auction of these artist creations, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Hollow. There is also the “Bunny Challenge”; all exhibitors are invited to create a bunny for the event with ten percent of the adoption fee benefiting the Hollow.
For more information about the show go to www.bruinmischief.com
For more information about the Hop A Long Hollow go to www.hopalonghollow.org


Bristol, CT - Clarion Hotel23nd Annual Bristol Teddy Bear and Doll Show 42 Century Drive, Bristol, CT 06010 10am-3pm October 14, 2007Bruin Mischief 860-665-1322www.bruinmischief.com/shows/bristol/2007/bristol.htmsarah@bruinmischief.com

Assuming everyone still wants to ..... I plan on booking some rooms at the hotel for the night before the show, I believe there is a hotel room pre-party for the " big spenders " and artists in Sarah's room and you are all invited. Please let me know if you are planning on going and if you will be willing to be a driver. I assume you all agree it's best to car pool. We will be working hard the day of the show but hopefully we will also be having a lot of fun and making a lot of money for the Hollow! For those of us who are not in the know about Teddy Bear Collecting the fact that this is a Steiff Event means it could be a very, very good fundraiser. Steiff is the best known name in stuffed toys, very pricey and extremely well known world wide. By being designated a Steiff event it gives the show a special ambiance and attracts many, many collectors to the show. Steiff actually sends a representative to work the show. I believe there may even be a special Steiff bear dedicated to the show. Sarah has worked very long hours putting the show together and I'd like to take time to THANK her VERY MUCH! And to add a very special THANK YOU to our generous benefactors Paula and Barry, who donated the bears we are auctioning off at the show. I am not sure if they want their last name mentioned so I won't but you know who you are and thank you from the bottoms of our hearts! Their warmth and support toward the shelter was brought about in part by their love of the bunnies they adopted from the Hollow.
Brandee did still another happy bonding this week. Gussie who has been living on Long Island with Greer for the last several months now has a live in friend! Greer adopted Elvis and it was love at first sight with all three parties involved! Greer, Gussie and Elvis will now live happily ever after along with Greer's three kitties. Miracle is rapidly adjusting to living in the house with Angel (and Harvey and I!) and actually left his cage on his own the other day. That's a huge step for a very timid and terrified bunny. Angel is working wonders with him that we humans just couldn't do. She has taught him that humans are just bunny slaves and nothing to be afraid of!Tennessee Jed is rapidly taking over the house. He and Jessie seem to be becoming good friends though I have kept it thru the cage bars. Jessie discovered the other day that if she curls her tongue enough she can steal all Jed's food right out of his dish right thru the cage bars. Jed is less than thrilled. I'm very sorry to say that Dr. Amanda Cronin has left the South Wilton Vet Group practice. She has moved back to her home town and family. Losing her compassion, gentle touch and rabbit knowledge is a big loss for the bunnies and humans of the Hollow. Thankfully Dr Barbara Mangold has been working with us treating the bunnies and Dr. Claire Fahey and Dr Nick Satinas are also available so we have great doctors working with us. Dr Pieper in Stratford has been cutting back his practice a bit so he is a bit more difficult to get an appointment with. That is also a big loss for the Hollow.After three years in rabbit rescue with neither Brandee or I ever seeing a broken leg on a bunny we have had three in three weeks! First came Jeddie who I think may have had a broken leg that had healed without medical care. One rear is splayed out but he manages quite nicely using it for balance. He was adopted by Harvey and I and has a permanent home at our house.
Martin our little amputee bunny had his surgery several weeks ago and is tearing around on three legs lke it's totally normal. Dr Mangold removed the one horribly damaged hind leg and he was amazing in his recovery. He manages to stand on one hind leg balancing himself against an object with his two front feet! Amazing! He has a permanent home at Brandee's. The third bunny is named Snowy and he was brought to Brandees on a weekend when no vet was available by a desperate owner who found him with the leg broken. Snowy's leg had the bone crushed but on x-ray it appeared heal able so he has spent the last two weeks visiting at my house while he has his leg splinted and wrapped with bandages. It appears to be healing nicely and Snowy will be able to return to his home when the healing progresses a bit more. A huge Thank you to FACT the Ferret Association out of Hartford who kindly donated a big portion of the funds for Snowy's treatment. Their donation shows the wonderful spirit of cooperation we are finding with all the local animal rescue groups.

Thank you kindly for the updates Linda!
Pictures to follow!
Brandee :o)

baby bunnies, Mandy from Cottontail Rabbit Rescue steps up to help!

This is Diamond. She is part if a court-case seizure and has had babies in the past 2 days. Mandy read our blog last night and saw that we were in need of a lactating mother for the 3 baby bunnies that came in 2 days ago and called to take in the 3 babies we just got in to join the 4 that Diamond just had. Hopefully all will go well, we will bring the 3 back here, have them spayed/nuetered and send them on their way to their new INDOOR homes. Diamond was so kind to feed the babies right away, even with her injured leg (broken and now healing) she was grooming them. We hope that she will take care of all babies, and thank Mandy from the bottom of our hearts for the phone call that may just save their lives. Michelle M. had them for 2 nights and nursed them very well. Thank you Michelle!

I just want to send a bunch of pictures through tonight... I went and dropped off the babies, went to an awesome farmer's market on Middletown road, and then went the coastline home, dying to go to Lake Compounce,or someplace else to just have some fun... Here Goes....

Beckam chilling to the left and Jojo lazy down below...

2 swans, their "ugly" (beautiful!) ducklings in Branford a long with a duck family. NIGHT!

A crazy day, Alestair, Flash, Carmie, Elvis

Well, it's 11:40 and I just want to talk to someone, and no one is home. Chris is asleep on the couch with Jojo the Pug puppy we are watching for 2 weeks (so cute!) and Will & Grace is on the T.V. I had a few laughs, but the day was long and a bit frustrating. Michelle Malone called a few days ago about these people living next door to her mother in-law that had kittens outside all over the place. Michelle caught two, then trapped the mom today. I had her release the mom again as there seems to be two moms and two litters and we don't know who is nursing who at the time. Some seem to be 3 weeks, some 5 weeks old. I think the neighbors denied having cats, but let her in to look for a kitten that was in the house somehow and saw litter boxes and cat toys everywhere... Needless to say, we will have kittens for adoption in the next few weeks. PLEASE HELP! The moms will need homes too as they are trapped.

I was excited it was a bit colder and raining today, thinking to myself "Wow! I can clean the Hollow, clean the buns here and call it a day!" Well, the pug baby we are watching appears to be having something like seizures starting to kick in. I got up this morning and with her owners consent I dropped her at their vet in Fairfield for blood work and then proceeded on to Dr. Pieper with 3 rabbits to be neutered in Stratford (the beginning of my day as this is where I live). I went to Poster Animal Hospital with three of the 11 hamsters we had taken in and Dr. Poster adopted one but we couldn't find a cage for it, so I said I would take the hammies to the Hollow with me and drop off one back to her with a temporary cage. I then went to Westport to see if I could see any of the kittens, but alas, it was raining and cats don't like the wet, so I dropped off a borrowed Havahart trap from Dr. Poster and went on my way to clean the Hollow in Norwalk as I called the Humane Society and Petco to see what they might have for adoption. There is a parakeet at the HS in Westport looking for a home, no other small animals at either location other than the HS rabbits.

While at the Hollow, we had a family stop by to see the other two hamsters, they picked one out and left to get there supplies. They came back to pick up their hamster, left donations, and I finished cleaning. I went in to visit with Snowy who had his leg broken this past weekend getting it stuck in his cage while on a shelf. Carmie, Linda's bunny bonded to Angel died yesterday, so the cage looked sad and lonely. Angel will be bonded to Miracle if all goes well. After leaving Linda's (several phone calls coming in while I was there) I proceeded back to where the kittens are (with a Guinea Pig in tote that Christine aka. Wignug, is going to foster) to see Michelle and her kids, her friend Kathy and her kids, all out in the rain trying to capture some of the other small ones. I nabbed one who was very upset with me, then left them to go about there business in catching any others (no luck more today) and went to drop of Dr. Posters hammie. I met Chris for lunch and then proceeded to pick up a table to borrow from Linda's husbands place in Fairfield, Fairfield Hardwood Supply. After leaving there, I went to pick up the pug baby Jojo. I got there and the receptionist told me "I'm sorry, she is going to have to stay with us." I was beginning to panic thinking something was really wrong when they told me "she has to stay, she is just too cute!" After that heart-failure, Jojo and I got in the car and I received a call from a guy on the phone who dropped the phone and was swearing while talking to me about a mom bunny that had 3 babies this morning but the mom had died. I gave him a number or two to call, since I don't like taking in babies - they are just too hard to keep alive... On the way home, Dr. Piepers office gave me another near heart failure as they said 2 of the rabbits out of 3 (Alastair and Flash) made it through surgery just fine, just as I felt a lump in my throat they said that Elvis never had to have surgery as he was an already neutered bunny. He was the one that had been dumped at the Queen's zoo. I got home and one of the dogs (Sheffie I am sure) had knocked my lap-top on the floor and broke the back - still working though, I am on it, and somehow JD had finagled the food dehydrator out onto the kitchen floor and was trying to clean off any cinnamon from the apples he could find... I had Chelsea (my new 13 year old and very awesome volunteer!) come over with a friend of hers and they helped clean cages, do water and food, and played with Jojo while I was doing other things (thank you Chelsea, you helped bring some sanity to my life today and I appreciate your kindness very much!). Christine came by and picked up the piggie and was in tears when she saw how great Martin, our newly 3 legged bunny, is doing. Chris came home, I made dinner, then begged him to do Dance Dance Revolution with me for 1/2 hour. It has been a long day, but that is OK. Michelle Malone took the 3 baby bunnies from the guy who called, he says he wants them back... We'll see what happens there. Ali dropped off a bag of lactated ringer for me and I can't find it anywhere, so that is my goal tomorrow morning, find the lactated ringer, get those babies hydrated and then we will all decide what to do from there. I have another dog staying with me this week too, a Golden named Beckam. He and Jojo are AWESOME dogs and have played much and just fit in to our routine so nicely... Thank you GOD!

Chris called me this morning about hearing news that a local animal rescue person was arrested. Turns out the woman (who yelled at me for Arthur not having water in his cage 5 minutes after I set it up) from "Companions for Life" that was arrested last year for her deplorable condition of 129 dogs was arrested again yesterday. I'm not sure, but something about moving and not telling anyone and having more dogs again. I was so afraid it would be worse... It could have been!

Good night to all!
Brandee :o)