Today is the 2nd birthday for Flash, Zippy, Thunder, Cinderella, Snow White, and Gia! Hoppy Birthday you crazy bunnies!

So, Chelsea emailed me some pictures of her bunnies playing in the snow we got last week but I was out of town so I haven't had a chance to post the pictures. I will try to do that tonight!

So for those of you that haven't heard, Half Pint got adopted this past week! We also took in 2 new bunnies Saturday - 2 boys, Sam & Dean. Their previous owner had them living outside in a hutch...they moved out and left the rabbits there to fend for themselves. The new home owner found them out there and tried to care for them but wasn't able to keep them so Linda went and picked them up. They are both very sweet and as soon as we make sure they are not sick, they will be neutered and sent back to the Hollow for adoption.

If there is anyone who can foster a bunny or a bonded pair for a little while, please call Linda ASAP. We are overwhelmed we are at maximum capacity right now with bunnies overflowing into Linda's house! Chelsea's baby is due in April and all of the bunnies need to be out of the future nursery by February. Also, if anyone would like me to email them some fliers to hang up, please let me know! My email address is alicat2282@yahoo.com. I will mail you some fliers - please hang them up wherever you can to help us generate some adoptions! I usually hang them in the break rooms at my job and also on the community boards at the local Stop & Shops, but libraries, community centers, and any place else would be helpful!

TTFN!
Ali

PS - comments are now enabled so after you register, you can leave comments on the blog! Keep it clean and G-rated, OK!?

Since we are all kind of bummed about that lady who stiffed us after we were so nice to her...I wanted to share some more holiday hoppiness:

Chelsea's...ahem..rotund girl Love-Bug (aka Buggy):


Margie and Cory's buns, Cocoa-Butter & Linus


and Bugsy & Penny


Just Penny, being a good girl with her little hat!!


We also got an update on a little bunny we rescued earlier this year. Tabitha was the product of severe inbreeding. The family started with 2 bunnies...who soon became more than 15 bunnies. Tabitha and her brothers, Scabbers and Lavender, came to us in horrible condition. Tabitha had nothing but two little stubs for ears, Scabbers had been beaten nearly to death by all of the other bunnies he was stuck in a hutch with, and Lavender had severe headtilt. All were only about 2-3 months old. Scabbers healed nicely with some TLC, Lavender is now a fresh little thing who delights in beating up Linda (who saved his life and cured his headtilt, by the way) at every chance he gets. Tabitha was adopted to a wonderful girl named Crystal. Recently, it was discovered that Tabitha has degenerative joint/bone disease in both rear legs. Probably from inbreeding. One leg was totally destroyed and was removed today. They hope they can save the other rear leg but it's uncertain. She has damaged her 3 other legs trying to compensate for the bad leg and now all three legs are splayed. Crystal and the vets are hoping to strengthen them but it might not work. She is re-cooperating in a sling attachment while they do physical therapy on her. She made it through the surgery fine and is already eating though she just lost the leg around 2 pm today. Crystal adores her and will do whatever it takes to get her a normal life. If she loses the other back leg then it will be a butt-cart for her! Everyone pray for Tabitha...and Crystal!

Speaking of butt-carts, Fuzzy, who came to us a few months ago with a back injury has spent the last few weeks in a cart to support his back legs so that he could move around. He went back to the vet this week for more x-rays and although we found that his back was in fact broken he has about a 50% chance of regaining use of his hind legs! It may not seem all that great, but 50% is better than 45%!

TTFN!
-Ali

DO NOT ADOPT! Kathy Hard of Meriden

OK, maybe I am in the wrong here, but a volunteer of ours talked to a woman who wanted to "get rid of" her rabbit, and we don't take in personal rabbits, but our volunteer wanted to make sure the bunny was in a safe place. The woman drove the bunny down to me, a beautiful white male named Tom. Her son had the biggest tears in his eyes leaving that bunny here, so of course I felt badly too. She left us a check for $75 as a donation. Well, Linda called today, the check was canceled on us, leaving us with a $10 charge to pay for it. I called up Kathy, she could give me no good excuse other than "something came up." I told her it would have been nice for her to call and let us know, and now we were out $10 because of her choosing to cancel the check. She kept trying to spit out a good excuse, and I was irritated so I told her to please not contact me for further updates on the rabbit that she dropped off to us and we were going to have to pay to alter and care for. She told me "F-You" and hung up on me. I'm glad we have the rabbit. If she could have given a reason, called beforehand, anything than just sticking us, I would have been fine. This was just rude, mean and sneaky. Brandee

Christmas Pictures

It's Ali again! At Brandee's request, I am posting the pictures that I used in my Christmas cards this year. If anyone else would like to share their Animal Holiday Pictures, feel free to email me at alicat2282@yahoo.com and I will post them on the blog! (ahem...Margie & Cory!)

This is Kali & Flash (can you believe that Shaylah's babies are going to be 2 this year!? My little Flash is growing up!)




This is Scout & Alex. Scout was by far, the most difficult to photograph. First of all, she hates my life and secondly she hates sitting still. I don't think she was too fond of the bows either...



Here she is again, washing the human-filth off of herself.



Here is my brother's Flemish Giant, Dixie. Somehow, wrestling with a 12lb Flemish was CAKE compared to my little 4lb Scoutie-Pants.



And last, but not least, are Puffy & Q-Ball. We've been fostering them since May when they were only 4 weeks old.




Hope you all enjoyed my pictures!

TTFN! Ta-Ta-For-Now!
-Ali

The After Party

Hi Everyone! It's Ali, updating the blog for the first time! I have lots of good news to share with you all!

First of all, the Hop-Along Hollow Christmas Party on the 13th was amazing! Between donations and our bike raffle, we made over $3000! Our expectations were greatly exceeded, and we can not thank you all enough for your continued help and support! Practically everyone who came to the party brought a donation of some sort, whether it was supplies or money, it is all appreciated more than you will ever know! We clean cages every day and go through newspaper, paper towels, wipes, and vinegar like crazy! So thank you again to everyone!!

On Saturday, we took in 6 baby bunnies. 2 girls and 4 boys! They were born on 11/3/08 so that makes them 6 weeks old at this point. The 2 girls are in foster care, and the 4 boys are currently at Brandee's. One of the girls is all black, and the other looks like a little wild bunny with brown and black fur. In the male category, we have one black, one wild bunny-colored, one gray, and one chocolate brown. If anyone is interested in adopting or fostering, please let Brandee know!

Also on Saturday, we had 2 chinchilla's go to forever homes, and one of the 12 Petco rats get adopted! We still have the mom and 10 babies available (6 girls, 4 boys). Again, please contact Brandee if you can provide even a temporary home!

Today, we had TWO adoptions! Trouble, the French Lop, went to his forever home and Puppy & Cowgirl also got adopted!

Duke, the lionhead, and Dover the big white New Zealand, both went to get neutered today so they will be down at the Hollow very shortly looking for a home!

Talk to you all soon!
-Ali

Hollow Christmas Party this Saturday! BE THERE!

HOP-A-LONG HOLLOW CHRISTMAS PARTY IS THIS SATURDAY FROM 1-5!!!!!!!!! Call Brandee at 203-767-1150 for any info. Please Join us and Meet The Buns!

I don't even know if I can remember all the things to share in the updates for the past month. Fuzz-butt, who has no use of his hind legs and has to have his bladder expressed for him everyday, is doing well. We are going to have him on the butt cart starting 15 minutes a day to build up some muscle and get him use to it! Very exciting! Johnny got adopted, Floppy (aka Randy) has come back for bonding and the two attempts I made went sour. Camille came back but was bonded to Pickles and now has a boyfriend. Hoodie (now named Benny) and Isis were both altered today. Hoodie has a new home it seems with volunteer Linda and her bunny girl Daisy.
We are now in the Petco Milford location and absolutely loving that store! It is huge, clean, and well taken care of. The animals look great, the staff seems to know what is going on, and the managers have been awesome to work with! We have Dandy and Tess (born to Trixie who was caught running loose in Stratford, CT) there now. It's so funny to watch them do Binky's in their hex there. Ali, Christine and Jim have all been wonderful at helping out at the store so I don't have to drag Katie up there with me often. The staff has been big help making sure the buns have a fresh supply of food and water. THANKS EVERYONE!
I just don't know what else to write about today other than we have people calling left and right to dump rabbits, quite sad, and the Humane Society - God Bless Them! They have been a wonderful group to work with and have helped us with rabbits coming in off the streets by putting them up, having them altered and making sure they have a safe place with food and water. That's all I can think of right now, I'm going to try to take a nap. Katie has a fever and I am wiped out! OH! We have 11 baby rats looking for homes! Brandee

Happy Election Day!

Hello to all! I hope no matter who you vote for that you at least get a chance to get out there and make one! It's a great gift that we all have that right! I can't believe how long it's been since I have blogged, life is just so full that the blog is most distant from my mind. I need to get back into it, Katie turned 4 months old yesterday! Now, down to bunny business!! We have slotted Saturday, December 13th as our Hollow Christmas Party! It will be pot-luck and we will be sending out invites via mail or e-mail shortly with times and directions! We will be looking for any donations of newspapers, paper towels, black 39 gallon garbage bags and vinegar. A brief run-down of the past 4 months... Linda's father passed away, Harvey is having hand surgery today to repair a severed tendon, and Chelsea and Derek are expecting their first child on April 16th so Linda won't just be a surrogate Grandma to Katie, but a REAL GRANDMA!! I am thrilled for everyone! Annabelle passed away, Magoo got adopted, Redding and Diva came in from Redding Animal Control via Nancy Jarvis at the state animal control office, Redding left yesterday, and Diva has been at South Wilton the past two days in Stasis. Hoppy was adopted.

Katie Elizabeth is here! Tag Sale Results, Sage passes away...

What a busy month! I was induced on the 2nd of July, and our beautiful daughter Katie Elizabeth arrived on July 3rd around noon. She was 5 lbs and 12 ounces, and is just a doll! I had a very easy delivery, pretty pain free, I don't really have any horror stories to share, and wouldn't if I did. Life has changed already in this past week, I just can't explain it. I had lots of swelling through the pregnancy and lots of monitoring for pre-eclampsia - I figured after the delivery I would be fine, but still have major swelling of the legs/ankles/hands, so I got sent to the emergency room for 5 hours last night by my doctor who wanted emergency blood work done, and my blood pressure was 169/89 when it's usually around 120/80. They gave me blood pressure meds and I'm ok today, but back at the doctor again tomorrow. I was scared, and really upset to be away from Katie, but all is well, we just have to watch things very closely for a while and pray for the best. Look up pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. It's scary business! Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful cards, books, clothing and diapers that they have picked up for Katie. Everyone has been so nice, and so helpful, I really don't know what else to say but "Thank-You!"

Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies... There are bunnies everywhere. We have all ages, sexes, colors... WE NEED ADOPTIONS! It has been such an incredibly slow month for us, and I'm out of commission for a while on doing bondings, which we have 2 that are pending. We need more help at the Hollow as far as volunteers go, so please make fliers, pass the word around, do what you can to help! TAG SALE was great! Thanks to everyone for their more than generous donations to the Hollow Tag Sale which raised $648 this year! Thanks to everyone who hung at Ali's for the day to help, it's so appreciated! We have another tag sale coming up in August, so we will be looking for more donations to help. Please contact me to arrange drop-off in Stratford of any items you'd be looking to donate. Sage, a large, black, beautiful bunny we adopted out last year passed away today. She was unfortunately taken to a non-rabbit vet. We will forever wonder if she could have been saved had she been taken to a rabbit savvy vet.

UP FOR ADOPTION: Single Male Cockatiel - loves company, can not fly, whistles a lot! 2 bonded female chinchilla's. 1 single female chinchilla. Oh, BUNNIES Too!

We have so many people to thank all the time for help they give to us, just showing up when they say they will and not leaving us hanging is one of the things we can never show enough gratitude for. I just wanted to send out an extra little thank you to Susie, Bryne, Christine and Jim for being here to help us out the past couple of weeks. Our family here has been through quite a bit with our little addition, and with me needing to take it easy, it's so nice to have people that are reliable and so kind to come and help. Thanks guys, I appreciate it greatly as do the 20 foster animals here at the moment. I also appreciate all the offers from so many others like Ali, Karen, Suzanne, both Chelsea's and others. I feel funny asking people to help, as I'm so use to doing things here myself, but I appreciate knowing my family has people we can ask for help if we need it!

There is so much going on that I don't even know where to start on writing it all down, so tonight I won't. I'm going to put my feet back up and hug my daughter! Anyone who can please call Linda and set up time to clean 10 cages a day once a week, please do so. We are trying to see if we can get 3 volunteers a day to each do 10 cages each. It will not only ensure that we have volunteers coming in, but also that everyone can split up some of the cage duties. It's hard for Linda if we have a day where someone cancels as it's a day she can't be on EBAY making money for the Hollow. We need the Hollow in Norwalk to be covered, spread the word - HELP IS NEEDED! Have a great weekend!

A Note From Linda... LOL!!!

Hey guys......I gotta tell you that you never stop learning with this bunny stuff. I was too full of myself and I got taken down a peg. The head tilt baby bunny and I have our routine down great now. I know just how to hold him to get the medications and feedings down him and tonight he seem actually a bit better. Not just stronger but more stable. Head tilt bunnies scare the pants off me. I finally faced my fear and I'm doing fine with this little fella, I haven't dropped him, he hasn't chocked, nothing bad has happened and my confidence has grown as time has passed by. Tonight I am sitting in the chair happily stuffing critical care down his little body after giving him liquids and several liquid medications. He is soft and warm and all cuddled up to my chest. He seems so happy and content and I'm just sitting there holding him and talking to him. All is well except that I forgot one basic fact. What goes in has to come out again. Suddenly he decided it's time to pee. I feel this flood of warm water rush down my body, it then drips down off the plastic chair I am sitting on and down my leg to settle nicely in my shoe. I was covered. My god - that so much liquid could come out of one tiny baby bunny! He must have held it half the day. It just kept coming and coming. I grabbed him away from my body and he is squirting the entire time so I basically spread pee everywhere while I am running with him. Like he was a self firing water pistol. A pee pistol. I had to shower and completely clean the whole room. What an ungodly mess!The good news is that I am convinced he is doing better. Not flipping quite so much and more able to eat again fairly well on his own. He is back again to how he as when we took him in. So I am excited. Now all I need to know is how do I get pee out of leather shoes? Linda

Due date mix up, 30 buns in need, the HS lends a hand...

New Sign For The Hollow - CLOSED ON SUNDAYS! (Thanks hubby Chris!) Now we just need a big one that says "BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!"

Linda and I went and met with a woman today who had rescued about 10 rabbits. She called and asked for our help as she is getting overwhelmed (hey - with rabbits - it happens!). We went down and sexed them, there is a new litter there that is just a few days old, 5-6 unaltered males, 5-6 females that all feel pregnant and swollen, and more than 20 babies between 5 and 12 weeks. We sexed everybun, gave ivomec shots to the adult males, separated the males from the females, except for the youngest which we will do in about a month, and offered to continue to help as we could. The woman has a wonderful set-up where all the buns are safe, we just have to get the population under control and then go from there. Some of the babies were so inbred from where they came from that there are ears missing and one had 1/2 of its back foot missing, not from them being eaten, no signs of scabs or anything, just born that way. We took 4 buns in with us. 1 is scab-covered so was started on Ivomec and Baytril, 1 baby has no ears (looks like a Guinea Pig), 1 baby has head tilt, and 1 that has 1 ear and missing 1/2 a back foot was just laying lethargic in the cage. It died shortly after we got home. Linda will be taking the remaining 3 to the vet tomorrow. Any donations would be wonderful! We were there for about 2 hours catching and sexing all these little cuties. If anyone wants to foster for a month or so, please contact us through the website at http://www.hopalonghollow.org/. The Humane Society was very generous as to take in 7 of the baby girls for us that are about 8-10 weeks of age. There are still very many that will need homes, on top of our already huge population.

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, though adoptions have been a little slow. Bun-Jovi passed away Saturday night into Sunday morning. Margie offered to take Bugsy to do his meds and take care of him for a while (major head-tilt and several different meds 2x a day) which is a very nice help and a break for me. We were just on Pet Talk last Sunday, we'll figure out how to upload it and everyone can get a chuckle at the huge pregnant lady... Oh, and for anyone who hasn't heard yet, I've been telling everyone that I'm due on July 7th, cause that's what I thought. I went to the Dr's for my stress test this past Monday and they said I'm 38 1/2 weeks (out of 40) and it just didn't add up to me. I asked "How is it July 7th?" Turns out I was told a wrong date by someone who no longer works there, and I'm actually due on June 29th! Oh well, either way she's going to be here shortly! Works out for me better any ways, my dad has vacation the week of the 4th so I want her here to meet him!

There is going to be a huge Hollow Tag-Sale on Freeman Ave. in Stratford on June 28th. We aren't giving the house number out as of yet, but there will be lots of signage to follow! Please come and show your support for the Hollow! Well, I'm sure there is more to write, but I am just so tired right now I don't know what I have and haven't written, and don't know what else to say. I'm flabbergasted and going to bed for a while... Oh! Anyone looking to help with donations towards food and medications, please, please, please contact the Hollow through our website or make a pay-pal donation with the e-mail addresss hopalonghollow@aol.com.

Tag Sale, Pet Talk

Hey,
Chris, Ali and I went to Channel 12 this past Sunday to do a "Father's Day" segment of Pet Talk. It will air, of course, on Father's Day - this coming Sunday. We took Bucky, Heather and Rag-a-Muffin with us, all were very well behaved. Bucky went in yesterday to have his teeth cut way back again. We are trying to raise the money to have his front teeth surgically removed since they will never be aligned and we'd rather not have to continuously put him through the teeth trimming, he's been though enough! Bun-Jovi is actually able to stand for short periods of time on his hind legs again which is amazing, and Bugsy seems to be eating more and more on his own, drinking out of the water bottle, and he seems to be holding his head up a bit more often. Wishful thinking on both parts? We may have 2 pairs of chins leaving soon, which would be wonderful for them. Chris helped me get the a/c hooked up for everyone a couple of days ago and I've had a couple of people helping out with the pens/cages which has been wonderful. Susie came on Friday and Bryne again on Sunday. Christine will come tomorrow to clean the chin cages for me, which rocks. I am really getting tired quickly now, I just couldn't imagine it happening - I don't sit and now I actually have too! Thanks to everyone for their help, and to everyone who just shows up at the Hollow to clean when they say they will. We are so crazy right now and every single person that shows up is a just an angel - and we need angels with what we do!
This week Groucho came back, his bond with Honey did not end up working out in the end, he became very aggressive with her - we think maybe over food since he was so starved coming in.
I am bonding Lila with Sal right now, and just bonded Danni (found running loose in Danbury) with Romeo and Coco with Sonia. I haven't taken any pictures yet, too empty-headed to even think of it this week!
Thank you to everyone who has brought us items for the tag-sale on June 28th, and thank you to everyone who has dropped off (Terri brought paper towels, toys and other items and Cindy from St. Josephs brought garbage bags, papers and tag-sale items!) donations and sent in checks. We are so low on funds, and every little bit has truly helped. Any other items for the tag-sale can be dropped off at my place in Stratford to be stored until the tag-sale, just e-mail me directly for the address at brandeesbunch@aol.com.
I'm due in 2 1/2 weeks now, I have a birthday Friday and Linda has a birthday as well on the 22nd so hopefully we'll both be doing something fun in the next couple of weeks (like relaxing, or child-birth)! Hope everyone is well, and please send us updates on your buns as you get them! Happy JUNE!
Brandee :o)

Another Month Goes By...

Ok, we are down to the final 4 weeks of pregnancy, and still we have rabbits everywhere. I've calmed down a bit now knowing that help is all over the place if only I cave in and ask for it (I try to do everything myself and my belly is catching up with me!). We took in 11 rabbits a couple of weeks ago from an "accidental backyard breeder" in Trumbull. I guess the bunnies have been breeding for about 6 years and they had been giving them to a pet store that was selling them. My heart goes out to all the rabbits now sitting in uneducated homes (or lonely hutches). We have 7 in foster with Ali's family in 2 locations, and 4 at my house. We took in 3 bunnies from a NY shelter that were going to be euthanized (already neutered though!) and besides Camille that was caught at the beach last month (and now in her new home with owner Robert who is in bunny-love!) Linda also caught a 2-3 pound netherland dwarf running on the streets of Norwalk. We have a flemmish baby (6-7 pounds already) and also another bunny that we believe will be a giant chinchilla rabbit when she grows older. Now, don't go thinking we are just taking bunnies in! We have had several adoptions and bondings, and lots of phone calls coming in, so hopefully they keep coming. Jamie left to be bonded with Claudius (adorable lop), and Diego (aka Groucho) left today for his new home with the lovely rex Honey. Camille (as I mentioned above) left last week as did Odelle from NY and Chester, also from NY. I know there is more, but I honestly have less memory this month than usual. Oh, we had a bunny come in from Danbury too that was running loose. Shelly from the Chinchilla Depot was gracious enough not only to house her for a couple of nights, but to also drive down to Danbury to bring her to me while I was visiting my in-laws. THANK YOU SHELLY!

Things at the Hollow have also been hectic - Linda has been putting in so much "Overtime" with cleaning and rabbit paper work, Ebay, vet visits, IV's and meds along with force feedings on ill rabbits including Bun-Jovi who currently has no use of his hind legs and Bugsy with severe head-tilt, and so much more that I wish the volunteers who call in because for whatever reason they can't make it that day, could see how much she has to do and how much she is set back when she is left to clean all the cages herself. It seriously takes about 20 minutes per force feeding on a rabbit and we have 2 at the moment that are being done, and force feedings are 3-4 times a day. If anyone has any suggestions on bringing in more volunteers or is in the vicinity of the Norwalk area and can hang up "volunteers needed" fliers, please let me know. The more volunteers we have, the fewer cages each has to do, and the less likely Linda will end up having to do them. She is just so exhausted, we need more help. We are still trying to cut down on all our numbers, and we have put an absolute halt on any more rabbits coming in until her home and my home have no more fosters inside and everyone is moved into the Hollow. We are also turning away all other small animals at this time, it's sad, but it has to be done.

3 weeks ago we had to have our Rattie Girl Rodelli put down due to cancer. Last Thursday JD, our old lab-mix we adopted from the HS nearly 3 years ago, had to be put down. Today I lost a rabbit to pneumonia/heart failure. It's been a long month.

HOLLOW NEEDS: Paper Towels, 39 gallon black garbage bags, newspapers, pre-stuffed paper-tubes... We also need some serious funding this month. The X-rays, meds, etc... are catching up with us this month. Any and all help is not only appreciated, but needed - and don't forget it's a tax-write off!




Last Thursday:

I had spoken to Dr. Pieper yesterday about when we might be ready for JD (black lab mix) to come in to be put down, and we talked about getting him in to do blood-work on Friday to find out the reasons for his hind-leg weakness and loss of appetite, also his "night moods." He's been going a little senile and just hasn't been himself the past few months. Last night when I came home, there was blood all over the driveway and steps from a growth that he has had on his front leg since we got him 3 years ago. I got the bleeding to stop and he went to bed. I left a note for Chris to let the dogs out and check on him when he got home. He got home at 1am and woke me. JD gnawed the thing off his leg and more blood everywhere, walls, floor.... It only added to his weakness he's been having. Chris mortared down some Yarrow and packed the wound, bandaged him up, cleaned up all the blood, I made him an e-collar and we put him to bed around 2 am. We had him to the vet first thing this morning - he couldn't walk down the driveway - fell on his face. Couldn't sit in the car - just fell over - and couldn't stand up at the Dr. s office. I was waiting for a sign, but didn't expect it to come this soon. JD was put down around 11 am today, and I am so sad, not just for his being gone, but I wanted him to have one more summer with the Romeo kids that he loves so much.

Baby Shower, Adoptions, Bondings, UPDATES!!

Ok, well let's see what all we can catch up on. I have totally been slacking here, so sorry! In the past month...

I caught a white bunny in Bridgeport named Cleo over a month ago who was in foster for a month and came back, got spayed and is now up for adoption.

Today I caught a bunny girl at the beach in Fairfield (Camille we will call her) and removed 4 ticks so far.

2 Saturdays ago we took in 2 bunnies from a severe neglect case out of New Haven. The little girl bun had an upper respiratory that has been treated and is cleared up, the little lop boy is a lovable maniac. Both will be altered next month.

Trixie and her babies came back to the Hollow, all grown up now and ready for adoption!

Magoo had surgery yesterday to remove an abscess and also to be neutered. Now we just have to get his kidney's back under control and he'll be ready for adoption!

On April 13th, the ladies of the Hollow had a Surprise Baby Shower for me! We got so many awesome little pink outfits for Katie with bunnies on them, I can't believe not a single duplicate! I'll be 8 months pregnant next week and have only 8 more weeks to go! Time Flies! I have been ordered to do 4 hours of bed-rest a day to keep down the chances of Preeclampsia, and Linda has not been well. We are both currently under control and doing better - Thank God & thank you to all our volunteers who have helped keep things going!

A bunny named Staten (from Manhattan) came in and was bonded to Sunshine. Their owners just came a couple of days ago and adopted Taz as well. They have another male bunny named Spotty that we are going to try to bond to Taz when Taz's hormones calm down a bit.

Small Fry is coming in for a bonding! Here is a link to their You-Tube video "The Rabbit Report." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jJae7OqU98

Ginger came in and was bonded to Paddy, they are such a matched set! Pictures below!

Ginger and Paddy!

Below is "Skateboard" (Casper) at his new home and below that picture is the also very lucky Guinea Pig "Speedy." They fell out of the shelter (Casper was in horrid condition when he came in from the Catskill Game Farm) and into love!

Jackson (gray lop adopted from the Hollow over a year ago) and his new gal-pal Jeanie with one of their 4 owners. Jeanie-Houdini, as her new family calls her, is into everything and teaching Jackson her crazy bunny ways! Jackson is up and about much more now with a friend!

Cookie and Uggs at their new home in their very own play house!

Peaches and Vanilla at their new home!

Big Wig Chilling out - he was adopted before I even became part of the Hollow, which seems to be forever now!

Above is Mars and his buddy Mantou, below is a quick update! Mars was adopted in 2006.

It has been a while now since we've adopted Mars from you...about a year and a half or two ago. You probably don't remember us by now but I just thought I'd give you an update on how the little guy is doing. Mars is an absolutely sweet guy who's smart as hell. He's just as bad as the dog when it comes to begging for treats. We took a family trip up to the Catskills this past November to do some hiking. We loved bringing Mars with us and I think he enjoyed the views from his bunny travel bag. I am attaching some pictures of Mars during this trip, one with him in his travel bag and the other with the dog.

Hope all is well!Regards,
Phyllis, Gene, Mars and Mantou

Below is a very silly Sweet Pea!

Ok, more updates and more to tell you soon, this has taken me forever and I need another nap!

Oh, by the way, we have chinchilla's as well as the buns up for adoption right now, and there is a ferret at the Humane Society in Westport, and we are also supposedly getting in about 5-10 hamsters on Saturday or Sunday if anyone is looking for a new furry to love! Brandee

Petco, Chinchilla's, Humane Society, Dylan and Espresso got adopted! NY TIMES, Bondings, adoptions & Zach blowing in the wind..

Wow, a very busy two weeks! We had our Petco Grand Opening, pretty good turn out! We adopted out 2 chinchilla's and took another 2 in. Christine is fostering the boy chins that came in. Another Chin came in the next day, a single female. We raised a little over $300.00 and got to chat with a lot of people. The Humane Society on the 22nd was a nice event as well. 4 buns left the Humane Society that day. I have been working on several bondings, the most current is Emmett (back for bonding) and he's with Snow White right now after trying Sunshine and Roxy. He tried to eat Sunshine, and Roxy tried to eat him! I am also trying Billy (back for bonding) and Joy right now. I hope everyone works out, they all look so beautiful together! Menouche (already an established bun) came in for a bonding with Venus. They are doing ok, but giving their mommy a run for her money. Magoo went into kidney failure and is now back in the safe zone again. He's on fluids and baytril for the month. A check came in for us from the Petco Foundation yesterday for a little over $800. We are excited as it will pay for any combo of things such as 5 neuters, or 4 spays, or 16 bottles of medication, a delivery of food and hay and then some... Daydreaming of bunnies... It's an illness.

Well, Linda and I had a talk today, and we currently have 27 cages at the Hollow, some with bonded pairs. Because we have had so many cancellations of volunteers to help recently, we are going to have to start turning away rabbits in need. Linda can not be expected to be out doing cages everyday. Unfortunatly it looks like it would be most reasonable to cut down to only 15 cages, therefore only helping and houseing 1/2 of the population we have now. We are sad about this, but it seems it is going to have to be done. I know every shelter has volunteer issues, so it's understandable, it's just overwhelming for the both of us, especially with all that is going on, and a baby on the way!

Yesterday Linda got a phone call from a woman who was looking for a place for a bunny to go that was running loose in a friends yard and handed the phone to me (we had buns being dropped off for bonding). I told her we couldn't take the bunny in at the moment, gave her the low-down on what they would need and then we hung up. She had called back a couple of times about traps and what, well, I guess animal control wouldn't lend them one because her friend (Maggie) whose yard the bunny was in went and spent $75 on a havahart trap. Maggie called for help setting the trap while I was around the corner having the oil changed in the car (yes, we do these things too!) so I was close. I went by, we set up the trap, then set the trap, and as I went to leave I saw the bunny next to the car basking in the sun... A couple of minutes later I had scooped up yet another beautiful albino bunny girl. Another friend is fostering until we have space. I will get the bunny in next month for a spay and we'll go from there. DYLAN AND ESPRESSO GOT ADOPTED TODAY!

We were in the NY TIMES Sunday paper this weekend (on Easter!) in the CT. section. The link is below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/23petct.html?_r=1&ref=nyregionspecial2&oref=slogin

Newly Bonded Bunnies

Above in this blog is Emmett the Lop and Snow White

Below is Jackson (gray lop) and Jeanie

Gia and Billy - a hopeful match in the making.

Drew helping us out as Hip-Hop at the Humane Society 3/22/2008

Christine below helping out as Hip-Hop at Petco on 3/15/2008

Minouche and Venus

Chelsea's Girls

Zach the Wack riding on a lawn chair & long board, catching a little wind!

Well, we have a few adoptions coming up this weekend, so wish us luck! We also have 2 bondings this weekend, one is a trio (Gussie, Elvis & Zorro) so really wish us luck! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! - Brandee

Petco Tomorrow! St.Joseph Students come visit!

Our Petco date is tomorrow, so don't forget to come on down. We will be holding a bake sale and doing nail clippings for $10! Also for $10, come and have your picture, child's picture, or pets picture taken with the Easter Bunny! All proceeds go 100% towards food/hay and vet bills. Any donations you wish to make such as garbage bags, vinegar, and paper towels, ink cartridges and old cell phones can also be brought down at this time. We will be at Petco in Norwalk from 11-3 and will also be holding small animal adoptions at this time, and we will have adoption papers for rabbits there to be filled out for review as well. Come show your support! If you can't make it tomorrow, we will be at the Humane Society in Westport next Saturday, also doing pictures and nail clippings along with brief 15 minute lectures every hour on proper rabbit care and handling. This event is also from 11-3 with adoptions being held. For any questions, please e-mail me direct at brandeesbunch@aol.com or call me at 203-767-1150. For directions to Petco tomorrow, please call 203-840-0331. For more information or directions next weekend to the Humane Society, please call 203-227-4137.

Magoo went in for follow up bloodwork today so hopefully all went well with the Marquis and his diet helped to correct his organ functions. We have a possible 3-4 adoptions tomorrow, and we have the girl chins that came in on Sunday going to their new home tomorrow and another 2 that are males coming in tomorrow. Don't forget that we will also have hamsters, gerbils and rats up for adoption at Petco tomorrow! The photographer for the NY Times article is coming over on Sunday afternoon!

I had some volunteers come by from St. Josephs School today. They changed all the litter boxes and cleaned out all the cages, then even played with the dogs for a while! Thanks guys!

Parsley and Major Snuggle at Bedtime.

Mitose and Chloe passed out on the couch...

Have a Great Weekend!

Pictures of Tabitha & Mandy's French Lop & Write up in the Norwalk Paper (FULL PAGE!)

Some Very Cute Pictures To Share!

Miss Tabitha in her new home, and below is a rescued French Lop (check out those ears!)

We have a write up in the Norwalk Citizen News! A full page! Check it out at:

http://www.norwalkcitizen-news.com/local/ci_8491721

Hollow Closes on Sundays, Charlie & Daisy, Chins and Gerbils

As of today, we are closing the Hollow on Sunday's for Family Reasons (we need to spend time with our families!) from here on out. All adoptions and the intake of donations will have to be done Monday-Saturday. The Hollow will only be open to the volunteers cleaning that day. We will post online a list of emergency vets to be reached in all areas that we can find.

I didn't sleep too well last night as Chris was away. I had a series of unfortunate events involving my dogs, a cat and my birds this morning that left me wanting to re-home all my animals (except the rabbits and chins that never give me problems!) and lock my doors and close my curtains. I guess I was a little cranky and overwhelmed this morning (pregnancy hormones?) and very glad to get out of the house and drive a bit. Charlie and Daisy are bonded and wonderful and going back home today or tomorrow. I think Asher and Celeste are doing great and hope that when they go home they will remain in the snuggle fest they have been in for the past 2 days. I took in 2 beautiful Chinchilla's today named Peaches and Vanilla and think we already have a home lined up for them with a girl that sounds like she'll be perfect! The owners dropped off so many items with them I was astonished. The gerbils that were here in Stratford left today. Linus, Cocoa and Penny came to stay with me today, and hopefully we can have a successful triple bonding with them by the end of the week! Venus came back to us, and we have a new black and white dutch bunny Benny that has just joined us from Cottontail Rabbit Rescue. Mystery is doing so much better, eyes are clearing up too! Annabelle is coming down to her last week on fluids and is now off her Baytril but still on her Phenbendazole.

Newly Bonded Buns!

Daisy and Charlie

Parsley takes the dog bed while Major takes the floor! Parsley is a wonderful and perfectly potty trained bunny that is residing with us again and looking for a free-range home. She is only baby gated in the kitchen at night when we aren't home and hasn't lived in a cage for 1 year.

Don't Sit Down at Brandee's House!

Brynne Hangs Out with A Fabulous 8!

My Very Understanding Husband....