Celebrate Petfinder's Birthday by Sending in Your Adoption Story!

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March 15, 2011 will be Petfinder.com's 15th birthday! This revolutionary website has not only helped unite hundreds of thousands of homeless pets with their adoptive parents, it also tirelessly works to educate and entertain the public with their blog, message boards, library of articles on pet health, behavior, training, and much more. To celebrate this exciting milestone, Petfinder.com is staging a takeover of the Internet on March 15. This will entail a massive awareness explosion about adoption and shelter animals by numerous participating pet-centric blogs.

In honor of this momentous occasion, here at The Rabbit Advocate, I am hosting a rabbit adoption story contest. Send in a picture and story (up to 100 words) of how you and your bunny friend found each other and I will post a winner here on March 15th. Let's all get to writing!

The Easter Bunny Isn't Real

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I know all of us bunnyparents look forward to the Easter holiday season and the sudden availability of all imaginable rabbit-shaped objects that comes along with it. But while we’re enjoying the bunny cards and figurines, we need to realize that Easter is also a terrible time for many rabbits. Year after year, unsuspecting parents buy real baby bunnies to put in their children’s Easter baskets alongside jelly beans and chocolate eggs. Weeks later, these rabbits are dumped at shelters or (even worse) released into the wild, when the family slowly realizes that rabbits are not perfectly behaved inanimate objects.

As you and I know, rabbits are not toys, and they’re certainly not appropriate gifts for young children. Help spread the word to people in your area by writing in to your local newspaper, putting up posters at obliging shops/malls/grocery stores/veterinary clinics, or simply talking to friends and family about the commitment involved in owning a rabbit. Shelter and rescue volunteers have already begun spreading the word all over the country and I urge you to reach out and educate your local town or city about choosing toy rabbits for Easter, and adopting real rabbits for life.



While Peanut (left) and Jimmy may look like toys, these 3 lb. dwarf Hotots are real-life bunny brothers, adopted for life by Caroline and Matt in Boston, MA.

To read more about a national Easter awareness initiative, check out the House Rabbit Society’s Make Mine Chocolate campaign.

Mom's 75th Birthday!

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Sunday, Aug. 26th 2012 my mom turned 75. We had a party for her at W.Dennis Beach, which we entitled "The Party of Lights". Everyone was supposed to be 'lit up' in some way. This is how it looked after dark. 
Here's a photo of my mom and her 4 kids: (in order of oldest to youngest) Treg, Me, Odin (dark hair) then Grethe. Yes, we have really weird names, but you have to blame that one on my dad. They are all Scandinavian like he was. 
Here's the birthday girl herself! She was in her glory with all her kids, grand kids and friends gathered for her special day. 
I bought some light up balloons and we tied them to a bucket, put them in a kiddie pool filled with water so they wouldn't pop, (and so the kids wouldn't step on them) and my sister had some easter egg lanterns with glow sticks in them hanging off of bamboo sticks, and the candles were all just led candle lights. There were no flames at all, but the whole place looked and glowed as if there were. It was really neat looking!
Then of course, we glowed too. I have to say, it stopped passer by-ers. One even wanted to take photo's!

Breten (me), Brielle (my oldest) Odin (sister) Mom, Sienna  (my youngest) Grethe (sister)

Here is all the girls in the family, except for my youngest niece, Qena. She's only 2 and was running around  somewhere. We couldn't catch her for the photo. 

me and Brielle all a glow

This is a great photo of Brielle and her aunt, but look closely in the background and you'll see my nephew, Frey (another Nordic name) making a lovely face. Leave it to a 12 year old...

Here's Qena! (my 2 yr. old niece)

My mom with her son who she sees about twice a year (even though he lives 45 minutes away. )

Sienna, Grethe and Quince (her oldest son)

The sun went down and the lights started to glow!

My brother, and his sons, Brenden and Dylan set up their instruments and started to play. They are all really good and it was great to have live music!

another shot of the pool and lights

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It was a really fun party. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and the glow lights were such a great thing to do. I think we may just do that again next year! Happy birthday Mumma. ~

Dave's 50th

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Odin, Greg and me

This past Friday I was invited to Dave's impromptu 50th birthday party at the Lost Dog pub in Orleans. I invited my sister, Odin to go with me because she knew the whole gang that was going to be there too and I sure as heck didn't want to go alone! My old next door neighbor (when I was a kid) Greg, who invited me, and all of his friends who I used to hang out with,  were there so it was like a class reunion of sorts. I hadn't seen most of these people in 32 years and didn't even recognize a lot of them including the birthday boy! (It's funny but they said I hadn't changed - except the hair color of course) I don't know if that's good or bad.

Anyway.... There's just something warm and fuzzy about being with childhood friends. You kind of forget the present stresses and it takes you back to a simpler time in your mind, when life was easy and all you had to worry about is what to do on a Friday night. Seeing Greg especially was like seeing part of  family because he was like a brother growing up.
So, even though I was out of my comfort zone, and it was hard to talk myself into actually getting out of the house at night and going,  I'm so glad I went. I remembered what it was like to be a 'person' again- not just a mom or an artist, and I realized that I need more of that balance in my life. Balance. It's a good thing.

no more photo's?!

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Ok, so I just got an message saying I've just about hit my limit on photo's for this blog unless I start paying so much a month. Hmmmm Now I'm not sure I should continue this blog or not. I mean, I love that my blog is mostly photo's and not much writing. I guess because I'm a visual person, and I've got enough stuff to read every day. I imagine a lot of you are like me too. Sometimes one can be overloaded.

 My mom, sis, daughter and I are planning on starting an 'idea' blog, filled with creative ideas from the 4 of us- and we've already purchased the domain name; theIdeaDivas.com. I'll probably be devoting more time to that soon anyway so....... I don't know what to do.

Animal Hoarder Mary Lou Petrucci Accused of Holding Ex-Boyfriend Captive

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By Denise A Justin
Mary Lou Petrucci, 55, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was charged Friday with holding Harold Scheaffer, 72, in her home against his will. The home is in the 1500 block of Mineral Springs Road. Neighbors called it a "House of Horrors,” reports sfgate.com.According to police, Scheaffer and Petrucci had been dating and he moved into the house in 2010. Court documents indicate the two broke up shortly after Scheaffer moved in.Scheaffer said Petrucci lived on the second floor and he was held prisoner in one room on the first floor. Police allege that Petrucci locked Scheaffer in a room with access to a bathroom and nailed the windows shut.Scheaffer told police on October 19, after his daughter had rescued him from the house, that Petrucci locked him in the room from July to September and fed him only once a day. He said he could not recall the exact dates, according to publicopiniononline.com.On Friday, when authorities arrested Mary Lou Petrucci, they found animal feces throughout her house and also numerous domestic animals and wildlife--some running around freely and some in cages--and an estimated thousands of dollars in health-code violations.Petrucci was arraigned before District Justice Michael Leonardziak on charges of false imprisonment and recklessly endangering another person. The judge said Petrucci still owes $12,000 in fines for other offenses. Police said Petrucci was fined in the past for hoarding dozens of animals and for health code violations.DAUGHTER PAID RANSOM TO FREE HER FATHERScheaffer's daughter, Lynanne, said a two-month search for her father led her to Petrucci's home. “There were a lot of times I couldn't sleep,” Lynanne Schaeffer told WFMZ-TV. “Anxiety, stress, frustration, anger, pretty much everything.” “She's a monster, pretty much," said Scheaffer.Petrucci allegedly had started dating another man after Schaeffer’s father moved in with her, stated Lynanne Schaeffer, and the man was living mostly in his car parked on the property.Lynanne said she learned Sept. 13 that her father, who suffers from the early stages of dementia, was locked in the room. That's when she said she ran into Petrucci's new lover and asked him for help..."  More

Glenview Couple Charged With Child Endangerment, Animal Hoarding

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By TOM ROBBA Glenview couple is set to appear in Cook County criminal court today (Friday) to answer charges of endangering the life of a child and companion animal hoarding.Scott Corneliuson, 40, and Jennifer Corneliuson, 43, both of 3317 Lakewood Ct., Glenview, were taken into custody at the Glenview police station and charged Thursday before appearing at a hearing where a judge set bond at $25,000 ($2,500 cash) for each, Glenview police said.Glenview police and DCFS officials reportedly found 35 dogs in the home as well as urine, feces and damage caused by dogs in an inspection of the Lakewood Court home last week that led to yesterday’s charges being filed, police said.Court records obtained by the Journal said three children also lived in the home. Media reports say those children were between the ages of 3 and 5. Those children were placed with family members and the dogs are being relocated as part of a DCFS reaction plan.Glenview and officers and DCFS officials were reportedly responding to a report of neglect.Court records said dogs living in the house, “defecated and urinated throughout the interior of the home to include the children's beds and clothes” and said the parents were “unable to manage the dog excrement and waste (in the home).”..." More