Several rabbit folks put their heads and experiences together to develop a Rabbit Personality Test.

GOAL OF THE RABBIT PERSONALITY TEST PROJECT: to create a tool by which rescue and shelter workers could identity basic personality types based on shelter behaviors, and make better rabbit/adopter matches.

HOW THE DATA WAS COLLECTED: the personality tool, which is called “Flower Rabbits,” is based on data from dozens of questionnaires filled out by shelter workers, fosterers, and those with rabbits in permanent homes. Volunteers donated many hours watching and recording rabbit behaviors.  Samples included rabbits of many ages and breeds, as well as both neutered and unneutered rabbits.

HOW THE DATA WAS ARRAYED AND INTERPRETED: the personality types emerged out of the data clumps.  Each personality type was given a flower name:  Violets, Bluebells, Daises, Tulips, and Roses.  There will of course be those rabbits that fall outside the categories, but most will fit in one of the five types. As with any tool such as this, the worker must also use common sense. For example, if there is an un-neutered rabbit that seems to fit the daisy category except that he nips, logic should tell the worker that the nipping may be from  the fact he is unneutered, and that he probably does fit into the daisy category.

WHERE TO GET THE RABBIT PERSONALITY TEST: a pdf may be downloaded at http://lagomorphs.com/mainpage.html To the left on the navigation bar, click on “NEW Personality Guide for Shelters.”

Showing in Baltimore too!  See below.

“The Christmas Bunny” (PG suitable for 8 years+)

The cast: Rumple (the rabbit), Florence Henderson (Brady Bunch), Sophie Bolan, Madeline Vail

The story: A lonely foster child (Sophie Bolen) finds a lost, injured rabbit (Rumple) in the woods on Christmas Eve. The rabbit is nursed back to health by the child under the supervision of the “bunny lady” (Florence Henderson), who runs a rabbit rescue in an old barn behind her Michigan farmhouse. Both the rabbit and the young girl learn about love and belonging.

The buzz:  In early 2011, The Christmas Bunny was awarded the Pearl Award by the International Family Film Fest.  The Pearl Award is given to the film that “best exemplifies the purity and enduring strength of the family bond.”

Where: George Washington University’s Quad, Law School Building Auditorium LL101 (on H Street, between 20th and 21st Streets NW), Washington, DC 20052.

When: December 3, 2011, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Tickets: at the door, or RSVP at rabbitwise@verizon.net, or 301-530-1252

Adults/Seniors:  $8

Children (under 14) $7

For those of you in the Baltimore area:

The House Rabbit Society will be showing The Christmas Bunny movie on the following weekend in Baltimore on December 10 at 10 AM at the Rotunda Cinemas, 711 W. 40th St., Baltimore, MD 21211.  More info at http://rabbitsinthehouse.org/?p=765

Today’s THV based in Little Rock, Arkansas reported this story on-line:

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (CNN) — Dozens of rabbits were dumped along a Colorado road over the weekend.

Luckily, some kind hearted people stepped in to help. One person says, ”We were watching the news and saw that someone abandoned these rabbits on the side of the road so we’re animal lovers and we couldn’t have that.”

Sixty white rabbits were scooped up by volunteers who heard about the abandoned bunnies on the news.

It’s believed that someone dumped the animals on the side of the road.

The rabbits are now looking for good homes.

COMMENT:

Let’s support the good works done for rabbits and that the media reported it.