Please help my kids alert the public of the "Easter Dumping" that occurs across America in all 50 states and encourage the public to stop adding to the already overly crowded rabbits in our local SPCA & Rabbit Shelters. This story not only send this strong message but also shows how an 11 yr old boy who has autism helps spread the word. Thank you so much for doing  this!!!!  

 I  have three kids and my youngest, Ryan, has autism and is non-verbal. I
 have a good friend who is very involved in Delaware County's 4-H program and has always been after me to get Ryan involved in 4-H. Last year the PA
 Bureau of Autism Services offered a mini grant to help families who have a
 child(ren) with autism gain access to a therapy or a service that they might
  not financially be able to afford for their child(ren). I took all the
 information that my friend had given me on the 4-H Clubs/Summer Camps and sent it along with the application to the state. I got the mini-grant for
 Ryan and signed him up right away to 4-H! I can't begin to tell you how much he loves being a member and what 4-H has done for him. We decided to enroll Ryan in the rabbit club along with his older sister Brooke. They both had a blast at their meetings and before winter break started an assignment was given to the Rabbit Club members. You have to research and do a small
 project on your favorite breed of rabbit. Over the break Ryan  & Brooke would look on the internet, read books and help each other  complete their project.
 I was not allowed to know what their favorite  breed is until we attended our
 next Rabbit Club meeting which was in  January. Brooke picked a lop eared
 rabbit and Ryan was so proud to show his fellow club members and friends his favorite breed which was a Dutch  rabbit. I believe fate stepped in that
 day.. Later that night I was surfing the web and typed in Petfinder.com and
 up popped Ollie & Oreo.  (I know this is long but please bare with me..)

 We went to see them at the Delaware County SPCA and we decided to adopted Ollie & Oreo. Prior to adopting Ollie & Oreo we talked as a family what it would take to open our home and hearts to rabbits. This was not an impulsive adoption by any means.  Ollie is a brown/white lop eared male rabbit & Oreo is a black &  white male dutch rabbit who both had very heartbreaking stories. Even though we had a good understanding of what our commitment would be and  general care knowledge of rabbits we still felt we needed to research further. It did take a few weeks to have Ollie & Oreo neutered and we were thankful to have that time to make sure everything was in place for their arrival into a new family.
Oreo is known as an "Easter  Dumping" and what that means is a family decides to get their child(ren) a  bunny from the local pet store as a gift for
 Easter. They don't think things through nor do they realize the 10+ year
 commitment you are making  taking on a rabbit. In an "Easter Dumping" the
 child(ren) lose interest  and the adult is stuck, which they don't want,
 taking care of the rabbit.  They show up one day after the Easter holiday at
 a local SPCA or Rabbit Shelter and turn over their rabbit which is very
 heartbreaking. The sad version of the story is some rabbits magically appear one busy day at the local shelter/SPCA without anyone knowing until  the day slows down and the staff realize another "Easter Dumping" has  occurred. The scary and very tragic part of this story is not all
 families openly turn over the rabbits some rabbits are let loose outside
 (which is not good for a domestic rabbit because they are not the same as
 the wild rabbits we see  in our backyards) to defend for themselves and they
 have no clue how to do  that!
  Ryan had a "100 Day of School" project assignment which he pulled off all the names of the adoptable rabbits available at local shelters here is PA. We were shocked that he had enough names for his project with many, many more still listed. Ryan and his older sister asked if I could help them write to all the local newspapers and tv stations to help them bring awareness about the rabbits. We, the three of us, have also been able to pull a bunny expert on-board to help with our mission.The letter that you are reading now is what Ryan, Brooke and I came up with to submit to everyone who will open their hearts and ears. Both are very passionate about saving the rabbits and helping to educate all.  

 Please help to bring their story to the publics attention before the already
 overly crowded rabbit shelters & SPCA see a hug added  increase to their
 already overwhelming numbers of rabbits who are  currently waiting to be
 adopted. If you go on Petfinder.com you can see  how many rabbits are up for adoption here in our area already. Help to  educate the public and hopefully will stop the impulsive madness that  happens every year with rabbits.

This not only happens in PA BUT ALL OVER THE USA!
 
 
 
 
 Christine, Ashley, Brooke & Ryan