Bunny Business Bylaw

By Christie Lagally, Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS)

In November, the Richmond City Council will consider an amendment to the business operation bylaw requiring that rabbits in pet stores be spayed or neutered prior to sale to the public. The spirit of this amendment is to address the extraordinary number of domestic rabbits that are loose in Richmond’s recreational areas, farms and business parks.

The domestic rabbit over-population and the resulting damage to farms, parks and gardens has been an issue in Richmond for a long time, but there has never been any definitive action taken to address this problem until volunteers at the Richmond Animal Protection Society (RAPS) decided to petition the city to ban the sale of animals in pet stores. Given the persistence of the rabbit problem in Richmond and the high costs of damage, I am genuinely confused as to why outrage and frustration over this issue has never influenced Richmond law until now. However, since volunteers began working to stop the sale of rabbits and other animals from retail outlets, I’ve received feedback as to why this issue has been so intractable.

Based on my research on the loose domestic bunny population in Richmond, there have been various solutions proposed in and out of City Council. In 2006, the rabbit population made news when farmers in East Richmond were advocating to shoot the rabbits. At that time, Richmond Coun. Harold Steves confirmed that he believed that rabbits were descendants of pets abandoned to the Richmond parks (CBC report, June 16, 2006). Between 2004 and 2006, farmers, landscapers and school caretakers were reporting between thousands and tens of thousands of dollars in damage because of these animals. At that time, school board officials and city councilors were trying to opt for a humane solution of trapping, along with the outstanding question of what to do with the rabbits. Apparently, that question was never answered.

By July of 2006, CBC reported that Coun. Steves was advocating for farmers who wished to shoot the rabbits (i.e. culling), and many at that time believed it was the only way to influence the population. However, what proprietors of culling don’t understand are the basics of the population-resource relationship. Some of you may recall from college calculus that animal populations will vary considerably from year to year as resources (food and shelter) go up and down. When the population is suddenly decreased (by culling), the result is a population boom a short time later because of the newly available resources. Culling rabbits means a temporary decrease in the population, while providing increased food and space for the population to expand further. Hence, killing a rabbit is the best thing you can do to promote the rabbit population over the long run.

In the four or five years of intense talks about what to do about the rabbit population in Richmond, few people have considered the source of these animals -- irresponsible pet owners abandoning their pets and pet stores indiscriminately selling between 4 and 5 fertile rabbits to the public every week. That means those tens of thousands of dollars that are wasted every year on lost landscaping and crops are the result of unrestricted access to a breeding population of domestic rabbits brought into Richmond by pet stores and released by constituents of those stores. So, I still wonder, why would banning the sale of rabbits be a contentious issue?
Some residents of Richmond have approached me and said they did not support the ban on the sale of rabbits because they have fond childhood memories of cute little rabbits running around Richmond parks. The fact that these animals were abandoned to these parks is apparently not evident to these long-time residents. In addition, I can’t even count how many frantic calls I’ve received at the Richmond Animal Shelter from residents who are reporting their neighbors shooting rabbits in their yard, capturing and starving rabbits in traps and torturing rabbits out of anger over property damage. Many shot rabbits are simply wounded and left to suffer as occurred in Minoru Park in February 2008 (see Richmond News “Bunnies shot, maimed, left for dead”). I doubt that ‘fond memories’ of rabbits in parks includes the suffering that these animals endure out of the public eye. When we weigh ‘fond memories’ against rabbit cruelty and crop damage, we simply can’t delay action on this issue any longer. And, as a tax payer in Richmond, I’m tired of paying the ongoing costs of animal abandonment. It’s time to take the simple step of not selling rabbits in pet stores. There are over 60 rabbits for adoption at the Richmond Animal Shelter. Most are quite young and most came from pet stores originally.
So how does a business bylaw requiring sterilization of rabbits prior to sale make a difference to the loose bunny population in Richmond? Well, at least any rabbits that are abandoned after purchase from a pet store will not be able to reproduce. If that is the case, we’ll only have to wait 9-12 years before these animals stop eating our gardens and pass on to bunny heaven. Alternatively, we could advocate banning the sale of animals in pet stores, specifically rabbits, and bypass the initial source of rabbits altogether. As for dealing with the rest of the fertile, loose domestic rabbits, I recommended supporting RAPS’ ‘Carrot Fund for Rabbits’ which raises money to care for and sterilize shelter rabbits (see www.rapsociety.com) or the work of the Urban Rabbit Refuge at (www.urbanrabbit.org). But most of all, please let the City Council know your position on this matter. Both our local farmers and our rabbits can’t wait another year for this issue to gain momentum.

Christie Lagally is the Education Coordinator at RAPS.

Pandora's Journey

Hi RAPS,

We have arrived home from our Tofino trip . I wanted to send you Pandora's pictures from the beach .

She had such a great time in the water. She was the dog she was always meant to be, confident and happy! I really hope you enjoy the pictures , as you can see we brought her tent to the beach as well so she would have familiar surroundings , turned out she preferred the home made tent ! She was so good we had her off leash so she could run and she came back to us so well!

Her incision is all healed but has a dark spot, like a pimple at the same end as she had issues with before , I try not to look at it. With luck it is nothing and we will hope she continues to be healthy !

While she is still eating shoes…. she seems to have slowed down a little and we have a crate that she loves. It is a large black metal cage and she can see through it so she is quite happy there … I can do the groceries again !

She is becoming more and more a part of our family every day and she likes to visit with Ava in her bed in the mornings. We had to put up a gate as Ava is waking too early when Pandie jumps into her bed ! Hope all is well there, and you all had a great summer ! ~ Deena

An Interview with Doug Takahashi

by Marianne Moore

Earlier this year, RAPS’ cat sanctuary was fortunate to be able to hire Doug Takahashi, a long-time volunteer. It’s safe to say that everyone who knows Doug breathed a sigh of relief "What would we do without Doug?” Recently, he took time out of his busy day to answer a few questions about himself.

How long have you been involved with RAPS? I started volunteering in January 2004 and became an employee in February of this year (2009).

How did you first hear about RAPS and what inspired you to volunteer? I read an article in a newspaper about a cat shelter in Richmond. I didn’t know such places existed. After looking at the website for Richmond Homeless Cats, I knew I wanted to see it. I fell in love with the place after my first visit and soon decided I wanted to spend more time there. Volunteering seemed a good place to start.

What do you do at RAPS? I do a little bit of everything and a whole lot of some things. I’m not sure what my job title is, maybe “maintenance/handyman”. I do regular maintenance, repairs, troubleshooting, construction, renovations and general labour, which you could call ‘heavy lifting’. I like to spend time organizing the storage areas and work shed. Keeping things tidy and accessible saves me (and others) time when I’m looking for something. I am actively involved in our recycling efforts at the cat sanctuary, sorting and returning materials to the appropriate depots. I spend most of my time at the cat sanctuary, although I do work for the city shelter and the thrift store as well. Oh yes, and I also drive the truck for our monthly Costco food and litter pickup.

I’ve just finished building two new sheds in the area now known as the Valerie Jones Memorial Garden. That project took about ten weeks. I’m now replacing the leaky roof on the double wide trailer and hope to finish before the weather gets worse. I’ve been asked to build a picket fence around the small area at the city shelter where the little dogs are kept. (Ed. Note: The Valerie Jones Memorial Garden project was conceived of and generously funded by the family of Valerie Jones, an avid supporter of the cat sanctuary, who passed away last year).

How did you learn carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc.? I had access to my dad’s tool collection when I was growing up, mostly making myself toys and such. While taking a drafting course at a community college, I became interested in residential construction. My first project was renovating a small TV room in my parents’ basement. I haven’t taken any courses or had any training or work experience doing this prior to joining RAPS. Whatever skills and/or knowledge I didn’t pick up along the way, I’ve learned from ‘how-to’ books or the internet. I try to educate myself on whatever comes up while working for RAPS, because it would cost a lot of money if we opened up the Yellow Pages every time something went wrong.


What did you do before you started working at RAPS? I spent about 16 years as a draftsperson in an engineering branch of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. I sat in front of a computer all day long, in an office tower in downtown Vancouver. Now I do a lot of physical work and get my hands (and clothes) dirty. It’s much more enjoyable.

Do you have cats at home? Yes. I was volunteering at the cat shelter one day when someone brought in a pregnant cat that they found on the dyke. We didn’t have a suitable room at RAPS to accommodate her so, since I was the only person there that day without any cats, I volunteered to foster her. I decided to keep her and two kittens after we successfully adopted out the other kittens.

Your parents have also adopted cats from the cat sanctuary, didn’t they? Yes. My parents have always had cats around the house (and one dog when I was young). After the last one passed, and with no neighbourhood strays to take in, my mother asked me to choose two cats for them. My parents didn’t even need to meet the cats first and weren’t picky about their age or colour. So they now have one-eyed, orange Dave and big, black-and-white Jimmy. Renamed Willy and Sami, in honour of some favourite Vancouver Canucks, both are doing great and my family is enjoying them immensely.

Who’s your favourite cat(s) at the shelter? My long-time favourite is grey Scotty. When I spent several weeks insulating the back pens in 2004, he always followed me around. I don’t usually choose favourite cats, I let them choose me. Over the years, several other cats have ‘chosen’ to be my favourites, including Panther, Josie, Tara, Bingo, Spot, Mocha (I call her Brownie), Liam, Zoe, and Baloo.

Would you like to comment on your “team of assistants” at the shelter? Over the years I’ve received all kinds of help from many people, but Karen Yu, Peter Mah and Janice Lambert in particular have put in countless hours working alongside me, often doing things that involved hard labour and/or unpleasant conditions. Just some of the projects we’ve worked on together include laying paving stones, renovating the kitten trailer, insulating the work/storage shed, and renovating bathrooms. They did all the stain and painting during the metamorphosis of the teen courtyard into the Valerie Jones Memorial Garden. Janet Reid’s son, Chris, was able to come out several days to help me build the sheds. Lisa Weston even decided to branch out from her animal care role and become a roofer for a day. I also had help from Kenneth Jackson, a student at R.J. Palmer High School.

Anything else you’d like to include in this article? I like working here so much that I decided to move into the house on the property when it became available to rent. I can spend more time being productive and less time driving up and down Knight Street everyday.

Do you have any words of encouragement for others with similar skills or interests to yours to become a RAPS volunteer? Yes. Please join! I need help!

Thank you for all you do for RAPS, Doug. What would we do without you?

Majestic Rajah

Do you recall Rajah? See is first blog entry. He is another update on Rajah!
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We have had a great summer. Rajah has proved his ability to adjust to a good home. He has impressed me with his attitude with all new people and dogs. I have had lots of time for full day hikes and some good camping trips. Rajah loves everything, even watching me work. Thanks so much from Rajah and I, we complement each other. I don't spend much time writing letters but now have the Internet so I will send some photos. We will also come for a visit soon. ~Robin

The Adventures of Melanie and Mia!

Mia the dog was at the RAPS City Shelter longer than any other dog, but now we know she was just waiting for Melanie to come along. Now Melanie and Mia are having adventures together. Here's an update on Mia.
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Aug. 30th -- Since I adopted Mia, she has gone camping at Ross lake, done lots of swimming (we had to teach her how first) and loves to run and play fetch. I have taught her some new tricks like shake a paw and to wave and I am working on more! She is a very fast learner but we are still working on her on leash manners as she still needs some more practice. But I know that she will get it! These pictures are at the Skagit River on our Ross Lake trip. I am also planning to get Mia into agility training as she is super athletic. ~Melanie
Aug. 31st -- Mia is very lovable and always gives big kisses. She is still distrusting of strangers though, and I think it will take some time for her to forget her past. I found out that she was abused as a pup as she was very afraid of sticks and the broom! But with a little socialization she has gotten over most of her fear. I can now sweep with out her barking and running away. ~ Melanie

Sept. 21st -- I just thought I would update you on Mia as she has progressed a lot since I last wrote. She is now much better around strangers and dogs. I think that all she needs is more socialization!! She may even get to go on play dates with Cain who was adopted shortly after Mia. She is so smart and is really easy to train. I have taught her more tricks and commands. She's such a fast learner!! I know that she will continue to get better and be an agility star!! ~ Melanie

Doug and his team 'Raise the Roof'! on the McCraken House

Cheeseball ~ the name says it all!

Hello, I have attached two pictures of Cheeseball. My spouse and I adopted him in 2004 from RAPS.~Jessica

Grand opening of the Valerie Jones Memorial Garden

Sept. 10, 2009

Grand Opening of the Valerie Jones Memorial Garden

A few days after my self-imposed deadline, but at least it was a nice day

Much like the current real estate market, it's not like there was a great swarm when the gate opened. No one was lining up overnight with sleeping bags. A few came to check it out, but there were no offers put forth.

Note: when last I checked, a few hours after the gate was opened, I did not notice any pee, scratch marks or any other wanton acts of vandalism. ~ Doug T.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dee-empty/sets/72157622211525647/

Petunia the Rat

Hi RAPS, We were in volunteering at the shelter on Saturday and giving Petunia the rat some attention (and a cuddle) and Carol saw us. "She's cute isn't she?" I said, quite innocently. "Oh, do you think you could foster her for a while? I'm really worried about her. She's very stressed being here. Poor thing." Needless to say, Petunia is now living with us for a while.She seems quite happy and has rubbed noses with Chewy and Bunny (but not Jackie yet) and has enjoyed some treats of blueberries, apples and cauliflower. This morning she spent some time exploring the hotel we built (from cardboard boxes)for Emma's stuffies and I've attached some photos.

Hope to see you soon

Thanks, ~Kay, Gregor and Emma

Shelter Shed Gone! Yeah!