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Everyday Educating
As we begin a new year, full of 365 days of possibilities, the concept of "everyday educating" is a timely one.
Things which can easily fit alongside with what you're already doing. is what we call "everyday educating" Simple, small, easy actions which can make a big, positive difference.
How about using the wonderful spay/neuter postage stamps, released this past September, on your mail? For a special touch, one member we know even writes "rabbits too!" next to the postage stamps (which picture a cat and a dog) on her envelopes!
If you use email frequently, make use of your "sig" line to promote rabbits. Maybe something like "A rabbit's place is in the house!" or "Be sure to visit Rabbit.org" or "Visit Petfinder.org to meet homeless rabbits and other animals in your area."
While you run errands, how about posting "visit www.rabbit.org" flyers on the community bulletin board found at many grocery stores, coffee shops, and libraries? Call MCRS for a supply.
You can recycle past copies of the newsletter or MCRS brochures by sharing them with your local library or in the waiting rooms at the veterinarian, dentist, doctor, or salon or in your employee or student cafeteria.
Where you spend your money sends a message, too. Concerned individuals can choose to buy at stores which sell supplies only, not animals. Your purchasing decision helps support this philosophy. Retail stores that sell supplies only- no animals-include Chuck & Don's Pet Food Outlet. Several mail/internet order companies also sell supplies only, like Oxbowhay.com and Drs. Foster and Smith. You can also purchase rabbit food and hay from MCRS, where you're not only getting good quality food for your rabbits, your purchase also helps support MCRS efforts to help other rabbits in need, too.
Another way to practice Everyday Educating is by showing off rabbits wherever you can. Conversations can start off fairly easily with interested folks who notice your fashionable rabbit t-shirt, your shopping cart full of veggies, or the framed photo of a rabbit on your desk.
The most difficult part, many members say, can be keeping the conversation moving in a positive direction. Indeed, it does seem that when you tell someone you have a rabbit in the family, the first response you hear is often a difficult story of what happened with their rabbit. One helpful way to move this into a real learning opportunity is to share with the person how much all of us have learned about rabbits in the past few years, and how markedly different the rabbit care and behavior information is now, from even just a few years ago.
And, while there's not much time in these everyday encounters to communicate all the wonderful things there is to know about rabbits, any informative point(s) could make a huge difference. To make this easy, here is a highlight of the most important, basic information.
The top 5 things to know about rabbits:
- Rabbits can be litterbox trained.
- Healthy rabbits need a diet of unlimited hay, generous dark leafy greens, and restricted pellets.
- Rabbits need to be housed indoors.
- Rabbits need to be spayed or neutered just like cats and dogs.
- www.rabbit.org is a rich source of rabbit information!
Even if time is short, you can provide a wealth of solid rabbit information to anyone with internet access by pointing them to www.rabbit.org! This allows the person to investigate whatever interests them as much as they want or need. Telling one person about that one easy-to-remember rabbit resource, could improve countless lives.
And, finally, please don't forget the power of example. The love and care you demonstrate each day for your rabbits, other animals, and the people and community around you, is one of the most effective ways you can everyday educate and make a year's worth of difference.
