Petcetera to stop selling bunnies before Easter
Fiona Anderson, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, March 28, 2007

One of British Columbia's biggest pet stores is celebrating Easter by phasing out the sale of rabbits, which sell like hot cross buns at this time of year but often end up without a bed at the inn by Christmas.

Vancouver-based Petcetera said it would no longer sell rabbits in its 11 Lower Mainland stores because of concerns raised by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that there were too many rabbits in shelters, Petcetera's vice-president Richard Kaga said in an interview.

So starting next week, Petcetera will sell off its rabbit inventory in the Lower Mainland and start finding homes for abandoned rabbits through its in-store adoption centres.

Nancy Wheaton, manager of Petcetera store at Rupert and Grandview, with a cute bunny. The chain is going to stop selling rabbits because so many people abandon them.

Rabbits will still be sold in Petcetera's other 34 stores across Canada where no concerns about abandoned rabbits have been raised, Kaga said.

Petcetera's decision to stop selling rabbits was welcome news to Olga Betts, president of Vancouver Rabbit Rescue & Advocacy which has about 45 abandoned rabbits in its care, many in foster homes.

People think bunnies are cute presents so they buy one, Betts said.

"And they don't have any clue how to look after it and then they're bored with it after a few months and they throw it out in the park," Betts said.

And rabbits breed every month starting at the age of five months, so a few rabbits can turn into thousands very quickly, she said.

"Impulse buying of baby rabbits in pet stores causes huge problems for the rabbits and the community," Betts said.

So Petcetera's decision is a "real breakthrough," she said.

"We're hoping other pet stores will follow [Petcetera's] lead so they can be a solution rather than a problem," Betts added.

Debra Probert, executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society called Petcetera's decision "really, really good news."

People don't understand that rabbits need a lot of attention, Probert said.

"They're very social. They're very intelligent. They need companionship and intelligent stimulation," Probert said.

"It's cruel that people buy them and just put them in a cage outside or a cage in the garage and just ignore them," she said.

"So we're really pleased [Petcetera has] decided not to sell them."

Since it opened its first store in Vancouver in 1997, Petcetera has provided satellite adoption centres for cats and dogs in each of its stores.

"There is an overabundance of dogs and cats in particular that can't find homes and if they can't find homes over time they're put down by groups like the BCSPCA because they have no choice," Kaga said.

Kaga believes Petcetera's decision not to sell cats or dogs, and now rabbits, is not only socially responsible but also good business.

"We felt that by not getting into [selling cats and dogs] in the long run we'd probably be better off," Kaga said. "Because our customers would understand that we are a responsible pet retailer and that would go a long way to gain the kind of confidence that all retailers want to gain from a loyal customer."