Letter to Country Home Magazine

I am appalled that your magazine is actually promoting the preparation of rabbit pot pie! Did you
honestly think that your readers would be happy about this inclusion? Why not also include a recipe
for Broiled "Fido" with a Balsamic Reduction Sauce? What about Pan-fried "Tabby" with Okra and
Limas?? The possibilities are endless if you would like to encourage your readers to place their beloved
pets on their dinner menus!

So, what has become of your parent company, Meredith Corporation's Mission Principle that "Our loyal
customers are the company's lifeblood. We are dedicated to building enduring relationships with
them"? I quote directly from the information that Meredith provides as their mission. How can you
build an enduring relationship with your customers when you are sickening them with publishing
something akin to obscenity?

Perhaps you aren't aware that rabbits are currently the nation's third most popular house pet. Perhaps
you also aren't aware that current DNA research suggests that rabbits are the closest non-primate
relative to humans in existence today! I am sure that you would not condone an article recommending
them as food and mentioning that fact in the same paragraph. Nauseating, isn't it? It does approach
cannibalism when looked at in that context.

Rabbits are the most exploited of all animals. They are used in labs for a multitude of testing, they are
marketed as pets for small children to torture at Easter (and then conveniently dumped at the shelter
after a few months), and they are raised as food. But as more and more of the population recognizes
them for their intelligence and capacity for love, those issues are dwindling. Slowly, but surely.

Even an international company such as Panasonic is recognizing the importance of rabbits in our
society--they recently launched a campaign to encourage pet owners to spay or neuter their pet
rabbits to avoid the overpopulation problem as well as to avoid health problems such as uterine
cancer in rabbits ( _<http://www.neuteryourbunny.com/_>urbunny.com/_
(<http://www.neuteryourbunny.com/>urbunny.com/) ).

Panasonic also made a huge contribution to the House Rabbit Society. Obviously, by doing so,
Panasonic is trying to show its empathy for a good cause. Obviously, Panasonic knows that the
majority of its consumers are not eating rabbit meat--the consumers of their products are eating
dinner with their pet rabbits sitting beside them, or watching tv with their rabbits on the sofa with
them. Many of these people sleep at night with their rabbits on their beds. They travel with their
rabbits. They play with them, and the rabbits are like children to them.

If a huge company such as Panasonic has done their homework as to what the general public would like
to see in regards to rabbits, perhaps your magazine should as well before publishing a "recipe" that
would turn so many stomachs.

If your magazine is interested in promoting sales, then perhaps an article about rabbits portrayed as
they should be--highly intelligent creatures who are wary of trusting others, but learn quickly to trust
their human companions when given the proper care and respect.

As I type this, my Nethland Dwarf mix, Stuey, who is almost 10 years old, sits by my feet hoping for an
opportunity to jump onto the desk and play with the computer. He may not know how to read, but he
has learned that if he moves the mouse and steps on it, that the pictures change. This is an activity he
isn't allowed to do, since the wires on the desk are dangerous for him, but that he greatly enjoys.

Fufu, an agouti mix who is nearly 7 years old, sits across the room watching.. She does not want to be
associated with any bad behavior if Stuey does something out of line, because she knows that it may
interfere with her nightly treat of a small chunk of carrot.

Mac is a New Zealand White who was rescued from a "backyard breeder" when a youngster and is now
almost 4 years old. In case you don't know, his breed is the very one that you are exploiting the most,
since they are most commonly raised for meat as well as for lab testing. Mac is currently resting in his
bedroom, but when I bring him his dinner in a few minutes he will leap and dance with enthusiasm--not
just for the dinner, but excited to know that after he eats, we will sit on the floor and play for a while. Or
I may just lie on his full size bed and read for a while, and he will hop up to get some nose rubs and then
jump back down to the floor and perform some sort of silly antics to get my attention away from my
book. He may even succeed in diverting my attention enough that he can steal the book and hide it
under the bed, since he knows it is standing in the way of my undivided attention towards him.

Pepper, an agouti mix like Fufu, is in my bedroom snoozing under a piece of furniture. At least that is
where I last saw him. Since it is a few minutes after dinner time, he will likely be hopping down the
hallway any minute now to figure out where I am. Or he may just wait for me in his hay box. When I
come, he will almost certainly perform what we bunny enthusiasts refer to as "binkies", a combination
of a hop with a graceful twisting of the hindquarters and the head. Binkies are an expression of pure
bunny joy, and are amusing as well as enjoyable for their humans to witness.

These four rabbits are my children. When I'm asked if I have children by someone I've just met, I tell
them I have four---furry, with long ears. Occasionally someone thinks I'm insane, but as rabbits as
house pets grow in popularity, I'm finding that more and more often I'll meet someone who will be very
excited when they discover who my children are, and proceed to tell me about their own furry, long-
eared family members.

You know that old adage, "Be careful what you wish for"? In this case, I would suggest that you alter it a
bit to read, "Be careful who you are writing for."

Please inform me when I can let my friends and family know when it is safe to read Country Home
Magazine again, without having to worry about throwing up on it by accident because of this topic. In
the meantime, we won't be wasting our money on something that isn't worth lining a rabbit's litter box
with.

Thank you,

Jennifer A. Beard