Rabbit rescue organizations are bracing themselves for Easter. Well-intentioned parents often respond to their child's plea for an Easter bunny by visiting a pet store and purchasing a rabbit, frequently without doing any research.

Rabbits can live eight to ten years, making them a long-term commitment. Like all companion animals, they should live indoors. Rabbits must be spayed/neutered, litter box trained and regularly groomed. Rabbits do a great deal of chewing - sometimes on your furniture or power cords. They also have special dietary requirements.

Unfortunately, once the Easter novelty wears off, shelters begin to fill with unwanted bunnies. Most will be put to sleep. Those rabbits that are kept by families are often relegated to a cramped, outdoor hutch where they languish alone and are subjected to predators and weather extremes.

If you chose to bring one of these gentle creatures into your home, please adopt from a shelter or rabbit rescue organization. And if the time is not right, perhaps a chocolate bunny would be a better option. For further research, go to www.rabbit.org.