For Immediate Release

Thursday, February 3, 2011

 

Manhattan's Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade, February 6, Features Adoptable Rabbits in Honor of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit

First Rabbit Event in Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals'^® Annual I Love NYC Pets Month

New York, NY – Thursday, February 3, 2011 – The colorful 12th Annual Lunar New Year Parade, which takes place in Manhattan's Chinatown on February 6, will feature a special windowed vehicle showcasing over a dozen rabbits who can be adopted from Rabbit Rescue & Rehab at Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C). This event is among the first of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals' fifth I Love New York City Pets Month, held each February to encourage New Yorkers to adopt a homeless pet. February is also Petfinders' official Adopt-A-Rescued-Rabbit Month.

Most people are aware that cats and dogs are available for adoption. but the national House Rabbit Society and New York's Rabbit Rescue & Rehab want everyone to know that rabbits can also be adopted and that they can be loving pets, ideal for apartment living. Rabbits can be adopted at Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C), 326 East 110th Street.

The Lunar New Year Parade is one of the highlights of NYC's festival season — balconies and stores are festooned with colorful decorations, teams of youthful lion dancers perform throughout the day, and floats wind their way through the streets. The parade is organized by the Better Chinatown Society. Rabbits are considered lucky by the Chinese, and particularly in the Year of the Rabbit, so the rabbits riding in the windowed van (provided by North Shore Animal League America, an Alliance Participating Organization), will be a popular attraction.

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals' Fifth Annual I Love NYC Pets Month features numerous adoption events and other activities to support the organization's goals of increasing pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, and transforming New York City into a no-kill community. These events shine a spotlight on the NYC's homeless pets and the fact that pets are family, too!

Another highlight of the month is a Spay Day event on February 19, jointly hosted by the Mayor's Alliance, ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), and the The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). The event will feature pet adoptions; free spay/neuter clinics, microchipping, dog licensing, and vaccinations; plus information from pet experts, exciting giveaways, and more.

On February 23, the Mark Garrison Salon at 108 East 60th Street will host the Primping for Pups fundraiser for the Mayor's Alliance, with participation by the Doggie Moms, a new reality television show of the same name, which will include important information about City resources for dog owners, premiering in mid-February on NYC life (channel 25).

For more information about I Love NYC Pets Month and the many upcoming events taking place in February, visit www.ILoveNYCPets.org.