A painless way to help some bunnies in Michigan

[osprey]

Some folks on Rabbits Online are using the site zootoo.com to try to win some makeover money for a rescue in Michigan called Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-Home.  The way zootoo works is you sign up and gain points for your shelter by reviewing pet products and services.  Midwest is the only non dog and cat shelter to have any chance of getting into the top 20.  If anyone is interested in helping us, just PM me your email address, I’ll send you an invitation (worth another 100 points!) and you can get started.

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Me too!! lesleyc@ualberta.ca

[Hedi]

heather.whitaker@hotmail.com

[sarah bowden]

Yes!!!! This is the rescue that I work at. I am on zootoo. You can earn points just by joining and adding pictures.
All of your help would be sooooo appreciated.

[osprey]

*evil grin* As the webmaster and chief photographer for The Rabbit Haven, I have an almost limitless supply of bunny pictures.  We use toys and such as props in our photos, so you’ll see lots of my pics getting posted.  I am trying to do a couple a day, as well as make useless comments on all of the news stories.

[JK]

Osprey – I’m confused!  I’m trying to register on zootoo but it asks for a zipcode near me.  How do I select this Midwest Rescue?  Am I doing this wrong or do I need a zipcode near the Michigan place????Thanks.

[osprey]

You can use your own zipcode I think.  At least that is what I am doing.

[JK]

I guess I’m missing the point.  Are we helping you help YOUR shelter?  I thought we were helping this Michigan shelter.  If we help our own how are we helping the Michigan place??? Sorry I must be really tired or something.  Also I’d like to choose Save A Bunny if not Michigan but there is no choice for that. Sorry I’m such a spaz.

[osprey]

This has nothing to do with The Rabbit Haven, we are not even entered in the contest.  Neither is SaveABunny.  This rabbit shelter in Michigan is the only bunny shelter that has a chance of making it into the top 20, so I am helping them.  If you use the zip code of the shelter (48170) they will show up in your list of nearby shelters, or you can search for them by name.  I actually know very little about these guys, just trying to help some people on Rabbits Online help their shelter win some money for their bunnies.

[JK]

OK thanks. I’ll use that zip.

[JK]

Oh Osprey sorry to bother you again.  How the heck do you change the shelter on zootoo?  There is absolutely nothing under Edit or Change Profile or anything.  It’s driving me insane!  Thanks.

[osprey]

Hmmm, I don’t see a way to change affiliations, and it is not covered in the FAQ.  maybe you can register again?

[osprey]

Bah, there is no way to change it. it says so in the contest rules.

[JK]

OK so I think I will register again under a different email. That’s weird you can’t change the shelter.

[Lisa_43]

Don’t know if I can help here in Aussie land, if I can here is my email address. lisa_43_@hotmail.com

[babybunsmum]

is it too late to join in?  if not, my addy is… *deleted at bb’s suggestion*

[KatnipCrzy]

can you please send me an invite…….. Kirby52894@chartermi.net

[osprey]

I wish you could help Lisa, but this contest is only for US residents :-{

 

[Lisa_43]

Never mind, Glad you are all doing it for a good cause.

[sarah bowden]

OMG!
I am so happy to see this. There are so many buns that need homes at Midwest Rabbit Rescue!! We can use all the help we can get. Thank you all so much!!!!

[KatnipCrzy]

I got my invite- signed up and have reviewed some stuff.  I plan on reviewing a couple of products each day to boost Midwest Rabbit Rescue’s points!!!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yeah, only us residents…I emailed and asked them to change it …. hehe

[KatnipCrzy]

I am at 710 points (joined yesterday).  My goal is to get a minimum of 200 points more daily- which just doing maximum reviews and news comments would be 400.

Can I have a couple more names other than “osprey” so that I can find some product reviews and mark them as “helpful” and give 5 points.  I only want names that are accumulating points for the Michigan bunnies.  I have added points to some of Ospreys reviews- but I would like to spread it around some more!!

 

[osprey]

Some of the Midwest heavy hitters:

 

Naturestee http://www.zootoo.com/profile/naturestee
Jill P (she volunteers at Midwest) http://www.zootoo.com/profile/rabbitbloom
Haley http://www.zootoo.com/profile/haleyhanna

 

[Gravehearted]

I’d be hoppy to help too – if you’ll drop me an invite

[jellyrose]

I joined but send me another referal and I’ll joind again to get the xtra points! ekr1982@hotmail.com

[KatnipCrzy]

thanks for the names- I wrote all my reviews for today- product and news comments.   PLus makred other MRR supporters reviews as helpful.  It adds 5 pts to the other persons total- and there does not seem to be a limit- so I am trying to spread a bunch out very day.

MRR is up to #13 right now!!

[Binkles]

Oh please count me in!!! bipolarartist@yahoo.com

[osprey]

Press coverage about Midwest: http://www.journalgroup.com/Business/7152/rabbit-shelter-hopes-to-win-national-makeover-competition

[BinkyBunny]

Everyone, please avoid putting your email in your post, because there are bots that scan the net for email addresses so they can put you on a list to spam and even spoof sometimes. SO, if you want to avoid spam and junkmail etc etc, that you ONLY email him via his PM (Profile Mail).  You just click on his name, and it will take you into his profile.  There you will see the link “email me”.   Then you can email him your email, or of course he will have it and can just reply.

If you have posted your email already, I recommend that you take it out. You don’t have to of course, there are no rules regarding this, it’s just for your own benefit.

Osprey, you may want to clarify in your originaly post what PM is and how to do it, as some people don’t know, and will just keep responding without reading this email

 

[JK]

Ooooh good idea Binky Bunny. Thanks.

[Deleted User]

Bummer!  I wanted to help too 

[osprey]

Midwest’s quest to win the zootoo.com makeover is featured on todays Daily Bunny.

[osprey]

We are in the final week of the contest now.  There has been a lot of drama going on, with dozens of reviews of Oxbow products getting struck down for no reason, our product pictures getting removed, etc.  There is some vindictive flagging going on now with shelters trying to knock midwest out of the top.  If you have not signed up and want to help, it is very easy to do.  Just go here http://www.zootoo.com/register/referrer/333osprey333 and use the zip code 48198.  We are still in the top 20 (12 right now) and can use all of the insurance points we can get!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Rad thanks for the zip code,pretended that zip code was mine and finally got registered heheheheh…ok im just figureing it all out now, will be reviewing all week. Good luck osprey!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Can anyone help me I’m not sure quite how to do the reviews for this to get points???

[babybunsmum]

same here.  just joined up using 90210 zip code   yet another example of how it pays to watch tv.  haha.  anyways… i’d love to rack up more points but haven’t figured out how.

[osprey]

The easiest way to do a product review is to log into the site, then in the little “Search” box in the upper right hand corner, type the name of a pet product you use.  An easy place to start is something like “oxbow”.  You’ll see a list of the Oxbow products, pick one you use, say the Bunny Basics/T pellet.  Click on the link for the product, and there will be a “Write a Review” button on the product page.  When you click it, a box pops up that you fill in with information about the product.  Remember that zootoo is not limited to bunnies, so you can review products for cats, dogs, birds (domestic and wild), fish, rodents, etc.

Thanks for helping!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Thanks Osprey I’m having fun doing this actually and I’m a petstore guru, seriously I swear I spend half my income there!! I’m trying to catch up, thanks for the ‘zip code” woho!

[apanda]

woot I’ve been working yesterday and today so far I’ve got 1253 points and we have cracked the top 10!!! #9 and only around 500 away from being #8. If 6 more people join and affiliate themselves then they will get it!

[osprey]

The contest is officially over.  Midwest Rabbit Rescue and Rehome ended up in the #7 slot!  The fact that a rabbits-only shelter made the top 20 is amazing, finishing in the top 10 is really astonishing.  Thank you to everyone who helped.  The top 20 shelters will now be closely scruitinized, and then each facility will be visited by the zootoo team and one will be chosen for the $1 million prize.

 

[MarkBun]

I’m glad to hear the finishing. When I read the rules and realized that the #1 shelter didn’t mean they got the cash made me feel a little better. Hopefully the overcuteness buns have whether they are babies or full grown (unlike dogs and cats) will help sway the team a bit more.

Oh, and I’m not meaning to insult dogs and cats here, it’s just that a bun’s cuteness never really wanes.

[apanda]

I was so happy when I saw the finish, especially knowing that onl 2 days before they were at #15! I like to think all my videos and pictures of Truffles with every single product we had on hand helped lol. Oh also it makes me feel good to know that ALL of the top 20 get some prize so they will at least get some money! Yay for the buns!

[osprey]

Zootoo is done with vetting the results, and Midwest moved up to #6!  The zootoo staff is scheduling visits to all of the shelters in the next few weeks, and then they will decide on a winner for the $1 Million makeover, and a runner up for the $10,000 prize.  The rest of the top 20 finishers will each get $5,000.

 

[JK]

So Midwest will at least get $5,000! That’s awesome! How does Midwest compare to the #1?

[osprey]

The #1 shelter, Washington Area Humane Society, had about 3 times the number of points as Midwest did.  I am not sure what kind of membership blitz they put on, but they were comfortably in the lead the entire contest.  They has so many points, that the difference between the #1 and #2 shelters was larger than the entire point total for Midwest.

 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Woohhooo!! I mean its not a million but a thousand bux will certainly help out!!

[MarkBun]

Remember people, it doesn’t matter how many votes are tabulated. The judges will visit each site independantly and see which one they feel deserves the money. I guess that they have learned about the ability to stuff ballot boxes via the internet.

It is good, IMO, that they are looking for the shelter that is in the most need/is the most deserving rather than just giving them cash out of pocket.

[osprey]

Zootoo.com is also conducting a rescue contest, which I have entered The Rabbit Haven into.  If you choose The Rabbit Haven as your sponsored rescue, have at least one review and at least one photo, The Rabbt Haven will get an additional chance at a prize.  The Rescue contest is a sweepstakes, not a point based contest, but your odds of winning go up if you have more people signed up.

[osprey]

The Zootoo team visited Midwest on April 24th, and presented them with a check for $5,000 for placing as a finalist.  The overall winner and the runner up wil lbe announced in the middle of May.  Thanks again for your help!

[lilbitsmom]

 I just wanted to send a quick shout out to everyone at BinkyBunny.com who helped our little bunny rescue – Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Re-home – get into the TOP20 in the ZOOTOO.com Million Dollar Makeover Contest!

We have realized throughout the last few months how wonderful bunny slaves really are.  We all came together for one cause and catapulted our small rescue into the TOP20 where almost 1000 shelters across the U.S. were competing to get to.  It is amazing to think that we actually pulled this off and we are so grateful to all of you who have supported us in this endeavor over the last few months.

We have had our zootoo visit and so we’re now just sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear who will be the big winner!  We are so grateful for all of the publicity, not only for our shelter, but also for the abandoned bunnies plight all across the world.  We hope tha this publicity for the cause will educate people and make them think twice about abandoning their animals, but especially about the care and health of bunnies!

We could not have done this without you and I would like to say as Shelter Manager at Midwest Rabbit Rescue & Rehome, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and hope to someday be able to return the huge favors that you have awarded us by supporting our shelter.  We will be forever grateful to you!

Lots of nudges and bunny bumps to you!!!

 

[osprey]

Welcome to BB, lilbitsmom.  I for one am happy that I helped Midwest make it to the top 20.

[JK]

Libitsmom – If it was not for Osprey most of us would not known about it. The power of numbers is quite amazing to get things done! Congratulations! I’m so happy you got $$$ for your shelter!

[lilbitsmom]

Thanks Knowltons4.  I agree that there is power in numbers – especially if it is a lot of animal lovers working towards one cause!!  Thanks again!

Lilbitsmom

[Scarlet_Rose]

That is WONDERFUL news!!! Please keep us updated and did you receive anything for being in the top 20? I didn’t notice when I was participating what the awards were other than the biggie…*blush*

[osprey]

As far as I know, Midwest got a check for $5000 at the shelter visit, the prize for being a finalist.  The winners will be announced next month is Florida.

 

[MarkBun]

Well that is no small potatoes even if they don’t win! That could go for so many things from better cages to alterations.

[lilbitsmom]

Posted By osprey on 04/30/2008 7:07 PM

As far as I know, Midwest got a check for $5000 at the shelter visit, the prize for being a finalist.  The winners will be announced next month is Florida.

 

Sorry it took me solong to respond every bunny!! 🙂

Well, let’s see, we will receive a check on May 15th at the ceremony, but we don’t know at this point if it will be for $5,000 or not.  Richard Thompson explained to us that a rep from all TOP20 winners should be present on stage at the ceremony.  Everyone will receive an envelope and they will be open simultaneously.  17 groups will receive $5,000 and the other 3 will receive plane tickets to New York for the final award.

They are really dragging this darn thing out.  After the 3 finalists get to New York, they will have some other ceremony there and make the final award.  There will also be some kind of announcement on television (one of the morning shows).  Wow, exciting stuff, huh!!!!

I’m hopeful that we will be within the top 3, because we’re so different and we’ve tried to stress to Zootoo how amazing that would be to raise awareness for house bunnies all over the U.S.

Now, we just have to wait and see!!  Say a little prayer for us everybunny!!!

Thanks again from the bottom of my heart!  Lilbitsmom

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

OH wow the SUPSENSE!!! Congratulations Midwest!! *fingers and ears are crossed for you*

[osprey]

The official presentations were done today, and Midwest did not make it into the top 3.  They received $5000 from zootoo, plus Pedigree kicked in an additional $1000 to make it a total gift of $6000.  Not enough for a shelter makeover, but a lot of money that will go to goo use helping out bunnies.  Congratulations Midwest!

 

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