Podcast Episode 92: Thea Harting: Rabbit Speed Dating

October 7, 2024

#92 - Thea Harting: Rabbit Speed Dating

Download the episode – Download the transcript

Thea Harting, also known as the Badass Bunny Rescuer, is a rabbit behavior consultant based in Brooklyn, NY. Thea is passionate about improving companion rabbit well-being and welfare, focusing on pair bonding, enrichment, low-stress handling techniques, and cooperative care. As an active volunteer for shelters and rescues for over a decade, her favorite activity is facilitating rabbit ‘speed dates’ to determine partner compatibility. Her approach to rabbit bonding emphasizes agency, mutual consent, and enrichment.

In this episode, you’re going to hear Emily and Thea talk about:

Bunny enrichment ideas
What do bunny speed dating and dog park design have in common?
You can’t be your own bun-havior consultant
Why bunnies need our help
Thea and Emily’s elevator pitch for why to adopt or foster bunnies

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

PETPro Mentorship Program

#48 – Lili Chin: Behind the Scenes with Doggie Drawings

Badassbunnyrescuer.com

Badassbunnyrescuer on Instagram

Click here to chat with us about all things enrichment in the Facebook group

Meet the Guest

Thea Harting

Thea Harting, also known as the Badass Bunny Rescuer, is a rabbit behavior consultant based in Brooklyn, NY.

Thea is passionate about improving companion rabbit well-being and welfare, focusing on pair bonding, enrichment, low-stress handling techniques, and cooperative care.

With over 20 years of experience living with rabbits and hands-on interaction with over 1000 rabbits, Thea is dedicated to solving behavior problems, enhancing resilience to stress, and empowering rabbits in their daily lives.

Recognized as an expert in rabbit care and rabbit bonding, she has been featured in prominent publications such as the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal.

As an active volunteer for shelters and rescues for over a decade, her favorite activity is facilitating rabbit ‘speed dates’ to determine partner compatibility. Her approach to rabbit bonding emphasizes agency, mutual consent, and enrichment.

Meet the Hosts

Allie Bender, CDBC, CPDT-KA, SBA

Allie Bender is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed, and a Shelter Behavior Affiliate. She has been in the animal welfare industry since 2006 and professionally training since 2012. She is the founder and co-owner of Pet Harmony, co-author of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, and a national speaker.

While in the animal sheltering industry, Allie realized that her passion lied in helping pets with maladaptive behaviors. Specifically, she wanted to help prevent animals with rehabilitatable problems from being euthanized. She loves working with dogs and cats displaying stranger danger, resource guarding, and leash reactivity. Her favorite thing about working with pets and their people is seeing relationships grow and seeing harmonious households develop.

Emily Strong, CDBC, SBA

Emily Strong is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Shelter Behavior Affiliate. She has been in the animal welfare industry since 1990 and has been a behavior consultant since 2008. She is the co-owner of Pet Harmony, co-author of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, and a national speaker.

Emily started working with animals at a young age and struggled with the notion that you have to hurt, scare, or intimidate animals to help them. When she discovered the behavior sciences and learned that it wasn’t necessary to do so– that we can care for emotional, mental, and physical health simultaneously– she plunged headfirst into animal behavior. Emily loves helping current and prospective behavior professionals and working with pet parents through our in-depth services. She enjoys working with all species.

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