Long weekend trip ahead

Tomorrow I leave for a looong weekend. I have a dog show up in Oregon, and then a secret trip. Hehehehe. I'll be sure to share all about it when I get back on Monday. I'm also doing transport for at least one rabbit so far to help out others. Should be a long, tiring, yet VERY exciting weekend!

Bob Whitman

I was just told that Bob Whitman has lost his brave battle with cancer. It hasn't been more than a couple months that the rabbit fancy found out Bob was suffering from a very agressive cancer. I can't believe he's gone. He was probably the smartest rabbit person alive, and probably in history. His efforts to bring so many rare, endangered, and practically extinct rabbit breeds to the US to help support numbers is history. Without Bob, we probably wouldn't have Lionheads here today either.

I can't believe it. We have lost two of the great rabbit people alive within a couple days of each other. This will probably go down in history as the most depressing week in the rabbit show world, ever.

Thoughts and prayers to Bob's family and friends. We will never forget you.

Brian Hartzell

The rabbit world lost an icon yesterday.

I decided to wait until today to post about this. I have been in such deep shock and mourning, I don't think I could have posted about it yesterday. Brian Hartzell passed away yesterday morning, and the rabbit world has almost come to a complete halt.

I've cried, I've been depressed, I've been in shock. I don't think the shows will ever feel the same. Brian's Fuzzy Lops were icons in the breed. Even in his Jersey Woolies. I could walk down the rows at Nationals and Convention and always pick out his rabbits. They were remarkable. You want to talk about a great breeder and judge... Brian was always at the top of the game.

I'll never forget how friendly he was when we first met at Nationals a few years ago. He let me go over all his winning rabbits, and shared his breeding secrets, and how he created his consistently #1 sweepstakes winning herd. And I loved how I would absolutely drool over his fuzzies, and he would joke "Nah, hey, you should see what I left at home!". He was always so proud of his rabbits, and he really truly loved his fuzzies.

I have, and will continue to pray for Brian and his family, and all the friends who knew and loved him.

Baby Boom!

We are having a big baby boom here. Finally. I feel like finally something is making up for the lack of babies I've had the past two years. I have always had some sort of issue when breeding for Convention/Nationals juniors, and usually leaving me without any to show. I've been extra careful this breeding round, keeping almost all of the nestboxes in my room and taking babies out for feedings until they are close to a few weeks old. I have 4 boxes beneath my feet as we speak!

Right now I have 27 babies at last count, with most being fuzzy lops and quite a few lionhead babies in there too. Most of the fuzzy lops are tort and orange (yes, a bunch of oranges!), with some random colors in there too like blue tort, some brokens, and even a chocolate or lilac tort!! It's too young right now to tell which it will be, but it's definitely not a regular tort. Both parents must be chocolate carriers way way back. In lionheads I have mostly all sable points. I love the color so I definitely don't mind. And for lionheads- word has it we will be allowed to show all colors at Convention in November that have a COD on file, not just the presented varieties colors. Very cool.

I have 7 more litters expected during this month, and then the Convention breeding bonanza will be over. If anyone is interested in anything for Convention, be sure to let me know!