First Best in Show is the Sweetest

The judges are standing behind the show table a bit away so no one can hear what they are saying.  You try to make out the words and wish you had studied "lip reading".  They seem to glance repeated at your pride and joy, your Fuzzy Lop doe.  In fact, they even smile when they look at her.  Could it be? Are they going to pick your rabbit Best in Show?  

And then the annoucement comes.  Best in Show is the American Fuzzy Lop.  Congratulations to Hayley Colwes, BIS winner at the Yuba Sutter Fair, July 25, 2009, with her doe, AK's Juicy.

Juicy is looking very unimpressed and Hayley has trophies as big as she is.  Congratulations to both of you.

You know its a good day when....

Its a good day when the temperature is mild and you are at a rabbit show with friends.  Its a good day when your daughter wants to show rabbits with you again, like the "old days".  Its a good day when you get to judge Angoras, Dutch, Havanas and a bunch of other "favorites".  But is a really really good day, when your rabbit wins Reserve Best in Show.

Carol G and her Fuzzy Buck, AK's Riley with the BIS winner Melissa M with a mini satin.  

Then when you think it can't get better, your Fuzzy Lop doe wins Best in Show in the second show of the day!  Carol G with AK's Vane.  

Top it off with a report from a youth exhibitor that she won Best in Show at a northern Calfornia fair with AK's Juicy, and that is about as good as it can get for a rabbit exhibitor/breeder.  

Well get a good night's sleep and get up tomorrow to groom, clean, and smile at those pretty bunnies!

Bubba Gump is the Best

Is there anything more fun, more gratifying to a rabbit breeder than to win Best in Show with a rabbit that is home bred?  Sure there is--winning Best in Show twice  and Breeders Best all in one day!  Congratulations are due to Jenny Henderson and her gorgeous Fuzzy Lop Buck, Bubba Gump, who took all the honors in Napa, CA last weekend.

Bubba, Jenny and judge, Leslie Tucker.
Bubba, Jenny and judge, Keelyn Hanlon.

Bubba was also the Best of Breed youth Fuzzy Lop at the 2008 ARBA Convention in Louisville, KY.  In fact for those of you who attended, you may remember his "performance" on the Convention Best is Show table.  Bubba really enjoyed the process and spent his time out of the coop trying to hop around the show table and visit the other rabbits!  Great rabbit and great job Jenny!

Its just my job, ma'am

So its time to go to a rabbit show. Does rain stop us? No way! Does traffic stop us? Of course not! Does getting lost stop us? Just slows us down. And its a good thing too. The rabbit show held Sunday in Santa Maria, CA was very fun. Santa Maria is known for its tri-tip barbeque. If you haven't had tri-tip then you need to "tri" it.

But the show wasn't about food, it was rabbits and friends. Our favorite Fuzzy Lop judge, Allen M is picking Best of Breed in Show A.


Our new friend, Cole, is showing off his fuzzy friend who licks him like a puppy. Aren't Fuzzies (and little kids) just the cutest.

Carol G and her Fuzzy Lop, AK's Graham are beaming because Graham was picked Reserve in Show. See that cool plaque? Its has the logo picture for the upcoming ARBA Convention in San Diego. I can hardly wait to see the Convention awards.

Aw shucks, says Graham. I know I'm gorgeous. Its just my job.

Be sure to send more pictures and show reports to me (or you will just have to see my pictures over and over again!)

Barn Blind or Just Plain Can't See?

The phrase "barn blind" is used when an exhibitor just can't really see their own animals. Usually it means you can't see the faults, but it seems to me that it could also mean the opposite--that you don't appreciate the strengths in your herd either.

Last weekend I was going to a show and had entered eight rabbits. I had also been asked to bring a class of four rabbits for a youth judging contest. So Friday night after work I was going through my rabbits to find four who would behave themselves (no nipping or grunting at the kids please). I also wanted to find a class that required minimal grooming on my part; afterall it was late and I wanted to focus on the rabbits that were entered in the show. Well guess what I found in the bottom row of cages? See the picture at the top of this post. That's AK's Parker, a broken sable point doe who hadn't been to a show in months. She looked great! Who knew? I realized she was in better condition that the other three broken senior does I had entered in the show, so I switched her with one of the does I had planned to show. At the show the judges agreed with me, because Parker won Best of Breed!

Remember bend over and look at those bottom cages. There might be something good in there.

Showtime

Crescent City, CA is on the coast in the northern most corner of the state. That puts it about half way between Portland, OR and the San Francisco, CA, or 400 mi from each of these cities. On Labor Day weekend, the California Rabbit Shows holds 5 shows there. These shows are the perfect meeting grounds for District 1 and 2 friends, so Muriel and I have gone for the past two years. Typically the shows are small but that's alright, because we can show rabbits and then finish early to enjoy the beauty of the coast and the redwood trees.



This is the Crescent City coastline and light house. In 1964, a tsunami hit Crescent City. I kept watching the ocean to make sure no extra large waves were coming my way.

The pretty girl won BOB in Show A. She is owned, for now, by Muriel K and Diana K, but they are donating her to the trio that will be raffled at Convention. Be sure to buy your tickets!

Marian S is one of our newer exhibitors in District 2 and she braved the traffic to come to CC. We had a great time chatting and looking at bunnies, but it was also well worth the drive to Marian when her senior broken buck took BOSB in one show and her junior broken buck was BOSB in another.

Carol & Adam G's broken doe won BOB three times, and she was selected RBIS once and BIS once.

It was a great weekend. If you live in District 1 or 2, consider a drive to the CA coast next year.

Wool Galore

Rabbit shows are generally held as stand-alone events, but some times they are combined with fairs. In July, we had another option when we held three specialty shows for Angoras, Jersey Woolys, and American Fuzzy Lops at a fiber festival, Lambtown USA in Dixon, CA. In case you aren't familiar with fiber festivals, its an event for all things wooly--lots of lamb to eat, sheep to admire (while being judged), fleece to buy, spinning contests and more. Other wooled animals are usually included too like alpacas, angora goats (that produce mohair) and of course, wooled rabbits.


Setting up the rabbits in the coops for judging.

You may know Allen M and Randy S for their rabbits and judging, but they are equally accomplished with their angora goats, which produce mohair. Here is Allen carding mohair locks at his booth where he is selling his fleece. Some potential buyers are examining sheep fleece and considering a purchase. These are hard core fiber addicts who will wash the fleece, process and hand spin it into wool for knitting or weaving.

Ah yes, and Tausha demonstrates one more aspect of the fiber festival--eating! There was great food ranging from the traditional corn dog to rice bowls with lamb in teriyaki sauce. Yum!

Show results:

Randy S, judge: BOB, Broken sr buck, A & C Green; BOSB, Solid sr doe, A & C Green

Allen M, judge: BOB, Solid sr doe, A & C Green; BOSB, Broken sr buck, A & C Green

Carol G, judge: BOB, Broken sr buck, J Henderson; BOSB, Solid jr doe, B & K Tapp

And that's a wrap on the 2007-08 show season

The last show of the season in Utah was held at Woodland, a town near Park City.  Nate B and Lou T won BOB and BOS in both shows and RBIS in one of the shows.  

Lou and the "big winner".  What a trophy!
Nate, Lou and Joey S pose with the winners.
Lou, Nate, and Robert F with the other winners.

The show was held in a barn built by one of the rabbit breeders. Nice barn, huh?

Fluff-O-Rama

The sixth annual summer show hosted by High Flying Fuzzies took place on Saturday, June 28.  This show started out for Fuzzy Lops only as a high school graduation request by Adam G.  Before he left for college, Adam wanted to get together with his "rabbit" friends.  Two years later, we added Angoras to the show and now this year, Jersey Woolys were included and the show became a triple.  Judges were the mother/daughter team of Valerie U and Michelle S of WA, and Carol G of CA.  

Michelle is judging an angora with Betty C watching in the background.

A big part of this show is the chance for friends to hang out and just relax in the lovely environment.  Christina G and Katie R give a big smile for the camera.  
French angoras lined up for judging,

Carol G judges Fuzzy Lops.  She seemed to know what she was doing!
The pool was empty for awhile but by afternoon it was full of kids and others who wanted to cool off.

Check in tomorrow for photos of the winners and more.

Noted ARBA Judge is Tough Wii Competitor

I don't know about anyone else, but once Nationals was over, I breathed a deep sigh, sat down in my comfy chair, and realized I better go complete an entry for a show the next weekend!  Yes, we are in the middle of heavy rabbit show season throughout the country.  

Tom K traveled to Utah the first weekend of May to judge a show there.  But we'll get to the show after this:

Yes, its a photo of Tom in heated competition with Stuart B playing a Wii game.  Boy that looks like fun.  Which of you was the winner?  Tom looks like he knows his way around a Wii (he has grandsons after all), but Stuart definitely has winning form!

And now for some rabbits.  Tom poses with the Best of Breed winner, a broken senior doe owned by Lou T and Nate B.  Beautiful rabbit!

Send photos and reports on other shows and Fuzzy Lop activities to me.  I know its that time of year.

Steers, Rabbits, Cowboys--OH MY!

The past two weekends there were rabbits at a historic site in South San Francisco. The Cow Palace is well known for many events but one of the most long standing is the Grand National Rodeo and Livestock show. The first weekend of the show was devoted to the rodeo and standard livestock show. I judged the single fryers and meat pens so had a great time.

The second weekend there were two all breed rabbit shows, and now is when it gets interesting for the Fuzzy Lop folks. The big news is that out of four shows, Jennifer Henderson and her gorgeous solid senior buck, Waffles, took Best in Show for the youth two out of four times.

Congratulations to Jenny and Waffles!

I'm posing with the Reserve Champion

Winner of the Champion meat pen!

Jennifer and Waffles with their lovely new carrier.

Pretty bunnies

Recently there was a fun show in Stockton, CA. Fuzzies were judged three times, twice for the all breed show and once in a specialty show. Here are the winners. Hope you enjoy the very pretty Fuzzy Lops. Congratulations to the winners.

PFF/AK's Pizazz, BOSB Show B (R Stacy, judge)

Owned by Christina Gillett

PFF's Spencer, BOB Show B (R Stacy, judge)

Owned by Christina Gillett

PFF/AK's Regan, BOS in Show A (A Mesick) & BOB in specialty (C Zemny)

Owned by Adam & Carol Green

PFF Charlie Brown, BOB Show A (A Mesick) & BOS in specialty (C Zemny)
Owned by Christina GillettIts time to look at Fuzzy Lops, enough with the puppies and other distractions! Recently there were three Fuzzy Lop shows in Stockton, CA (2 all breed and 1 specialty) and a beautiful set of Fuzzy Lops took the honors. Hope you enjoy the photos.

I'm back!

Before I get to the meat of this post, sorry for my long absence. I feel like I have been on an airplane constantly for the past few weeks. Wait a minute, I think I have been! Anway I am home briefly and am taking this opportunity to post to the blog. If you sent photos and other information to me in the last 2-3 weeks be patient, I will catch up, promise.

So first, I spent the weekend of Feb 23 in Utah. It was fabulous. I judged at a show in Farmington, UT, met lots of great folks and saw wonderful Fuzzy Lops. Congratulations to Nate B and Lou T for breeding a beautiful black jr doe, who took Best in Show.

Hey I saw a little snow too!

Carol

Shows, shows and more shows

This past weekend was full of rabbit shows in California. For those who don't realize or actually even think about it, California is a big state. From the northern to the southern most points of the state the distance is 770 mi (for the geographically curious, its ~250 mi wide). As a result, its eady to have more than one rabbit show in California on a single day. Saturday found double shows scheduled in Pomona (southern California) and 540 mi north was a double show in Red Bluff. Red Bluff also hosted another double show on Sunday.

I spent the weekend in Red Bluff, showing and judging, which meant I was plenty busy. On Saturday, my phone kept ringing and I ignored it. Finaally once I could sink into the pillow of my motel room bed, I looked at all the missed calls and realized a "Fuzzy" friend, Shirley Burts, was was at the Pomona show had been calling. It was 8 pm by then and time to catch up on what had happened in SoCal. "Hey Shirley. What's up?" A lot was up! Shirley and her daughter, Kalani, won double Best in Shows with their broken senior doe at the Pomona show. Congratulations!

Nothing quite as exciting to report from Red Bluff, other than we all had a lot of fun. The wins for Fuzzy Lops were spread around a bit so that is always nice. We also had a little gift exchange and gobbled up pumpkin pie from the Hendersons and fudge made by Katie Rodgers. Pictured to the left is Christina G with judge, Josh (right) and her black senior buck, Apple Jax, who won open BOB once on Saturday and once on Sunday. Adam & Carol Green won BOB the other two open shows with two different bucks. Christina also won BOSB in three of the four shows and Mary Henderson won BOSB in the fourth show. In youth Fuzzies, Jenny Henderson won BOB and BOSB in all four. (See photo below).

What do we do now that the turkey is gone?

The turkey was digested and the dishes washed, so Saturday, November 24, Calfornia rabbit faithful headed to Lodi, for a show. This show is generally fairly crowded, but that helps keep everyone warm on a cool autumn day. Mary H, Jackie C and Jenny H are still wrapped in jackets early in the day.

Adam G came to California for the Thanksgiving holiday but he still had to study medical ethics between showing Fuzzies.
Christina G and Susie C are loading Fuzzies in the coops between classes and took time to smile for the camera.









No that isn't a Fuzzy Lop! Judges Keelyn H and Carol G pose with Betty C and her Best In Show Angora.



Show results were:
Open Show A (Judge Keelyn Hanlon)
BOB Solid senior doe, Adam & Carol Green
BOSB Broken senior buck, Christina Gillett
Youth Show A
BOB Broken senior buck, Jennifer Henderson

Open Show B (Judge Scott Williamson)
BOB Solid senior buck, Christina Gillett
BOSB Broken senior doe, Adam & Carol Green
Youth Show B
BOB Broken senior buck, Jennifer Henderson
BOSB Solid senior doe, Jennifer Henderson

Fuzzies in Fresno

Pictured above: 1) Jennifer H, Katie R, and Susie C in Fresno; 2) Jonathan W and friend; 3) Katie R strikes a pose; 4) Mary H and her winners; 5) Jennifer H and Oliver.

On Saturday, November 10, California Rabbit and Cavy Shows held a nice show in Fresno. The weather was mild and the Fuzzies were in full coat (finally!).

In both youth shows, Jennifer H's Fuzzies took BOB and BOSB. Her mom, Mary H, won BOB and Katie R won BOSB in both open shows. Congratulations to all of you.

For those who may not have thought about it, California is a big state. Its more than 500 mi from top to bottom and we can have more than one show in the state on any given weekend. The most popular shows though tend to be in the middle of the state, e.g. in Stockton or Fresno, which are both located in the central valley of California near Highway 99 and I5 (freeways that run north and south). Next weekend, we have another show in Stockton and I expect a great turnout of Fuzzies at that show.

Showing Fuzzies again

There are a lot of rabbit shows in District 2, especially in California. For example, last weekend, on Saturday, Oct 27 there was a youth only show in the southern part of the state and on Sunday, Oct 28, there was youth and open show in the northern part (Napa).

Congratulations to Jennifer Henderson who won BOB with two different broken senior bucks in the youth show "down south" (See one of her winners in Photo 1). It was a very good showing of Fuzzies from the youth. It was good to see Dylan B there with his nice Fuzzies (Photo 2 is Dylan with the "hair" and his friend). The show was held in the gymnasium of a school.

At the show in Napa, all Fuzzies were shown in open and the numbers were relatively small. The quality was good though! A broken senior buck Fuzzy Lop owned by Adam and Carol G won Best in Show in show A. Reserve in Show was an English Angora owned by Betty C (Photo 3). In show B, Betty C took BIS with the same rabbit, while Melissa M won RBIS with a mini satin.

Have fun at this weekend's shows and send the results so we can post next week.