Cute Luke makes everyone smile.
New Babies in the Nestbox.
Pretty Lucy with her Beautymark.
What's not to love?
Sadly the brokens did not pass their second showing at the ARBA Convention this year. What a shame as they would be such a boost for the English Angoras in order to increase their numbers on the show circuit. Anyway, in order to get the judges and the public more used to seeing these guys and to get comments on improving them, I have started to bring them to shows as an exhibition. This means that the judge can give comments and get their hands on them. It lets the judges know we are serious about the variety, that we want them and we want to improve them for competition. Some of the judges have never even seen one or put their hands on one.
Besides, they are just so darn cute. Who doesn't love that cute spotted face? The rabbit breeders at the show went crazy over them and everyone thought they were really adorable. I have always loved them and have had them off and on for 15 years. It is very exciting to have 2 broken babies in the nest box with my Best in Show, Grand Champion buck, Wyatt for the dad. They look like a broken tort and a broken chocolate, both with plenty of color and full butterflies on their faces. I hope they turn out as nice as their mom and dad. So look for the broken english angoras at a show near you and let me know what you think of them.
Gnome Liam all dressed up.
Liam with Mother Gnome, Justine
On to the next house.
My daughter has a "thing" for Garden Gnomes. A really big thing, she even has them tattooed on each foot. So when she found this children's Gnome costume on sale after Halloween last year she was so excited. We all couldn't wait for this year to see Liam in his costume. Justine even dressed up as Mother Gnome. They were so cute and Liam really picked up on the treating part. He did try to give some of his candy back to people, at their door, after getting some from them. It was very sweet.
Shepherds Iris
Iris is very round
GC Shepherds Uptown
Smaller but also round.
Round balls of fluff live at my house, some are larger and some are smaller. English Angoras and Jersey Woolies should always have a round look when groomed up. They should not look flat or have a part down the middle of the coat. The fur can hide some faults underneath but can not hide all of them. If the bunny is flat on top, narrow or pinched, this will show. Body type is still very important under all that fur. It gives the bunny a correct look when they sit and pose. You can certainly feel the body when you groom and the judge always feels the body when judging.
After over 20 years of raising rabbits, I am still learning about body type. The Jersey Wooly should look like a cupcake with a small orange sitting on top, I read somewhere. This is a cute description but not really accurate, I keep thinking about the swirly icing. It should feel more like a small cantaloupe with a small orange on top. Equal in width and length, with a smooth, round rise over the top. The English Angoras should feel like a basketball with 1/3 of the bottom cut off, sitting flat side down on the table, with a little larger orange for a head. The best way to learn about body type is to keep looking at different bunnies, posing them and feeling the shape. This will help you to learn what you like in your bunnies, a round ball of fluff.
