Emilia Wins Double All Breed Best In Show Again

A great show day for Emilia and her mom Betty: Emilia won her 10th and 11th all breed Best In Show at Stockton today.

Emilia is in her 15th month coat, still keeps the density, texture and finish. Judges commented that "The finish carries all the way from the roots to the tips".

The top photo shows judges Ray and Jeff with Betty and Emilia after the Best In Show judging in show A.

The second photo shows judges Allen and Cathy with Betty and Emilia after the Best In Show judging in show B.

Betty is happy and proud of Emilia's continuous success in the shows.

Chris H. Has A Brother in CA?

Chris H., judge and previous president of ARBA, came to Monterey last Sunday. We usually see him in national conventions, he judged Angora in 1995, 1998 and 2002. It's not a common sight to see him in our area.

Steve, husband of English Angora breeder Cathy, was really puzzled all day long. People kept on saying to him, "Welcome to California." Steve kept on answering, "I live in California all my life."

People in the show have mistaken Steve for Chris H.

In the top photo, the real Chris H. is judging Mini Rex. In the second photo, the two "brothers" are standing next to each other. What do you think?

Brad and Katie

During the Best In Show judging in the 2002 ARBA convention in Peoria, a black Havana stood out so much that everyone in the building predicted that it would be the Best In Show winner. It was a no-brainer, that Havana won.

The breeder and exhibitor of this stunning Havana were Brad and Katie Boyce. From that day and on, their names were carved in the big perpetual national convention Best In Show trophy and in the minds of rabbit breeders.

ARBA started an extensive search last year for a new executive director after Glen Carr announced his intention to retire at the end of 2006 after 22+ years of service. Brad is the choice. We will be seeing his name on our registration papers, GC certificates, ... and everything else for the next 20-30 years.

This is Brad's first judging trip to our area. We are very excited to meet him and talk with him. He is straight forward, open-minded, eager to learn and to listen, congenial, professional, .... and an excellent judge. We can't ask for anything more. It is a perfect choice and we look forward to his long service to the rabbit community and hope to see him judge in our area frequently.

Katie, Brad's wife and mom of a 5-year-old, is sweet, delightful and knowledgeable in rabbits. It was a pleasure to have the chance to talk with her.

In the top picture, Brad takes a quick break for a photo during his judging. In the second picture, Brad checks the body type of the English Angora during the Best In Show judging. The third picture is a reproduction of a photo in "Domestic Rabbits". It shows Brad, Katie and their gorgeous winning Havana junior doe in the 2002 national convention

Best of Breeds of French Angora and Satin Angora

In Monterey on Sunday, we have two different French Angora white does winning the Best of Breed (BOB).

In Show A, Tracy's white junior doe wins BOB. In Show B, Carol W's white senior doe wins BOB, shown in the second photo.

Tracy also wins BOB Satin Angora in both shows. In the top photo, she is shown in her lovely smile with her French and Satin Angora winners.

Eric, Our Favorite

We are so fortunate that Eric is our judge in show A in Monterey. We had him in Santa Rosa in January, had a great time with him. When we saw his name on the judges' list, we really hoped to have him again and our hope came true. He is an excellent judge, really fun to interact and he knows wool!

In the top photo, Eric is examining the English Angora during the Best In Show judging. In the second photo, he poses with Tracy when judging French Angora. Tracy says, "Eric is my new favorite judge. ....... Too bad he's not our convention judge."

We totally agree with Tracy.

Carol G. Wins American Fuzzy Lop National Show

Just heard the good news, Carol G won the BOB with her broken senior buck shown in the photo in the Aermican Fuzzy Lop National Show in Wisconsin over the weekend. She reports, "Nationals was really fun, made even better when Rowdy was picked BOB! The weather was ugly, rainy, windy and cold."

We are glad that she is back in California in the sunny warm weather. We look forward to seeing her and Rowdy this coming weekend.

Emilia Wins Her 9th All Breed Best In Show

It's a huge show day in Monterey today.

Mini Rex, Himalayan and Tan breeds held their national shows yesterday. There were several hundreds of Mini Rex, Himalayan and Tan shown by exhibitors all over the country. Today, these rabbits in the national plus all other breeds get together and have the all breed shows.

Chu's Emilia, in her beautiful 15th month show coat, won the all breed Best In Show under judges Eric and Brad. Reserve In Show is the Mini Rex by Randy and Allen. From left to right is Eric, Betty, Brad and Allen. Eric is the ARBA district 9 director, Brad is the newly chosen ARBA Executive Director starting in 2007.

This is Emilia's 9th all breed Best In Show, she also has won all breed Reserve In Show four times.

It's a very exciting day. Lots of exhibitors and judges from all over the country, lots of fun. There will be photos and reports of many who we have never featured on our blog in the days to come.