Northern California Angora Guild: 4/30/17

We Need this Slicker Brush to Bond with Angora

Rabbits groom themselves the same way as cats, don't you think we need an "Artificial Tongue" brush to bond with our Angoras?

Tips, Tips and Tips

We all like our Angora to have an even coat. How do we get an even coat? By nature or by grooming?

This is an even coat, look at the tips, they are all visible and about the same length.

Same color but the coat is uneven, the tips are broken and unfinished.

This tort English Angora doe has a very even coat and all the tips are visible.

This English Angora tort doe is a littermate of the above doe, her coat looks messy.   Why?   She chewed it!   So some may say, hey, Betty, you are the mom, you are a good groomer, why don't you use some tools to even out the wool and make the coat look more even?

I'm good, but not that good.   Breeding a non-molting rabbit will help to gain an even show coat but if a rabbit chews, there is not much a groomer can do to "even" it out.   No amount of cutting or trimming can make an uneven coat look even because the tips are different.   A naturally even coat will have all the natural tips, but any coat this is chewed, trimmed or cut will cause cut ends.   With that said, we do have to realize that being Angora and being a wool-producing animal, the coat will have to be cut down and grow back eventually.

How do you make an even coat?   Pray!!! Assuming that your herd has the good genes, pray to have a lazy rabbit, a rabbit that is not a busy body to mess up its own coat.   No groomer, no human being, no mama, no papa can make a coat look even if it is not even due to molting or chewing or whatever the reason may be!

Betty and her good friend Casey always jokingly proclaim: "We love lazy rabbits!"

If you see a really finished even Angora rabbit, whether it's an English Angora, a French Angora, a Giant Angora or a Satin Angora, say thanks to the breeding, say thanks to the well-behaved "lazy" rabbit, say thanks to the mama and papa who do not use any means to messy up the natural beauty!

Jada and Jonas, Who is the Gorgeous One?

In September 2016, Betty introduced the little tort bunnies.

Jonas is a big boy now, isn't he handsome?

Sister Jada thinks she is the real pretty one.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, tell us who is the gorgeous one of all?

Hope is Full of Hope

HGF Hope went to the Angora National but did not do as well as her cousin HGF Princess Fiona. She did not get discouraged, just kept on trying. In the third show of the day, she won over her cousin Princess Fiona then went on to win three all breed Best In Show during one weekend on April 22, and April 23.

Daddy Eric is fluffing Hope up for the table.

Hope's profile shows terrific type and even wool with abundance of guard hairs.

Hope's band pattern is definitive...

... and her guard hairs are so prominent.

Princess Fiona at Home

Daddy Gabe is very proud of HGF Princess Fiona. She wins the Angora National Best In Show, earns a lot of points plus winning another all breed Best In Show on the same day.

Princess Fiona is resting at home with her trophies.

View of Princess Fiona from the top.

Guess what's about to happen?
Her wool would be parted from her back, she would be clipped, she would be naked, she would be sexy and in 30 days, she will be a mother.

English Angora Winner at the Angora National in Michigan

The Angora national was held on Saturday, April 22, 2017. We have reported the Best In Show winner French Angora Princess Fiona a week ago.

The English Angora BOB winner is Shepard's Obi Wan shown by Gaby.

Obi Wan, Gaby and Angora national judge Mark. Obi Wan is the Reserve In Show winner at the national.

Obi Wan wins the BOB in the open show A from judge Todd.

Obi Wan gets another Best of Breed in show B from judge Rosa and goes on to win Reserve In Show.

In show B, the Best In Show is the French Angora and the Reserve In Show is the English Angora.

Judge Josh also awards the English Angora BOB to Obi Wan in show C then Obi Wan goes on to win Reserve In Show.

Judge Kyle in show C awards BIS to the French Angora and the RIS to the English Angora.
This is a very good day for Angoras.

In the last all breed show D, judge Paula also selects Obi Wan as the BOB.

We thank Gaby for supplying us with these wonderful photos and congratulations to her success in English Angora. Gaby is a fairly new exhibitor, her experience in showing dogs and her attention to details quickly elevated her in the wonderful world of Angora. Gaby is a lawyer in her other life.