Fallyn Finds the Best Home

Kitties are cute, but homeless kitties are sad.

A gray tabby kitty shows up at a backyard, has very sad eyes but full of hope.  She meows, meows, and meows, ....  she follows and follows....

She has success, now she is inside the warm home.  She is safe, she is secure, she is no longer sad.

After a long search, now she has a home, she can sleep without worrying.

Her mama plays with her, takes her to see a veterinarian, gets checked for chip (none), gets the test and shots,  ...  now she has a mom and she has a name: Fallyn.

Fallyn gets a gift bag from auntie Kris, look at all the toys!   Who takes Fallyn in? Who give her a name? Who is Fallyn’s mom? Stay tuned.

 

Chestnut Agouti Giant Angora Waiting to be Presented at the ARBA Convention

These are Chestnut Agouti Giant Angoras.   Aren't Giant Angora only come in REW (ruby eye white)?

Giant Angora was accepted as a breed at the 1988 ARBA Convention in Madison, WI, I was lucky to have witnessed the acceptance and was one of the groomer/helpers.    The only "color" accepted was REW.   Over the years since 1988, there have been many breeders trying to put color into the Giant Angora.  Some bred color into the Giant Angora for wool production, some tried to go through the official channel of getting a COD to present it to the ARBA seeking acceptance.   As far back as in the 1990s, the Black Giant Angora was presented by many COD holders,  but one after another failed.     

Tammy Vaughn of WA has very nice REW Giant Angora for several years.  She decided to get a COD to present Chestnut Agouti Giant Angora.  Her team included her husband Kevin Vaughn and her best friend Karin McTeague (not in the photo), and at this coming convention the team will attempt to do the first showing.  This is the first ever COD on Chestnut Agouti Giant Angora.   

We feel very hopeful that this COD team would be successful.   Presentation takes a lot of cage space, effort, money, time, attention to detail, correct feeding and conditioning, grooming and careful record keeping.   This team seems to have all the elements to make it happen.

One more look at these Chestnut Agouti Giant Angoras.

 

Broken English Angora Waiting to be Presented at the ARBA Convention

Look at these cute English Angora!  They are all broken.   
Broken?  What is broken?  It's the rabbit lingo that describes white combined with another color.   

The broken English Angora has had many COD (certificate of development) holders.  The earliest that I have seen was in the 1990 ARBA Convention at Tampa FL.  So far the presentation is still going on, the current COD leader is Nichole Wilson in the middle, the two active members are Lynn Galbraith-Wilson on the left and Debbie McCormick on the right.   This photo was taken in the 2018 ARBA Convention.   

Each of the three members breeds and then they will get together at this year's convention to decide which rabbits will go into the group to be presented.    The 7 youngsters in the first photo are from Debbie's 2021litters.   These are from an older litter, they are the three on the very left of the first photo.  

The right four in the top photo are a bit younger.  These 7 are potential candidates to be in the presentation group.  Who will go on, we'll find out at Louisville in October.  

 

Bouquet of Flowers

I have the fortunate of receiving this bouquet of flowers from Gina.  Thank you Gina. 

Flowers are pretty but not durable, to keep the beauty photo taking is the way to go.

Flowers and bunnies are some of my favorite things.  

 

1981 to 2021, From 40 Breeds to 50 Breeds

I entered the Wonderful World of Rabbits in 1981, this is the first "Standard of Perfection" that I purchased.   

There were 40 recognized breeds.  You may notice that there were only two wool breeds: English Angora (listed under Angora-English) and French Angora (listed as Angora-French).   No Giant Angora, no Satin Angora, no American Fuzzy Lop, no Jersey Wooly, no Lionhead.      

 

This is the most recent Standard of Perfection, I bought it in January 2021.

The number of recognized breeds has grown to 50.  Since 1981, the five wool breeds of Giant Angora, Satin Angora, American Fuzzy Lop, Jersey Wooly, Lionhead were added, plus the following 6 new breeds: Argente Brun, Mini Rex, Dwarf Hotot, Dwarf Papillon, Thrianta, Mini Satin.  One breed deleted: Blue Vienna.    There were name changes in two breeds: Sable became American Sable, Hotot became Blanc de Hotot.  

ARBA Standard of Perfection 1981 to 2021

Every 5 years, ARBA publishes a new version of the Standard of Perfection (SOP).   The SOP is the bible for judges, breeders, exhibitors, ... during the designated period of time.   Here are the 9 SOP that I collected during my 40 years of embracing the Wonderful World of Rabbits.  

1981 - 1985, 190 pages.

1986-1990, 206 pages.

1991-1995, 242 pages.

1996-2000, 238 pages. 

2001-2005, 252 pages. 

2006-2010, 254 pages. 

2011-2015, 272 pages. 

2016-2020, 288 pages.

Current version, 2021-2025, 310 pages.   

 

We Can See the Air

Is this sunset?  Nope, it's sunrise.   

It's the fire season in the west again.  There is a huge fire called "Dixie Fire" in northern California.  The bad air quality makes an orange glow around the sun.  The air is full of the smoke from the north that we can actually see it.