Remember When: Bubbling Champagne

In 1982, Betty was still into French Lops. She had one English Angora named Angelina that did not provide Betty with a right start.   See

http://ncag.blogspot.com/2006/09/how-to-start-wrong-way.html

Betty says, " I purchased a mate for Angelina, the resulting bunnies were cute, healthy, but big and long.

NCAG held the first specialty show in spring of 1983 in the garage of a car repair shop in Fremont. Bobbie Meyer was the judge, she came as a favor to a new club since NCAG hardly had any money in the treasury. She had several breeds of rabbits including English Angora. She delivered some fawn bunnies to those who ordered from her. I wanted one but by then all were spoken for.

A couple of months later, I saw Bobbie again in a show in Napa. Bobbie said, "Betty, I think I have a bunny that will work for you." I followed her home after the show. She said, "Why don't you stay for dinner, I'll have my husband take you out to my rabbitry."

She had a big rabbitry, lots of rabbits. With many different breeds of rabbits and bunnies in a very large barn, my eyes were immediately fixed on a bunny that was still in the same cage with her mother and littermates. I knew that bunny was for me. Bobbie said, "That was the one that I picked for you, and you found her." Bobbie treated me to a steak dinner, charged me $25 for the bunny, and I came home with Bubbling Champagne.

Bubbling Champagne was the one that started right for me. Her initial "BC" became the ear tattoo ID for all her descedents. Not long after having Bubbling Champagne, I discontinued the stock from Angelina and all my rabbits are related to Bubbling Champagne; "BC" is now my only ear ID.

Around the same time, I went to a Lop specialty show in Pleasanton. There was a black English Angora buck looking for a home. He was about one year old, had never been groomed in his whole life and obviously was not cared for. I felt very bad seeing an animal being so neglected; I took him home and spent 3 hours cutting off his mats. Later when I received his pedigree, it turned out that he was also bred by Bobbie. He had an ear tattoo of CS1, I named him Charles Schwab.

Bubbling Champagne was a beauty, won the junior doe class in the very next show a month later. As soon as she became a senior, she took Best of Breed twice out of two shows. She received three legs and achieved grand champion status. Charles Schwab was a different story. He was neglected and did not have good nutrition when he was developing. I tried hard but his body structure was already set. He went to many shows; he received one leg but did not get very good comments from judges, including Bobbie.

Genetics ruled. The pair worked wonders on some of their offspring. They repeated their romance three times and produced some very nice bunnies. Bubbling Champagne then moved on to have romances with two other boyfriends. At a later time, Bubbling Champagne and Charles Schwab rekindled their romance two more times. The bunnies from Bubbling Champagne and different bucks sent me toward the right direction of breeding top quality English Angora.

In the next 20 years, Bobbie judged my rabbits regularly. She was pleased to have seen the development of the English Angora that descended from her stock. When my tort doe Sweet Sixteen won the Best In Show in the 1992 ARBA convention in Columbus, OH, Bobbie was one of the three people that I called immediately. I am forever grateful to Bobbie who allowed me to have Bubbling Champagne."

The first and second photos of Bubbling Champagne were taken in 1983, the two photos of Bobbie were taken in a show in 1986.