Category Archives: Random Topics

Lineage Tracing

I spend most of my free time tracing back Holland Lop lineages of breeders I admire and have high regards for. Most of the time, I literally drool over rabbit photos on their websites. So here I am again trying to figure out who’s who in my rabbits. LOL!

Some of these photos I am sharing does not belong to me nor have I asked the permission to use them. I would like to apologize if any of the photo owners are offended. Please let me know so that I can remove them without question. But I do hope the owners to these photos do not mind me using them. I will put a note at the bottom of the photos specifying the websites I have taken them from. I would like to thank Todd Naragon & Scott Rodriguez for some of the photos featured in this post. They were very kind to allow me to take photos off their websites.

When I first started out researching on Holland Lops, I came across many websites and some of which are breeders who have quit raising rabbits altogether. The two breeders that have carved a very deep impression on my mind about Holland Lops are:

1) Belokonny – Dr. Mark (wife Sarah) & David Belokonny

2) Pitney – Sarah & Dan Pitney

These 2 Holland Lop breeders have made a huge impact on most of the lineages we have today. Sadly, both rabbitries no longer exist but their stocks are all over the US. To be able to get hold of the descendants of their lines is a really huge honor. And owning them would be like my wildest dream come true. I am very proud and happy to say that I do own descendants of their lines of Holland Lops. I really have got Scott Rodriguez to thank (again!) for making this a dream come true.

Tracing back both Thunder and Haley’s lineage, I could find some familiar names and I am grateful to even put faces to these names.

Some of the names behind Thunder:

Troy Boy (Thunder's sire) - Photo taken from www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Thunder's sire - Photo taken from http://www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Thunder's Grand Dam - Photo taken from www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Thunder's Grand Dam - Photo taken from http://www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Sarah's Isabelly (Thunder's Great Grand Dam) - Photo taken from http://www.geocities.com/pitneyhollandlops/

Sarah's Isabelle (Thunder's Great Grand Dam) - Photo taken from http://www.geocities.com/pitneyhollandlops/

Naragon's Anubis (Thunder's Great Grand Sire) - Photo taken from http://www.angelfire.com/in4/naragon/

Naragon's Anubis (Thunder's Great Grand Sire) - Photo taken from http://www.angelfire.com/in4/naragon/

Thunder's Great Grand Dam - Photo taken from www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Thunder's Great Grand Dam - Photo taken from http://www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Some of the names behind Haley:

Sarah's Lewis (Haley's Great Grand Sire) 2004 ARBA Convention 1st BSB - Photo taken from http://www.geocities.com/pitneyhollandlops/

Sarah's Lewis (Haley's Great Grand Sire) 2004 ARBA Convention 1st BSB - Photo taken from http://www.geocities.com/pitneyhollandlops/

Haley's Dam - Photo taken from www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Haley's Dam - Photo taken from http://www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Haley's Great Grand Sire - Photo taken from www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Haley's Great Grand Sire - Photo taken from http://www.ivycrescenthollands.com

Looking back at all these photos and lineages, I am compelled to write this post in celebration and to take my hats off these breeders that have developed the Holland Lops we have today. We continue to thank those that has left this wonderful hobby and yet have their legacy continued by those who are working with the descendants of their rabbits. I also would also like to dedicate this post to all those still going strong in their chase for perfection for all the hard work they have done and still striving tirelessly.

A few names I would love to mention with their websites included. I know that I will definitely miss out a lot of breeders, please forgive me but here are just a few more Holland Lop “heavy weights” that I would like to mention besides from Scott Rodriguez (Ivy Crescent Hollands) & Todd Naragon (Naragon’s Holland Lops) as mentioned above and no offense intended to those not mentioned here (I will feature more breeders individually):

1) L.O.V. Bunnies Rabbitry – Ardis Hartwig & Tim Waddell

2) BunnyLand USA – Becky & Allan Ormond

3) Critter Co*op Rabbitry – Chris Zemny

4) THF Saynora – Tracy Lukeman & Jenna Buchenauer

Celebrate LIFE, Celebrate the Holland Lop!

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Definition of a Breeder

I love the way the free online dictionary Wikipedia.org describes the word Breeder.

A breeder is a person who practices the vocation of mating carefully selected specimens of the same breed to reproduce specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics.

This might be as a farmer, agriculturalist, or hobbyist, and can be practiced on a large or small scale, for food, fun, or profit.

And it further described Hobbyist as:

A person who is interested in a subject or an activity as a hobby

And it further described Hobby as:

A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit

That is exactly what I would like to be referred to maybe minus the profit part on the definition of breeder. Time and time again, I strongly believe that for me, passion outweighs profit anytime. The word profit only means cost cutting in my opinion. Cost cutting ultimately equates to suffering animals.

Profit or fun aside, let’s bring ourselves back to the subject matter. What a breeder means to me?

Not too far in the distant past, breeders are people who consciously put 2 animals of opposite gender together with the intention to produce more. That was about all what a breeder’s role is. Produce more, sell more and earn more. Today I am proud that there is an awareness sweeping across the face of the earth. People are starting to realize that beside from just producing more, they should also produce healthy and good stocks.

Not only breeders are called to produce healthy and good stocks but they now have an even more important role to play. Which is to disseminate crucial information. There are of course breeders from the dark ages still mingling around lurking to pounce on innocent preys caught unaware and off guard. They tend to play with their words and tell of the many lies to get their stock sold.

Some breeders have no qualms passing around genetically challenged stocks, sick animals which causes an outbreak at a fellow breeder’s location and the list goes on. Whatever it is, truth shall always prevail.

So you see, what I am trying to say is that, indeed a breeder is someone that puts two animals together to produce more but there are many more that meets the eye. And the point however I twist and go round the bushes with my words, a breeder remains a breeder whether they are good or bad in our own definitions and expectations.

You do not call a person who puts 2 rabbits of opposite gender together a rabbit PIMP. You call him/her a breeder. Again, not a rabbit PIMP but a BREEDER.

And by all standards, when you breed 2 rabbits of the opposite gender and these 2 rabbits are bought from someone else, the offspring will be considered of your breeding.

The reason for that is that these 2 rabbits did not open the latches to their cage doors and came together to have a jolly good time. No, the breeder will open up the doe’s cage door, pick her up gently and put her into the buck’s cage (after opening the door that is).

So you tell me, in that act of a human being opening the door and placing a female rabbit into a cage where a male rabbit is, what would this action be called?

We in the rabbit world calls it breeding rabbits. And the breeding is done by? The breeder of course! DuHHHhhhHHHhhhhhhHHHhhh…..

If you have been in the rabbit world long enough, you will hear breeders saying, “I am breeding rabbits”.

That means they are deliberately putting together 2 rabbits of their liking and in their best ability judged to be a good match. No breeder with the right frame of mind would say that they own offspring of 2 rabbits not owned by them and are bred by their rightful owner. To say that is totally utter nonsense and outrageous!

In the case of rabbit shows, if someone wins with rabbits bred from my stocks that I have sold him/her earlier. I would be proud that they did well with my stocks. But I could never and should never take credit for those rabbits that won. For it was the good judgment of the winner that he/she bred the rabbits I sold him/her that produced these winning specimens.

Basically, I cannot say that the tallest building in the world is built by me. PERIOD!

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Ouch, Counterfeit Judges Too?

HOW TO BE AN OFFICIAL JUDGE! (click here for the article)

My wife just reminded me this morning that I used to be a very aggressive blogger writing about my life experiences in general and how people are touched by my articles. I believe when we read something that we could relate to, we feel very enriching and hopeful. Most of my writings were often seen as challenges against the human conscience and principles.

The words fake and real are very closely related to good and bad. The biggest difference to set us human apart from the animal kingdom is our ability to judge between the right and the wrong. Yes, we are governed by a thing called CONSCIENCE for which without, the world would be doomed.

When I first started blogging about my rabbits, I promised myself to never again pull in the personal elements into my rabbit blog. It is quite impossible for me to do that now because this hobby runs in my blood. It has become a very personal part of my life. What is there to life if it is all about being discreet?

Piracy is one of the biggest challenges our entertainment industries is suffering at this very moment. Billions are lost through piracy. There are 2 sides of the coin in this issue. Are entertainment industries raking too much and it has became very unreasonable? I am a strong believer in equal distribution of wealth and therefore to a certain extent, calls for more affordable media products. Whatever it is, I do not deny the fact that piracy is wrong. But yet, many people are still supporting piracy through purchases. What piracy is really doing is ripping off actors, actresses, screen writers, production crews & many others their rightful “wage”.

How the heck raising rabbits move into the topic of piracy and counterfeit?

I have been following the rabbit show world for a while now and through the little understanding I have, I cannot help but to feel that the rabbit showing world is about to suffer a hard blow in what I believe to be the biggest insult it will ever experience. In fact, I feel sorry for ARBA because the biggest FARCE is about to take place.

With all due respect, I have high regards for all the people putting in the hard work and effort into making this event a successful one. But on the other hand, I just cannot help but to feel sorry for all ARBA registrars and licensed judges. I am talking about ARBA registered rabbitries and breeders doing NON-ARBA stuff! It really does feel like treason! LOL!

I do not deny the fact that life is all about having fun but at the same time I strongly hold on to the word INTEGRITY and CREDIBILITY. This is the true expression of my feelings because I was quite overwhelmed by it while I was chatting with someone who is currently working very hard to obtain an ARBA judge license.

I cannot help but to feel all the efforts one takes to be an ARBA judge will soon be proven futile and of no value. But then again, these are feelings that only people like myself would feel as not many take this rabbit fever all that seriously. But I hope people still return to their conscience to see the right from wrong.

By condoning this although it is fun, is an insult to the many people who have worked so very hard to be where they are.

I hope everyone reading this would understand the feeling and share the same sentiments as me. I am lost for words and I am sure many of you would too.

All I want to say is that, I will not deprived THUNDER, CLARK, HALEY & CARMEL of their rightful WORTH! For theirs should be a LICENSED ARBA judge no matter fun or real! No money can buy conscience & self-worth!

Good riddance to bad rubbish!

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Let’s Take It To The Polls!

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Taking Chances

Aren’t we all prey animals in this predatory world? Sometimes it really depends on the rationale behind the chances we take. Nature always have the best solutions for tough situations. Take for example the love of a doe for her kits.

Many inexperienced rabbit owners often complained that their does are not feeding their young. I have written this before and I am re-iterating it again. Rabbit does are compelled to run as far as they can in search of food and to avoid predators coming near their nest.

So what are the predators in our lives? They can manifest in the physical form. A bugglar or a rapist perhaps. Predators can also manifest in the form of diseases.

Dangers are lurking at every corner and it depends very much on how much chances and risks we are willing to take. Is it worth it to even expose oneself to the dangers eventhough it is only for a few hours?

There are certain desires in life which could be fulfiled in mere split seconds but the consequences and circumstances may last a lifetime.

When you know of the risks, would you decide to go head on?

I am sure if the benefit outweighs the disadvantages and cons, it may well worth a shot.

As for me, my family both human and furballs are just too precious for me to risk it. Therefore, the answer for now is NO!

If you have got nothing to lose, it might be a YES for you. But please remember, only bring along what is dispensible. Something that you can afford losing forever…

I pray hard and hope that this is not a gimmick that only benefit a few in the long run. It’s easy to be taken advantage of and being made into being a tool for someone else’ gain. What is in it for you?

Good luck and all the best to all of you!

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Don’t Leave Home Without A Mask This Weekend!

There will be quite a crowd at a certain place this weekend. Some of us are still contemplating whether or not to make an appearance at this place. The Influenza A (H1N1) virus has since made its debut in Malaysian shore through the many “import” cases. Someone even wrote about how our officials are reckless is allowing people to pass through the gates without proper screening in an article entitled No Wonder A (H1N1) Cases Are On The Rise. I am sure they are even allowing air passengers from high risk areas/countries to pass through without any proper screening and only to recall them when there are reported cases of infections.

Maybe that’s just because most of the people on the airplanes are foreigners and as I have mentioned how friendly Malaysians are, we rather keep a blind eye whenever we see a tall/dark/beautiful/handsome caucasian walking through our arrival halls.

I will definitely not take chances this time if I have to be there with my friends and I would like to urge everyone and everybun to do the same. Here is how we’re gonna do it….

Wear Your Masks Everybun!

Wear Your Masks Everybun!

Make sure you know where your guests are from. No offense but just as a precautionary measure, here’s the latest projection by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention:

FluView courtesy of http://www.cdc.gov

FluView courtesy of http://www.cdc.gov

And by the way, I just can’t find a nicer map with statistics compared to this one and I definitely do not mean to defame anyone or country in particular.

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A Good Decision Made

I am very happy that I made the decision to keep Seychel for my breeding program because she is in fact turning out to be quite a nice brood specimen. The only complain I have is her long ears. I proud to say that she is a shorter version of Noobie as far as the mid section is concerned. I guess she’ll be the foundation of my chocolate project.

Can't you see that I am bored of you taking my photos?

Can't you see that I am bored of you taking my photos?

Not bad huh?

Not bad huh?

If only the ears are shorter

If only the ears are shorter

Noobie: Improving 1 thing at a time I was told...

A Less Moody Me!

A Less Moody Me!

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My 5 Likables and Unlikables!

Nothing much seemed to be happening among the bunny “bloggersphere” these days and I thought of coming up with my own tagging “thing”. I call it the Likables vs the Unlikables. Those tagged must list down 5 of their most unlikable and 5 most likable things/events/happenings in their bunyard or rabbitry.

So here’s mine for starters:

Likable

1. Healthy newborn kits snuggled warmly with a nice nest (this is top priority for now)

2. 5 months old growing up handsome/pretty/cute

3. Stock up day (makes me feel complete! and the smell of fresh HAY!)

4. My bunnies going to very good homes

5. Learning something new from a fellow breeder

Unlikable

1. Bad inquiries (no proper introduction & scary/demanding inquirer)

2. Having 8 bunnies molt all at the same time

3. Bunnies falling ill

4. Waiting for does to kindle and they missed

5. Stubborn rabbits with bad toilet habits

I would like to tag the following bloggers:

furfurries.wordpress.com, thefluffies.wordpress.com, furrybutts.wordpress.com, lazzybunny.wordpress.com, scbunnay.blogspot.com, sonshinerabbitry.wordpress.com, keepsrabbitry.blogspot.com, starliterabbitry.blogspot.com, mini-lop-blog.blogspot.com, lilbitfarms.blogspot.com, mrbarrington.blogspot.com, kismetrabbitry.blogspot.com, suburbanbuns.blogspot.com, bunnychoy.wordpress.com, cocojune.blogspot.com & allbunniesgreatandsmall.com/category/blog/

HAVE FUN GUYS & GALS!

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Happy Father’s Day!

Would like to wish all BUNFATHERS a happy hoppin’ belated Father’s Day!

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Life’s Little Rantings

I am in my foulest mood today and apologize for using my little space here to vent my frustrations.

At times like these, I tend to recall craps that a certain breeder told me that I later found out to be total blasphemy and they are things that this person do herself.

This person claims that her rabbits are of top quality and quoted her standings in the sweepstakes. With all due respect, there are validity to the sweepstake points but it is somehow advantageous to people who show their rabbits in every single show.

If you’re looking for a good breeder, do lookout for those who don’t show much but still get their name on the top breeders list. Those are the legitimate show breeders.

Sweepstakes standings more often than not reveal the best of the worst. They just do not reflect the actual QUALITY standings of what the breeder produces.

Another crap that was fed to me was how adults breed rabbits and get their children to show them at the youth level. This person was using this sort of excuse to alleviate herself. What a freaking cheap shot!

I do not think ARBA judges are quacks in that sense. If the bunny is good, be it youth or open they remain as good bunnies. I don’t think a judge will pick out a BOB for the freaking sake of doing so. It is competitive at the end of the day.

I will never again believe a single word this breeder tells me and it is sad that many will not have the chance to leverage on the craps when she start opening her gap in days to come!

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