Tag Archives: Animals

Christmas Blessings!

What a year it has been!

Just like a tiny blip, Christmas is upon us once again. Hope we will all have a better 2021 and that it will be a year of recovery and healing.

Nonetheless, I hope the holiday season brings warmth, joy, and love to your home!

God bless!

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Filed under Everyday Life, Greetings

Goodbye Tiramishu

Sonshine’s Goodie Two Shoes or Michum as she is fondly known, this beautiful little Netherland Dwarf came to us directly from the USA in December 2009.

Proudly owned by our dear friends Adesh and Shahfiq, she lived an amazing 10 years filled with tons of love and care.

Today we pay tribute to this amazing little doe who outlived most of her peers.

Binky free and find the rest of the herd at Rainbow Bridge. You will have Truffles waiting for you as well as all the TLR bunnies!

Rest In Peace Michum!

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Filed under Friends Of Tru-Luv, Obituary

Shattered

Death is inevitable and unavoidable. I have written before that in keeping animals as pets, we are given the opportunity to see our pets go through their entire life cycle – from birth to death.

Throughout the years, I have known many wonderful people who have adopted my rabbits and I still receive updates from most of them.

Today, I received devastating news that Dovehill’s Faith has since passed on. She came to us in May 2011 as a rock solid doe. She has stumpy front legs and a body that every Holland Lop breeder strive to produce. Faith has produced some of the best offspring and have definitely improved the quality of my herd since her arrival here at Tru-Luv Rabbitry. One particular litter she produced two bucks and one of them was Tru-Luv’s Murdoch.

I must thank Cheri for her generosity in sharing Faith with us. Thank you Tracey and family for giving Faith an amazing home.

Binky free dearest Faith and may we meet again in that wonderful place you are at.

This was her at the show and us cheering her on!

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Filed under Obituary, Rainbow Bridge

94th ARBA Convention 2017

My first rabbit convention was back in 2011 at the 88th ARBA Convention (Indiana) and it was an experience of a lifetime. Like many firsts in life, I do not think I will ever forget the experience.

And it has not been the same since.

Why?

The friendships and relationships that I had prior, during, and after 2011 grew over the years and it makes me really happy to know that I now have a bunny family across the globe. One that loves me unconditionally – with or without rabbits.

And it is because of this wonderful bunny family that I decided to embark on this “full circle” trip to Indiana once again for the 94th ARBA Convention at Indiana. At the beginning of my journey, I told myself that this could be my last opportunity and I will cherish every moment – come what may.

After more than 30 hours, I finally arrived at my destination. It felt like coming home after a very long time.

After a well rested night, we headed out to the fairgrounds and it felt so good to be back here again.

Approximately 21,000 rabbits from 49 breeds under one roof this time around with the Lionhead and Argente Brun added to the list of recognized breeds since my first convention here.

As usual, there were many amazing animals and the finest representations of each breed.

Besides from seeing my bunny friends from all over the USA, I made new friends and added new members to my bunny family.

The highlight for me personally was meeting the lagendary Kay Miller for the first time. If you have been following my blog, Kay was the generous soul who had been monumental in getting my herd started. Without knowing who I was, she had sent me a top lop in Carmel and my all time favorite herd buck, Clark. To finally meet Kay was truly a dream come true for me. I finally had the opportunity to thank her in person.

 

I truly enjoyed myself throughout the convention which was held from 1st until 5th October 2017. It was nothing short of Friendship, Fellowship, Fun, and Food.

I realized that because I was a new visitor back in 2011, my focus was on rabbits alone. But this time around, it was a lot of fun hanging out with the bunny family. I felt so blessed knowing that not many will have the same opportunities and the experiences that I had.

The feeling ia truly priceless and indescribable.

Only time will tell what the future holds for me and all I have to do between now and then is BELIEVE…

 

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Filed under Rabbit Show, Rabbits Around The World

Dream BIG!

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by | September 17, 2017 · 7:44 pm

Every End Has A New Beginning

I guess, this is goodbye…

Just a few months shy of raising Holland Lops for a decade, we lost our last rabbit today. Reflecting and reminiscing the past 9 years, I cannot help but to realized how much these rabbits has helped me grew as a person. Many Holland Lop breeders came and gone but ultimately, not everyone will have the same experiences. I can only say that my experiences were very fulfilling and to a certain extent soulful. If you are aspired to be a Holland Lop breeder, you should always be yourself and enjoy the journey by defining it your way. All the past rabbits that graced Tru-Luv Rabbitry make up a bridge that paved the way to many amazing and wonderful friendships. They are the reason why I have an awesome bunny family consisting the many greats and champs of the hobby. Though a rabbit passes on, a family stays together forever.

It is almost a 10 years journey and through all the ups and downs, they were right there with and for me. They have given me so much joy and at the same time heartbreaks. How can you ever let go of such a strong bond?

Life isn’t perfect but these rabbits have been my pillars of strength and focal point in life throughout the “turbulence”. As each one of them left and passed on, it is as though life is telling me that I am leveling up in this game of life and moving up in the ladder of life. The last one seemed to mark my “graduation” in this life’s course and closes the chapter of this thick book 10 years in the making.

Truth be told, no one will ever know what these rabbits and people have done that changed my life for the better.

As such, I just want to take a moment to remember Tru-Luv’s Murdoch – the true symbol and legacy of Tru-Luv Rabbitry.

He was born together with Clarkie on the early morning of 17th December 2011. He was initially named Luv and since they were born during the Christmas season, they became the poster kits for the 2011 holiday season.

Hope and Luv

Hope and Luv

Hope & Luv the theme for the season!

Hope & Luv the theme for the season!

SnoreeeEEeEEeeeee

SnoreeeEEeEEeeeee

Sheer Happiness!

Sheer Happiness!

As Murdoch grew, there was something very special about him and he reminded me of Miller’s Clark.

How can you not want to HOARD over such cute faces?

How can you not want to HOARD over such cute faces?

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The older he grew, the more handsome he became….

murdoch

Murdoch is another special one. He won 1st BJB in one of the recent shows and I hope he continues to produce beautiful babies for me. Third generation produced here.

Murdoch is another special one. He won 1st BJB in one of the recent shows and I hope he continues to produce beautiful babies for me. Third generation produced here.

You can never disappoint that cute little face!

Celebrating his 1st birthday and 2nd Christmas with us.

Murdoch

Murdoch - The Gentlebun

Murdoch

El Hombre Guapo

El Hombre Guapo

A recent photo of Murdoch enjoying his salad.

Chomp Chomp Chomp...

Chomp Chomp Chomp…

I came home yesterday evening to find Murdoch lying in the most awkward position. He had his back legs spread out like a puppy. I can see that he was excited to see me and then I realized that only his head was moving. I took a closer look and that was when my heart sank – Murdoch, my baby boy has lost mobility and senses of all his limbs. I still do not know what had happened in our absence but it seemed to me that he might have broken his back. It was also clear that he was in pain because I could see the fur around his eyes wet. I then placed him in a comfortable position so that I can try feeding him. As I offered him some greens, he chewed with so much enthusiasm as though telling me that he was alright. I sat down next to him and spent some quiet moments with him. I said a little prayer for him and he was gone…

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I try not to think too much about his passing but the thoughts of him waiting for me to get home before breathing his last is heart breaking.

The fondest and most endearing moment with Murdoch was during the Natural Pet Success Story video shoot (Thank you Stanley Saw for this wonderful experience). Murdoch is seen on camera in his best behavior and sitting very still on my lap. In fact, that is Murdoch and he behaves very well all the time.

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Like the many great Tru-Luv bunnies of the past, we laid Murdoch to rest on a rainy Tuesday morning. I believe that death is not the end but it paves the way to a new beginning. We planted a little tree above where he was laid to rest as a symbol that he will continue to nourish this plant. His death is not in vain but will sustain this plant. And in turn, the plant will sustain other life forms through its purpose in the ecosystem at large.

Indeed, the definition of a full circle – from cradle to grave…

I LOVE YOU BUDDY, SEE YOU ON THE FLIP SIDE!

BINKY FREE…

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Filed under Bucks, Obituary

Don’t Fuss

Howdy! How are ya’ll doing?

It really has been a long long time since I last posted something worth reading on here. I guess life’s been quite hectic for the past couple of years and it still is. But today, something made me think about what I used to enjoy doing over the weekends. Taking photos of my bunnies, of course! And that’s exactly what I did for the past couple of hours. I kind of miss bunny blogging as it turned out.

While taking photos of my bunnies, I thought about what caused most of the problems I had in the rabbitry. One of the reasons we pet owners and breeders tend to overlook is fussing over the rabbits.

I must admit, through the years fussing over the rabbits have caused more harm than good. I am not sure why but perhaps for two reasons. One, when we fuss over a certain rabbit too much, we tend to take notice of the tiniest of details. So much so, we become paranoid and in turn, causes stress on us as well as the poor rabbit. Two, I have reasons to believe that some bunnies are attention whores and tend to get way too manipulative. In fact, we trained them that way – fussing over them and each time they act up, we give them all the attention just like a wailing baby. Doing that often sort of makes it habitual and the bad cycle repeats itself.

In all honesty, my longest living rabbit is one I fuss over the least.

Hope ya’ll having a good weekend!

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Filed under Bucks, Everyday Life, Photos, Random Topics, Thoughts

Revisit #2

Haley 2010

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by | December 11, 2015 · 6:02 pm

Revisit #1

Moving forward, I will be posting handpicked photos from the past 8 years. Over the years I have amassed approximately 18,000 photos of the rabbits – some of which did not make it onto this blog previously. I feel that it is a good time to revisit the collection and share these beautiful photos.

Welcome to the first edition of Tru-Luv Revisit.

Holly Hope 2010

Holly Hope (2010)

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Filed under Throwback/Revisit

Forget World Peace, It Is Rabbit Dramaville!

In light of the multiple terrorist attacks around the world, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by these heinous and outrageous crimes. Though quite impossible, I hope that those responsible for these horrendous acts come to their senses. It really does not make sense and cowardice to take the lives of innocent civilians.

That said, hatred does not only exist in the hearts and minds of terrorists. It exists in all facets of life be it at work, in social groups, or in hobbies such as the rabbit raising hobby. In almost 9 years of working with the Holland Lop, I have experienced and had to deal with the best and worst of human behaviors. It can be especially intense when competition is involved. If drama don’t happen to you, it could well be someone that you know. It happens so often, you can almost say “same shit, different day”.

With so much happening throughout the internet, on can safely say that “you should not believe everything you read on the internet”. In recent years, I have seen how the internet especially the social medias can be misused and abused. Information flow too fast and false news can be circulated within seconds. Nowadays, it is a norm for me to verify and filter through news before sharing them with my peers. A recent example was the kidnap case whereby certain social media users claimed that the child has been found even though he was not. Such updates can pose great danger to the child if the effort to locate him ceases half-way.

What I am trying say is that, with social medias, information can be circulated too fast and can reach extremely huge audiences – accurate or otherwise. It really can be a two edged sword – used to the advantage or disadvantage of an establishment. Consumers today have the power to make or break a business. The reputation of an establishment can easily be tarnished with a nasty review by a customer.

In terms of the rabbit hobby, there are no exceptions.

“The breeder sold me a rabbit with bad teeth”, “The rabbit died and the breeder refused replacement”, and the list of complains goes on.

First of all, I must mention that for me personally, selling rabbit is not something I like doing. The reason being, people in general tend to forget that we are dealing with a series of VARIABLES and we know that VARIABLES may change for whatever reason. More so for a variable call LIFE.

A living thing can be the most unpredictable of all the variables in life and one that no human have control over. Even as humans, we ourselves have no control over our condition. The best we can do to minimize the possibility of being ill is through prevention – vaccination and supplements.

Now, if you purchase a rabbit from a breeder and when the rabbit dies in your care, the breeder should not be blamed. I would like to think that no breeder is going to put his/her reputation on the line (and with benefit of doubt) by selling you a sick rabbit. In this case, no one should be blamed because we are really dealing with a variable here. But, do know that a compassionate breeder can offer a replacement and that really depends on the breeder’s part. The buyer should not expect it but can politely suggest or ask. As a buyer, we have up to the point of being presented the purchased rabbit to reject or reverse the transaction if there are discrepancies or the rabbit seemed to not be in satisfactory condition. Make sure you read the breeder’s sales policy and only proceed to deal with him or her if you agree with the policy.

As of late, buyers have resorted to using social media platform to raise their grievances. Again, it can be a two edged sword but the proper procedure is to approach the said breeder (directly) first to work things out if the argument is valid – the rabbit has been swapped and etc. A rabbit that came home and died is normally not a valid argument for the same reason mentioned above.

Raising the issue and attempt to tarnish the reputation of the breeder on social media should be left as the last resort only if the dispute was not dealt with professionally, politely, and in good faith.

Bear in mind that other reputable breeders are also observing such social media platforms and may refuse your inquiries in future if they find you being a nasty buyer.

Social media – the two edges sword….

Welcome to the Rabbit Dramaville!

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Filed under Bunny Business, Thoughts