I am a Guppy.  Or should I say I WAS a Guppy.  After my experience this weekend – NO MORE!

As I have stated before here on this blog and elsewhere when it comes up in conversation, I LOVE 4-H.  I have always strived to support young people enrolled in this worthwhile Youth Development Program, but I made a BIG goof recently.  Despite my conviction that life is about choices and choices, however difficult, will ultimately serve to help us grow as individuals, I took pity on a 4-H family in our county.

Due to some scheduling snafus, the annual 4-H Super Saturday, normally scheduled for the 3rd Saturday in January, fell this year on the 4th – the same weekend as a very popular rabbit show.  Our 4-H Rabbit & Cavy kids normally make plans to attend this show and several opted to miss the Super Saturday this year in favor of the show.  One of the 4-H members who would have joined the other rabbit kids, however, had committed to giving a workshop as part of her senior project.  I should have left things alone, but I offered to take rabbits to the show for her.  DUMB!

It was only 3 rabbits, but 3 different breeds.  I and a friend spent the day making sure not only OUR rabbits (yet a 4th breed) got to the table on time, but each of these 3 rabbits to their repective tables.  We also made the effort to listen to the comments since this was a ‘no comment card’ show and collect the ribbons.  (All rabbits did rather well.)  The show was especially harried as the weather was threatening, so Shows A & B were run back to back with no break in between.

We managed to be on our way home at a decent hour and about 30 minutes away from home, I gave the family a call to give them a heads-up we were on our way.  No answer.  I arrived home and called repeatedly between 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM.  There was either no answer or a busy signal.

Sunday morning came.  I called again – no answer.  After church I called again.  Same result.  By now I started to worry that some ill might have befallen the family.  I called the 4-H Program Assistant.  Yes, they were present at Super Saturday and had left by 2:00 PM.  I knew the weather wasn’t too terribly bad at that time, so chances are they had arrived home safely.  In desperation, I decided to drive to their home.

They were there.  Mom was at work, but both girls were there as well as Dad.  I didn’t receive an explanation, a thank you, or a “How did the rabbits do?”  I was furious, but managed to be civil.  I suggested they pick up their bunnies.

So…What did I learn?  I learned that if something is truly important one needs to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision.  My offer of help was unappreciated and didn’t teach the 4-H member anything.  There is a big problem these days with young people having a sense of entitlement and I contributed to that perception.  It will not happen again.

Thus saith the FORMER Guppy. 

We all like to win.  Who doesn’t?  I personally LOVE it when I win, but I really don’t mind when I lose…as long as I lose to a qualified winner.  What do I mean by qualified?

When I refer to qualified, I mean a rabbit that has not undergone any faking to put it over the edge.  I’m not talking about plucking a single stray hair here or there (though technically, that’s faking).  I think any judge worth his or her salt is going to spot a dye job, undue plucking, foreign substances in the coat (applied the DAY of the SHOW), “Sharpie” marker on toenails, etc.  What I am talking about is the kind of cheating that puts a rabbit in the show coop that shouldn’t even be there in the first place!

I’m talking about the all too common practice of showing underweight 6/8’s and senior rabbits in junior classes.  There are some prominent breeders who have shown overweight Mini Satins as junior Satins…all for the sake of winning and gaining sweepstakes points.

I was talking about this with a good friend of mine who was lamenting the fact that she had been beaten on the show table all year by the same Broken Junior doe.  This same friend had also complained that another breeder had confided that he routinely entered overweight senior Mini Satins as junior Satins.  Does anyone out there not see a problem with this practice??  As a former 4-H Program Coordinator in Arizona, I taught workshops on ethics to 4-H members.  I’m here to tell you this sort of behavior would not fly for one millisecond.  I want to take this point a bit farther…

When you or I know this is going on and we turn our head and look the other way, we are guilty too.  We are guilty of creating an unfair, inequitable competitive atmosphere for everyone that has paid their entry fee in good faith that they will have a fair assessment of their animals.  I’m not going to play that game anymore.  I challenge all ARBA members…if you are aware of unethical practices – point it out to the show superintendent.  If you have a beautiful 6 lb. Mini Satin (or Mini Rex) in your barn – use her as a brood doe, but keep her off the show table.  If you have a typey Satin (or Rex) that can’t seem to tip the scales past 7 lbs – CULL! 

‘Nuff said.

Don’t get me wrong.  I LOVE 4-H.  Some might even say, I bleed green. But…4-H rabbit shows are a back breaker.  I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.  Why, oh why are we as judges asked to conduct conformation classes bent over like the “Hunchback of Notre Dame”.  OUCH!

Now I fully understand the format that is required for showmanship.  Afterall, the member is as much or more so under scrutiny as is the rabbit.  So, in this case, the table height is appropriate.  But when it comes to conformation classes, why must I be prepared to visit my chiropractor after a day’s judging?   We recently had a bit of a debate at a recent 4-H Leader’s meeting where a compassionate leader wanted to explore the possibility of purchasing judging coops and a table for the conformation end of the rabbit show.  The dissention that came as a result was a bit surprising, but the reasoning was even more so…

• “We have ALWAYS done it this way.” (OK…)
• “It prepares the members for showmanship.”  (Huh?  What about preparing kids for ARBA shows?)
• “Kids won’t hear judge’s comments if coops are used.”  (Darn those pesky sound-proof coops!)

4-H Showmanship and Conformation have two different purposes.  As I see it, 4-H Showmanship has 3 main objectives:

1. To give youth the opportunity to show what they have accomplished.
2. To teach and encourage the importance of courtesy, self-presentation, poise and confidence.
3. To teach youth how to train and handle animals.

Scoring, in showmanship, is based on:

1. The Club Member – Self Presentation, Confidence and Consideration…
2. The Animal – Cleanliness, Breeding/Marketability and Grooming Condition…
3. The Show – Movement of Animal, Knowledge of Species and Directional Response

In contrast, the purpose of conformation classes is to:

1. evaluate breeding stock; i.e., how the animal measures up to its breed standard (if applicable;
2. evaluate the animal’s flesh and fur condition;
3. evaluate the animal for defects – either permanent or temporary.

There is really no purpose, therefore, in a 4-H small animal show to require that members bring forth their animals in conformation classes in the same manner prescribed for showmanship.  Following are the benefits of using coops (in my humble opinion):

• Confusion and crowding is minimized.  Often, a member will have several animals in one class.  A buddy (or “Mom”) must be called upon to man each animal or the member tries to keep his or her entries corraled for evaluation by the judge.  Where I come from, learning is best conducted in an atmosphere of control, where the member can devote attention to the judge’s comments, rather than having attention diverted elsewhere. 
• Cooping makes it easier for the judge to organize his or her class for placings.
• And, last, but certainly not least…(drum roll please)  judging coops, set on a table of appropriate height, are much kinder on the judge’s back!

Remember…4-H members do showmanship ONCE. The judge is asked to judge multiple animals over a space of several hours. BE KIND TO YOUR JUDGES.  GET US SOME COOPS!  (Please???)

When I meet someone new, as a matter of course it often comes up in conversation that I raise rabbits and have done so for the last 43 years.  “Rabbits, huh?” is a common response.  Often followed by, “How in the world did you ever get into that?”

On that line, I thought I’d jot down a few of my thoughts and perhaps ask my readers, “Why do YOU raise rabbits?”

For me, working with rabbits satisfies a deep desire to work with living things.  I love animals.  I have many interests, but there is something about rabbits…

My son, Devan used to proclaim that rabbits just sat there, wiggling their noses.  Such boring creatures! He felt that way until he took over caretaker duties for me when I was having some health issues.  Surprise!  Rabbits actually do respond to their caretakers with devotion and have the capacity to grasp our hearts. Which brings up a dilemma for many…

Beyond their role as pets,  rabbits are also providers of food (human and other animals); their fur can provide the means to create useful articles and clothing.  They contribute to the development of medicines, and valuable scientific information. So…how do I reconcile caring for these delightful creatures on a daily basis – providing food, shelter, anticipating new litters, watching the playful antics of the furry kits, and then on the other hand, selling a good number to the processor or wildlife shelter where their life comes to a sudden, abrupt end?  That’s a toughy to be sure. 

I can only speak for myself, but rabbits, as a prey animal, are thus fulfilling their ultimate purpose.  It is a noble purpose and I respect it.  The American Indians had it right in my opinion.  Their careful and reverential use of animals for food – a cosmologists view where intuitive conclusions about the nature of God, the universe, man, nature and interrelationships twined imperceptibly together.  The animal was thanked for giving its life to serve man.

Animal Rights folks will heartily disagree.  That’s their privilege.  It is my privilege to continue to enjoy these wonderful creatures and my duty to care for them and respect them while they are in my care.

This week, I had the opportunity to judge the 4-H and Open rabbit and cavy classes at the Lincoln County Fair in Newport, Oregon.  This fair is what I call an “intimate event”.  It is quite small when compared to many other fairs around the country.  Most of the young people at this fair didn’t have a lot in what would be termed competitive in an ARBA show.  Quite a number of the animals were crossbred.  Nevertheless, I had a good time judging and I think the kids had a good time competing.

I’m not what you would term a “hard judge”, but having judged 4-H shows for a number of years, I’m not afraid to give Red Awards (or even White, if need be).  Though all the kids received Blues in showmanship, the majority received Red ribbons in conformation.  Not one kid cried.

The reason I say this is that over the years, I have witnessed a trend where, especially in 4-H animal shows, there is a reluctance to give out Red (and especially White) ribbons.  The rationale here seems to be that receiving less than a Blue Award is somehow damaging to the psyche of the youth.  I can only roll my eyes.

From 4-H’s conception, competition has been used as a way to teach youth agricultural and home economics skills.  As the program evolved to emphasize teaching life skills, some developmental specialists began to question whether or not competition was an appropriate tool for helping young people develop into self-directed, productive, and contributing citizens. 

I am one who firmly believes that competition is a GOOD thing, as long as it is integrally combined as a component of valuable learning experiences.  The goal of competition in 4-H should be very different from the competition in many other programs in which young people participate. All 4-H teaching/learning experiences should contribute toward achieving the goal of helping young people learn life skills so they can become self-productive and contributing citizens.  Competition should always be educational in nature.

For every Red ribbon I gave, I took the time to explain why I placed the rabbit that way.  If the rabbit was a standard breed, I opened my ARBA Standard of Perfection and explained why the animal was not consistent enough in regards to its breed standard to warrant a Blue Award.  Am I expecting a perfect rabbit?  Not by a long shot.  (There really is no such animal.)  I used my placing as a way of teaching the 4-H youth about their breed or rabbits in general.  This is the goal of competition in 4-H (or should be).

Over the years, I have seen some kids just literally crushed if they did not receive a Blue Award for their entry.  When I see a reaction like this, I automatically look toward the parent (sometimes the leader) as the source of this reaction.  Somehow, along the way, 4-H competition for some people translates into oneupmanship or the value of one child (or group over another).  I think we need to get back to basics and educate our parents and leaders on the meaning of each color of ribbon as it relates to 4-H competition…

• Blue: Excellent or very good.  This does NOT indicate perfection. The rabbit (in this case) exhibits good basic consistency with the breed standard and is in good health and condition.
• Red:  OK, but there are enough specific shortcomings found to cause the placing to drop from excellent to good.  For example, the rabbit may be overweight, underweight, have poor color, lacking type, or slightly out of condition.
• White: I may give a White Award if the rabbit has malocclusion, ear mites, is in extremely poor condition or has some other glaring fault.  White does NOT mean failure.

The goal always should be to teach the 4-H member how to improve in their project.  I think we need to continually remind ourselves and teach our young people that when they enter into a 4-H (or any other) competition, instead of placing the emphasis on winning, they should desire to seek, and be ready to accept honest criticism of their work, in order to acknowledge and correct errors, and ultimately grow within that project.

Being a winner is all about perspective…did you learn something?  Did you have a good time?  Can you say you did the best you could?  If a young person walks away feeling good about themselves, what they have accomplished, and what they have learned, they are winners.  I hope we can all keep that in mind.

I haven’t posted in a while, but thinking about the upcoming National Satin Show  in Monterey, CA, my mind traveled to the last National I attended – the Mini Rex National in Ontario, CA (2003)…

My husband and I traveled to Ontario from AZ, excitedly anticipating a great show and banquet.  The theme was tropical and I had “just the outfit”.  My mother offered a pair of gold “slippers” that would perfectly set off my ensemble.  She had kept them stored in her closet for an unknown period of time and pulled them out to show me.  I was set!

The show and banquet was held in the Ontario Hilton.  Before the banquet, we decided to check on and feed our rabbits.  Returning from the show area to the banquet room, I noticed that someone had left a trail of “shavings” that meandered like a trail of bread crumbs through the carpeted hall.  “How uncool!”, I thought.  We arrived at the banquet and seated ourselves with some friends from Utah.

Like most fancy fare, the food was sparse, but the festivities were great!  We were having a glorious time, when my husband asked me, “What’s that down by your feet?”

To my horror, varying size chunks of what resembled pound cake, littered the floor around my feet.  My mother’s “golden slippers” were disintegrating!  I hurriedly slid the “evidence” under the table like a guilty child.  Of course my husband whipped out the video cam to immortalize the moment.  I spent the remainder of the evening praying that no one would signal me to come over.  (Thank God they didn’t.)

As the banquet concluded, I anxiously awaited the other guests to take their leave.  When the coast seemed clear, I bolted as gracefully as possible for the exit.  Outside it was raining.  I might as well been romping through an acid pit.  I was essentially barefoot when we got to the car.  Our coach didn’t turn into a pumpkin (though I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had.)

In retrospect, the whole event was pretty funny, but I have bought all NEW duds for NASS – JUST in CASE…

It’s funny, sometimes, the lengths we rabbit raisers will go to in order to buy or sell or trade our furry, long-eared commodities.  I had to laugh at myself this Sunday.  I was selling four rabbits to a very nice lady in Michigan.  As it turned out, her mother was purchasing some Thriantas from a gal in CA who offered to make them all one shipment.  Could I meet her on I-5 enroute from Montana on her way back to California?  Sure…Why not?  I was to await her call when she was just outside Olympia, WA and meet her at the “drop spot” in Kelso, WA.

I awaited the call.  In the meantime, I loaded, not only these four rabbits, but eighteen more I would be delivering to a “buyer” in Clatskanie, OR.  My phone rang.  I jumped in anticipation.  It was my “connection”.  Time to go.

I carefully proceeded on my 45 mile route with my precious cargo.  I at last pulled into the parking lot of an AmPm gas station/mini mart.  My timing was nearly perfect.  My “contact” signaled for me to park, and after some small talk, we made the “exchange”.  Before I left, another “customer” arrived – this time a buyer.  After exchanging a few pleasantries, I gassed up and headed to Clatskanie to make my other “connection”.

Popeye Doyle…Watch out!

This was not a big problem for me in the past, but of late, I noticed the arrival of a rat in my rabbit barn.  A fat, sassy, sleek rat.  Bold too.  I’m sure his superlative physical condition was due to the excess feed spilled by the rabbits.  So…he’s keeping things neat.  Not a bad thing…but he began to covet the plump, pink newborns.

He didn’t get to them…directly, but nevertheless, a litter was lost.  The doe was the actual killer.  In her stress and confusion at the appearance of the rat, she jumped in the nest and stomped her kits to death.  My son said, “Blame the doe – not the rat.”

I blame the rat…and myself.  In the wild, the doe would have tried to lead the rat away or would have stood guard outside her burrow – stamping her feet in defiance.  We keep our rabbits in cages.  We do the best we can, but it doesn’t replicate natural conditions exactly.  Often kits are stomped as the doe leaps into the box in a protective mode and instinctively stamps her hindfeet.  The rat had to go.

I made a trip to the local feed store and bought a poison-laced treat for the intruder who seemed to have claimed “squatter’s rights”.  The bait remained untouched and the tell-tale droppings continued.  My worry level increased.  I have four does due to kindle in five days.  I had to get more aggressive.

Back to the feed store I went.  I purchased a rat trap.  Very deadly.  The rat’s last supper would be a bit of juicy rib eye steak.  Irrisistible.  Yes indeed. 

With some degree of trepidation I set the trap.  I cringed to think what that spring-loaded metal bar would do to my fingers if I wasn’t careful.  I placed my “offering” where I had noticed the most “activity”, and retired for the night.

This morning – SUCCESS!  My victim lay silent.  Though I’m sure his death had occurred several hours prior, his beady eyes, though lifeless, still carried that glint that I would see when my flashlight beam had played over him on previous evenings.  Was I sorry…a little.  He was a healthy specimen.  I just could not allow the sacrifice of any more newborn rabbit lives.  I hope, if he has relatives nearby, they take the hint.

I was approached by a 4-H mom the other day in our local grocery store.  A show that was normally held the end of this month had been cancelled, which was a HUGE disappointment to me, as the next available show won’t be until March.  Consequently, I have some very nice does that won’t get shown as it is my practice to breed them as soon as they “come of age”.  (Rather have litters than ribbons.)

Anyway…there is a show scheduled on the same weekend – Youth Only Show.  This 4-H mom wanted to see if I would lend her daughter one or more of my rabbits for her to show.  She didn’t see a problem with it.  I do.

False ownership is illegal.  Period.  The 4-H mom assured me this is “done all the time.”  I’m sure it is.  Probably no one would ever know.  But I would.

I’ve never understood that winning can be so important that one would resort to this sort of thing.  If this girl wants a nice Mini Satin to show, I will sell her one.  I might even give her a bred doe so that she can raise up a nice litter and show her very own rabbits.  Raising and showing rabbits you have bred and raised up yourself is light years more satisfying in my opinion than getting a BOB or BIS from a rabbit you purchased (or one that was “lent” to you).

Nuff said.

Hi All…

2007…A new year.  This certainly has GOT to be a better year than 2006.  Lucky number 7?  oo7???

2006, for me anyway, was the year from Hell.  I had 2 nieces undergo brain surgery, my mother became very ill and I flew down twice to be with her.  She passed away on March 5 and less than 24 hours later, my husband Dennis (back home in Astoria), followed her.  So, I buried my mother then flew home to bury my husband.  Two weeks later, my position with Extension ended.  Lost my mom, my husband, and my job all in one month.

But life is about perserverence.  And this blog is about rabbits.  So let’s move on…

Rabbits have been a part of my life for over 42 years.  What is it about these furry creatures that is so compelling?  For me, I am facinated by the genetics end of it.  Rabbits have such a quick turn-over genetically speaking.  With judicious breeding you can realize rapid improvement in type, fur, whatever trait you are most concerned with.

At this time, my focus is on Mini Satins.  It is a new beginning for both of us – my rabbits and I.  I can foresee the Mini Satin breed ever rising in popularity…just like Mini Rex.  I am so pleased that the American Satin Rabbit Breeders Association chose to include Mini Satins within their organization.  Smart move.  The Rex breeders didn’t see it that way and consequently have been eclipsed by the mushrooming organization – the National Mini Rex Rabbit Club.

After all these years, I still am excited when a new litter arrives.  I have one due tomorrow.  Black Mini Satin.  Though Whites are currently the only accepted “flavor”, I look forward to the day when the other colors become “legal”.  Right now, I am working on Blacks, Reds, and Coppers.  I’m chomping at the bit for a color variety to become accepted, for that will open the way for Brokens – my favorite variety.

I applaud all those who have undertaken the gargantuan task of developing new Mini Satin varieties.  This is not something for the faint-hearted or those who lack undaunted dedication.  If I had more space and more financial resources, I would definitely consider tackling the challenge.  Thank you for all who have thrown their hat into the ring!  Now…WHO IS GOING TO PULL A CERTIFICATE ON BLUES?