I thought I ought to use this page to tell you something about my imported buck Diablo. At Bradford 2003 there was an Agouti Buck in Lew Bevans Auction. I desperately wanted him, he had a beautiful coat and it is the coat that am really trying to work on with my Germans. When Lew predicted him to be a 3 figure rabbit I was tempted to bid on him - even though I couldn't afford it. Then Mum spotted the note on the pen 'Bred by Diny Vrolijks'. Diny was a woman I had stayed with in Holland when I went out their with my friends Linda Howard and Merv Dodd in 1999. Mum suggested I contact Diny direct, which I dutifully did. Diny was delighted to hear from me - even four years on! She told me that she had an Agouti Buck I could have. I arranged for Derek Medlock to bring it back for me on one of his regular trips to Holland.
When Diablo arrived in England I was ecstatic, he had a beautiful coat and superb colour - just what I needed. Diablo was bought unseen at the age of 10 months. He had a good head but was lacking in shoulders. I wasn't concerned as I had bought him for stud and hadn't expected to show him. I did take him to a few shows but didn't do that well with him. I began to feed him up and he went into an awful moult. Diablo emerged from his moult a completely different rabbit (as young rabbits have a habit of doing!) We couldn't believe the type on this rabbit and that is when he began regulary winning, especially December 2003 when he began his BiS streak!
All this aside I had not forgotten the reason I had imported Diablo, for stud. Diablo was mated to my best doe, and produced a nice litter. I kept back an Agouti Buck and an Agouti Doe. The Agouti Buck (Clyde of Kanichen) has had a BiS of his own and was 3rd in the Bradford Agouti Class. Clyde is currently going through a horrendous moult, just as his father did, and I am hoping to have similar successes with him later this year. The Agouti Doe stayed here long enough to have one litter, until she was moved on to a new home due to lack of space.
I feel now would be a good time to thank Diny for giving me this beautiful rabbit. Thank you Diny! |
