Years later we moved just outside of Kamloops BC, on a half-acre lot. Thanks to the sheds already on the property, I did not remain rabbitless long! I quickly acquired a mixed-breed black buck who'd been running loose a few blocks away. After determining that the previous owners did not want him anymore, I kept him and named him Smokey. I soon discovered that Smokey's previous owners had also let loose an English Spot doe they'd no longer wanted, so I set out to catch her as well. With the help of my dad, I was able to catch Nina and bring her home.
Next came a broken orange (ticked) purebred French Lop doe, Fraulein, from a breeder a few blocks away, as well as Mocha, a mixed-breed tort buck. Then came Thomas, a pointed dwarf cross buck I convinced my dad to buy me at a Petland store. Next there was Clover, a chestnut netherland dwarf doe given to me by a friend who was moving, and Dusty, a broken broken chestnut mini lop doe acquired from a friend who no longer had time for her. Pretty soon I had a barn completely full of rabbits!
I found my first mini rex at a show I had attended with my horse. An open rabbit show was taking place at the same time, and I was quickly taken by the mini rex's beautiful velvet coat. I had quickly targeted a broken castor mini rex doe and set to convincing my mom to let me bring the doe home. She finally relented and I took Jewel home that weekend. I few weeks later, Jewel was sick with muccoid enteritis. With lots of prayer (and plantain!), she was soon better (miraculously!).
That year we decided to move closer to town, and I was allowed to take only one rabbit. It was hard to leave everyone behind, but I found good homes for all and decided to bring Jewel with me. The next year I took her along to all the shows and showed her in both 4H and open shows - she won them all, taking home numourous prizes and even cleaning out some of the shows and winning BIS!! I attended the same show at which I had originally purchased Jewel, and found a beautiful red mini rex buck with good bloodlines to compliment her, MG's Red Fox Gladiator. That winter I bred Jewel to Gladiator, but her first litter was stillborn and scattered throughout the cage. I decided to try once more before giving up. This time the I lost Jewel with her litter. I was devastated.
It wasn't too long, however, before I decided to get two more mini rex does to try breeding to my buck. I bought two harlequins, Colourburst's Harriot and Hidden Acres Lizzy (bred to MG's Fortune). Harriot, a very skittish doe, lost her litters. Lizzy however, raised four beautiful little kids, two reds (buck & doe) and two harlequins (buck & doe). By the time the little guys left, they could have won te "friendiest bunny" contest!
I next decided to get into breeding tris - I sold Harriot and bought MG's MG61, a beautiful tri doe. I did not get the chance to breed a litter though, as we soon moved once more, this time to Airdrie, Alberta. I was extremely upset to have to sell my rabbits again, especially Gladiator, but we could not take any rabbits with us.
