Written By Jan Sims
KOMOKA - Things were hopping at the Komoka Community Centre on October 25th, as upwards of 300 bunnies competed in a rabbit show. The annual competition was put on by the Forest City Rabbit Breeders’ Club. This year’s event featured some 70 local rabbit breeders and those from further afield. That included entrants from Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. “It gets pretty competitive,” says organizer Betty Fletcher.
During the day-long event, the rabbits were judged in a number of categories. “A champion has to fit the American Rabbit Breeders standard. There’s a book written on each breed, and each breed has to fit the standard on size,” says Fletcher. The judges look for excellence in a number of areas including the quality of the fur.
Shannon Carter made the trip to Komoka from Brant County with her rabbits, including Dundas who was competing in a category for angora rabbits. “You breed for a good body, a good coat,” says Carter. “There is a breed standard, and we try to breed rabbits as close to the standard as possible,” adds Carter.
Carter says her love of rabbits sprang from a desire to farm. She now uses the fur from her angora rabbits to spin into wool.
“A lot of the angoras take a lot of grooming, because they’re bred for their wool,” says Fletcher. One thing that unites the breeders is a love of caring for rabbits. “Rabbits can be litter trained. They can be curious, and some of the breeds can cuddly,” says Fletcher.
