The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.
Martina Navratilova
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I wanted to talk a little bit about commitment. For the most part people understand that word completely when it comes to other people. They so easily forget that it also applies to any animal you take into your home. On many days it doesn't seem like work because it becomes routine and you enjoy them. But what about when you go on Vacation? Cats are very independent creatures. They can survive days with big bowls of food and water. Dogs, for the most part, if you have a good one, and a nice neighbor, they can survive with a bowl of food and water every day. For that matter, you can usually bring them with you. But Rabbits... well they are all together a different story. If you have one rabbit you can probably find a nice friend to take care of it for a couple of days. If you have several rabbits... in stackable cages, that requires someone to come to you. Luckily once you have started this endeavor you likely have friends who can help you here and there. This is where commitment comes in. I will give our recent example of how our life has changed since owning rabbits. When we sit down to plan our vacation times, we no longer just map out our weekends. We now have to block out at least a 10 day period where does might be due. It is your responsibility to be there to put the nest boxes in and to make sure they are getting plenty of extra water. And most definitely your responsibility to see to it delivery goes okay. And even after the babies are born, it is your job to make sure they are eating well and being cared for. Along with also making sure the doe is well. For anyone thinking about just jumping in and raising rabbits I hope you take a moment to really sit down and think about the commitment that is also involved.
The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed. Martina Navratilova Before taking an interest in rabbits I had played around in the dog world a very tiny bit. I see now it was my stepping stone of learning. I was fortunate enough to meet someone who would eventually become one of my all time favorite people. She has an abundant knowledge in many things and one of them was Pedigrees. She was patient enough to go over them with me and educate me on them. So I grew to learn that someone saying their animal has a "Pedigree" meant very little for the most part. Anyone can assemble a pedigree. It takes someone with a passion for the breed and integrity to master the art of Pedigree. Now for my rant. I view a pedigree almost like a recipe. If you LOVE chocolate chip cookies and you have searched long and hard to find the best possible recipe then you will most likely want to stick with it. You may come across someone who swears by putting Jalepenos and Peanut butter and cream cheese and glitter into your recipe that you will end up with an Uber fantastic Chocolate Chip Cookie. It could possibly even be the latest trend. But deep down, common sense is telling you... stick with your recipe. Learning to read pedigrees becomes really clear with a little bit of effort. In the past I have seen a really nice looking animal and thought OOOOH! Then I looked at the pedigree and thought, EEEEEW! Another great thing about a pedigree is, it speaks volumes about the breeder. Someone who lacks in the "Art of Pedigree" usually doesn't care much about the breed in general. Here are a couple of made up Pedigree Charts I put together as an example. Now this isn't saying that perfect pedigrees don't produce some less than par outcomes on occasion. We have all followed a recipe and had a poor outcome. However by keeping with a general recipe you will have a much better predictable outcome in the long run. You may not go down in history as having the most Uber Fantastic Chocolate chip cookie but you will have respect for your efforts and a reputation that some will seek out.
Another thing I wanted to point out was a common thing I have seen in pedigrees. I will use a key term here, "Lurkers". Lurkers are people who search for the best ingredients out there. They think if they can get the best ingredients then they will have the best also, even if they don't follow the recipe. They think that if their Pedigree has the best even once or twice on there, that it makes their pedigree much more valuable. People experienced in the Art of Pedigree know this is not possible. Responsible breeders also look out for "Lurkers" and try hard to never let any of their stock into their hands. Sadly, as much as everyone loves the Chocolate Chip cookie, they are becoming harder and harder to find. However websites are popping up every day with lots of Hodge Podge cookies. Ideally breeders would put more time and thought into their breedings and use it as a learning tool. Unfortunately it has become more of a fun hobby to see how many different little cookies we can create. As a responsible breeder this will be my main reason for limiting the amount of pedigrees I ever give out and also limiting who I will ever place any of my stock with. We were lucky enough to have Nixie Bred to Ormands CJ this weekend. This should give her a due date around May 6th if all goes well.
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2016
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