Welcome Buns4Ever,
I'm sorry that you feel you were treated as if you were stupid. I donot feel that you are stupid - at all - as it is wise and showsmaturity on your part to ask questions before you adopt your new familymember.
We all need to remember that each of us has our own way of doing thingsand have our own reasons for chosing the venue in which we get ourrabbits. I'm glad that it was pointed out that not all pet stores orshelters are bad places to get a rabbit, but if the owner isn'tcomfortable and wishes to get a rabbit from a breeder, more power tothem. The first rabbit I had gotten died after two weeks. I had gottenit from a small, privately-owned pet store. No one on this Earthcould've made me get my second rabbit from a pet store after thatexperience. I had been researching and investigating all thepossibilities and I didn't want to take a chance again.
Unless you really know the pet store or the shelter and you know thatthey have good people working at them (like Jen) who really do careabout the animals in their care, there is a risk involved. In ashelter, you're not always sure what the rabbit's past was, how old itis, or how it was treated, and in a pet store, you're not sure if theconditions were right or the rabbit was prematurely taken away fromit's mother. I'm not saying that all shelters or pet stores are bad,but there are definitely concerns that people have about them and I dounderstand.
After I had fallen in love with my rabbit that I had gotten from abreeder and learned so much more about rabbits, I was more apt to goout and rescue the other ones that came into my life - which I did. Mylittle Punkin (my 4 year old Holland Lop when I rescued her) wasvirtually ignored by her owners. Poor little thing didn't know whattoys, treats, or hay was and would face the corner of her cage when shefirst came to my home.
She now is my most social rabbit, she will chase my other rabbit if Iyell at him and he doesn't listen, she 'checks on me' all the time whenshe's out...coming up to me at least 10x or more in 2 hours for patsand love, and looking at her beautiful face melts me in a heartbeat. Ithink your decision to get a Holland Lop is a very good one. I don'tthink you'll be disappointed.
Let us know what you decide.
-Carolyn