Carolyn wrote:
Theforum remains to be open to All rabbit fanciers: breeders and petowners. The reason why this forum works so well is that wevalue, respect, and are opento each other's viewpoints andexperiences. I feel it's bestnot to swayone way or the other. It's all aboutlearning as much as we can aboutrabbits....
-Carolyn
I, for one, would sorely miss breeders, the likes of Mrs. Nock, who areso knowledgeable and have given so much of their time and effort intoproducing the furry little buggers we so dearlylove.
All buns are cute, but some are beautiful, and all of that is due tothe efforts of tireless breeding upon the part of countless individualsover time immemorable. I take knowledge wherever Ifind it and I'm more apt to find it withbreeders, whohave bred their stock over many years ofexperience. They also have had to come up with efficient,nominal cost treatment for their charges because of the sheer volume ofnumbers they tend to work with.
As a pet owner, I've had about ten years experience with just about tenrabbits. While that experience is valid, and could/should beappreciated by some, it does pale when compared to a modest breeder ofrabbits who may have had as many as five hundred or more rabbits in thesame time frame. When you couple experience, with a naturalcuriosity, and an agile mind, committed to excellence, you end up witha winning combination that can provide you with a plethora of valuableinformation. I whole-heartedly encouragethe breeders like Mrs. Nock to visit this forum and sharetheir expertise with us.
The problem with forums that are totally devoted to pets only, in myestimation, is they lack the learning curve that breeders bring to agroup, and can deteriorate into a cutesy-cutesy, my "bunny-wunny wovesme" mutual admiration society in which very little learning goes on.
Some animal rights activist forums get so shrill and subjective abouttheir own political agendas, that they just become tiresometo read over and over again. Rabbits Only MagazineForum has had a relatively nice blend of most rabbit factions andexhibits a willingness to listen to anyone's viewpoint, if they arecivil about presenting it. I like a group that will hear outwhat someone has to say and is not close minded. Any group,espousing any forum, that says it has the only way to view a particulartopic, makes me very suspicious of its intentions.
If we are the "family" we suspect we are, we should have thewherewithal to permit all rabbit fanciers to share with each other andnot get undulyupset when some one's perspectives do notdovetail exactly with our own.
I rather enjoy myself here, with all you folks!
Buck
