| In 1993 I was working at the NCSU Veterinary College where I met
a co-worker named Rachel Mason. Rachel was from California but was
living with relatives trying to get into vet school. She had been
involved with 4-H and showing rabbits back home and at the 1994 NC State
Fair she showed her Seal Mini Rex that she had brought with her from CA.
I had been attending the fair since 1977 showing cattle and had also
shown pigs, sheep, and dogs, but had never known about showing rabbits
until going with Rachel that year. After the fair I asked her when she
was going to start raising some and she said she didn’t have anywhere to
keep any does, my response was I’ll keep them.
In November Rachel’s mother came out for Thanksgiving and brought us 2
seal does to get us started. We then went to the Coastal Plains RBA show
in Zebulon held that December, which was my first ever rabbit show, and
purchased my first Mini Rex, a Blue doe. I was lucky having Rachel as
she knew all about showing, the breeds, colors, care, etc. and she
taught me well. The next fall we went to Shelby to attend the Footnotes
Fall Festival and in the auction I bought a broken opal buck from Les
Everett. He told us that if we would come to his house he would give us
a doe to go with him. I left Les’s house with not only the opal doe, but
another pair of opals, a pair of chocolates, and a himi buck. That was
just the beginning, from there we continued to grow at one point having
over 150 Mini Rex in all varieties except Lynx. My mother told me that
Rachel once said while waiting for me to finish getting ready to leave
for a show that she thought we would have about 30 rabbits to which my
mother replied, “you don’t know Keith very well do you”. My rabbitry
name is East West Rabbitry which we came up with because I am from the
east coast and Rachel is from the west coast plus our original stock
came from both coasts. Although, Rachel is no longer my partner, she
moved back to CA with her family when she graduated from vet school, I
still have that name registered with ARBA.
I am a lifetime member of ARBA, a member of the national clubs for Mini
Rex, Havana, Rhinelander, and Standard Chinchilla, North Carolina RBA,
Piedmont Triad RF, Southern Lop Club, and a founding member of the
Southern Mini Rex Rabbit Fanciers and Sandhills Rabbit Fanciers. I have
served as President, Secretary, and Director of local and regional
clubs, President of the North Carolina RBA, and Director for the Havana
RBA. Through the years I have always tried to support the local and
regional shows and have attended 6 National Conventions. I have been
helping with rabbit educational displays at several fairs and The
Natural Science Center of Greensboro’s Bunny Day for many years and
given talks at schools and 4-H meetings. In an effort to help youth, I
helped start the Youth Division of the NCRBA, provide rabbits for Breed
ID, and have given away pairs of show quality Rhinelander’s and Polish.
I currently raise Mini Rex, Rhinelander, Havana, and Standard Chinchilla
and have raised Polish, French Lops, and Silver Martens. They say that
the average for most people to stay in rabbits is 5 years then they get
out and I have seen that happen to several breeders over the years, but
seeing how November 2009, will be my 15th anniversary in rabbits I
believe I am a lifer.
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