Hi, my name is Alyssa
Ghilotti and I have been involved with rabbits for about twelve
years. I have just completed my first show season in open. Boy,
is the competition tough! My
first rabbits were a netherland dwarf doe with an attitude and
a holland lop buck that belonged to my sister.
My first rabbit show experience was the
county fair where the holland buck was DQ for 'trapped teeth'
and the netherland tried to bite the judge. Of course I was devastated
and my whinny little sister didn't want rabbits anymore. As I
stood there in shock about all that was happening, someone seeing
my distress directed me to get in touch with some lady named Chris
Zemny who had "some of the best hollands in the area."
I bought a brood doe from that 'lady' Chris Zemny. As a nine year
old visiting a breeder's barn for the first time, I was in awe.
My goal became to talk my mom into letting me raise a lot of those
lovable looking bunnies. That brood doe would go on to become
the matriarch of my rabbitry. I was 'Hooked On Hollands' with
my first litter of long eared long bodied bunnies that I of course
thought were perfect. Rabbit breeding, rabbit showing, rabbit
raising became a huge focus in my life.
I have had various herd bucks over the years that have helped
my line progress. As my rabbitry evolved so did I. I became more
involved with showing, bugging my mom to drive further and more
often. I started helping at shows with clerking, ramroding, etc.
I also became active in putting on rabbit shows. I studied the
holland standard, observed the winning hollands of long time breeders
and tried to figure out what my line was lacking. I attempted
to get that nicely balanced bunny, the great bone, top line, shoulders
(still working on that one) depth, crown and head. 
Several years ago I felt that I had come as far as I could go
with the animals that I had. I needed an awesome, grand champion,
top lop herd buck. So, I went to that "lady with the best
hollands in the area." I hounded her with e-mails, I followed
her around at all the rabbit shows, I talked, I begged, I pleaded,
(basically I became an annoying pest). I listened too, I culled,
culled, culled. I stopped breeding fault to fault, accepted inbreeding
(gross) as a way to really set my line, and kept the new and got
rid of the old. Chris once asked me what my goal with hollands
was. I told her that it was to beat her on the show table but
that I couldn't do that without her help. Fortunately Chris 
finally took pity on me (or she couldn't figure out
any other way to get rid of me) and sold me an awesome herd buck
that gave my rabbitry the push it needed in the right direction.
I have fulfilled many goals. My herd has numerous grand champion
animals, BOB & BOSB wins with several different animals, rabbits
that consistently place in the top 5 under a variety of different
judges, and even BRIS and BIS wins.
My one goal of beating Chris Zemny on the show table hasn't happened
yet but one of these days............
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