Dutch rabbits have been a special part of my life for over five years. I was previously raising a large herd of Mini Rexes. I purchased my first Black Dutch buck rabbit from a woman who was allergic and could not keep him anymore. I didn't know anything about the Dutch breed, except that they were cute, and this is where my herd began....

The Dutch breed originated in England in 1864, contrary to their name. Holland quickly exported many of the "unrefined" rabbits and sold them to England as meat animals. Breeders in the area then bought the rabbits and finely bred the new breed and named them "Dutch." They are actually one of the oldest breeds of rabbits!

DJ is the first Dutch that I got. Immediately, I fell in love with his markings, as well as his active, curious personality. The distinctive fancy markings on the head is a white blaze going up the front of the face in a triangular shape, running through the ears, and the head patches circling the eyes. Then over the shoulders, they have a white saddle covering a bit past the shoulder blades, making a straight line. Lastly, they have adorable half white back feet.

After a few years, my Mini-Rex herd had slowly narrowed down to my one, old, obese doe named Butterfly. That was when I bought a Black Dutch doe from a man in Massachusetts.

Jasmine, the newest addition, had an adorable personality. Because it was January when I got her, I let her stay in my room in a box. During the day she had freedom to roam in my room while I did my school work. When the weather warmed up, she got a hutch outside.

If you have any animals, you know that once you have one, you somehow end up with eight or more. That's what happened to me.

Views of a litter of Black Dutch rabbits. As you can see, not all of them are perfectly marked.

I got one doe from a woman who had tried to breed her, and had failed many times. She was frustrated and gave up trying. "What's one more?" I asked as she gave me my new Black Dutch doe. I named her Amethyst. I have had her for a little over a year, and she has given me over four litters! She has beautiful markings and throws show-quality kits. (They generally have large litters, about five to eight babies per kindling.)

When people ask me why I like the Dutch breed, the only answer is, T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Dutch have very curious, sweet personalities. They want to know everything that is going on, and don't like change in their routine. They love to dig and explore. The size of the Dutch breed is compact; they only mature to about five to six pounds.

The Dutch breed comes in many varieties. They are black, blue, chocolate, tortoise, gray, steel, yellow, and now I am breeding towards a Harlequin Dutch. I currently only have three of the varieties—Black, Yellow, and Tortoise.

When breeding Dutch, I have found that if you breed a pair of black Dutch, then sometimes—surprise—you get a Tortoise. This happens because some Black Dutch have Yellow or Tortoise in their genetics.

I have found that when I sell the kits, the buyers are attracted to the color contrast and the personalities of the Dutch breed, just as I am.

If you are considering a rabbit, and not sure what breed, give the Dutch a try! I am glad I did!