NOTE: All references to Breed/s apply to ARBA-recognized breeds only! I am not able to provide any direction for unrecognized breeds such as Lionheads or Velveteen Lops! Please contact show personnel for information regarding these items!!

• Host Club refers ONLY to the club hosting the show – like Lakeland, Badger, Tri County, Fox Valley, etc.
• National Club refers ONLY to the National Breed Specialty Club – like American Fuzzy Lop Rabbit Club, Mini Lop Rabbit Club of America, etc.

• ARBA Sanctions: An ARBA sanction is issued for all shows. These are acquired only by the Host Club.
• State Sanctions: State sanctions are also applied for by the Host Club. 99.99% of all shows held in any given state are sanctioned by that state. Everyone once in a while, there is a show held in one state that is actually another state’s show! There is a show held in DeWitt, IA, for instance, that is not an Iowa show. It’s an Illinois show! Go figure, right?! I learned this after showing there and then wondering where my Iowa State RBA points went! Turns out, there wasn’t any!! Also, every once in a while, there is a show held in a state that’s actually sanctioned in 2 states. The Stateline RBA’s show, held in Rockton, IL, for instance, is sanctioned for both Wisconsin and Illinois. In 2008, Northern Exposure in Superior, WI, sanctioned their show for both Wisconsin and Minnesota. If you are a state member, you will receive points for all recognized breeds – in that state.
• National Club Sanctions: This sanction is basically the “OKAY” from the National Specialty Club, and if you are a member of the National Specialty Club, you will receive national points. This is the one that confuses the most! In many, if not all, show catalogs, you will see a listing of Sanctioned Breeds. If your breed is NOT listed, this does NOT mean you cannot show your animal/s!

When you see your breed is not sanctioned, it only means that no one has paid the National Specialty Club sanction, which is required for exhibitors to receive National Specialty Club points. Most Host Clubs will allow you to donate sanction money to sanction your breed. Sanctions are not cheap when you’re looking at 47 rabbit breeds and adding in cavies just for good measure! They really add up in the Host Club’s expenses when you’re looking at the volume. So for the most part, when the Host Club is setting up their show, they will pay the National Club sanction for “big breeds.” This is a numbers game, folks. Clubs simply cannot pay sanctions for every single rabbit / cavy breed. They’d be bankrupt! And then we wouldn’t have any more shows at all! So it’s based – in most cases – of the numbers shown in the previous year/s. Most Host Clubs will allow you to donate the sanction – and if you bring in the numbers consistently, you may find – in time – that your breed is sanctioned by the Host Club. I have American Fuzzy Lops. They’re pretty big in Wisconsin, and it’s rare that I need to arrange for the National Club sanction. But it does happen – and I’ve paid Fuzzy Sanctions in Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Iowa… I’ve never had any trouble doing so (well, once – in probably more that 25 attempts!).

I strongly encourage any members with internet / email access to sign up for the District 3 Reporter group on Yahoo. D3, as it is widely known, is an invaluable place for information. Late sanctions are posted, show information, last minute detours (Misty Hills and that darn Highway 18!). Show catalogs are also posted there. Invaluable! And as its name indicates, it is not only WI information – but also Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota… It’s a great place to get (and give!) information. And if you need any advice on how to sanction your breed, let me know. I’ve done it a million times and have gotten pretty good at it! I know the American Fuzzy Lop Club has their sanction request form on their website. I print it out, fill in the information, write the check, and put it in the mail. I can’t say if the majority of the National Clubs have their sanction request form on-line, or if they allow the exhibitor to complete the form and send it in. You’ll need to do some of your own legwork. But in my experience, it has not been a terribly complicated thing. And the more you do it, the easier it gets… I’ve joked with the Fuzzy Lop Sanction Guy that I should just give him direct access to my checking account!