Editing Cuniculture (section)

===Rise of the fancy===
The final leg of rabbit breeding&mdash;beyond meat, wool, fur, and laboratory use&mdash;was the breeding of 'fancy' animals as pets and curiosities. The term 'fancy' was originally applied to long-eared [[Lop rabbit|'lop' rabbits]], as they were the first type to be bred for exhibition.
[[File:Erminia v. Olfers-Batocki (1916).jpg|thumb|left|Cuniculture in Germany in 1916|210px]] Such rabbits were first admitted to agricultural shows in England in the 1820s, and in 1840 a club was formed for the promotion and regulation of exhibitions for "Fancy Rabbits".<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|228}} In 1918, a new group formed to promote the fur breeds, originally just the [[Beveren]] and [[Havana (rabbit)|Havana]] breeds.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

This club eventually expanded to become the [[British Rabbit Council]].<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|441–443}} Meanwhile, in the United States, clubs promoting various breeds were chartered in the 1880s, and the National Pet Stock Association was formed in 1910. This organization would become the [[American Rabbit Breeders Association]].<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|425–429}} Thousands of rabbit shows take place each year and are sanctioned in Canada, Mexico, [[Malaysia]], Indonesia and the United States by ARBA.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hreiz|first=Jay|magazine=Domestic Rabbits|title=Domestic Rabbits|publisher=American Rabbit Breeders Association|date=May–June 2012|volume=40|issue=3|pages=75}}</ref>

With the advent of national-level organizations, rabbit breeders had a framework for establishing breeds and varieties utilizing recognized standards, and breeding for rabbit exhibitions began to expand rapidly. Such organizations and associations were also established across Europe&mdash;most notably in Germany, France, and Scandinavia<ref name=Whitman/>{{rp|448}}&mdash;allowing for the recognition of local breeds (many of which shared similar characteristics across national borders) and for the preservation of stock during disruptions such as World War{{nbsp}}I and World War{{nbsp}}II.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Closely overlapping with breeding for exhibition and for fur has been the breeding of rabbits for the pet trade. While rabbits have been kept as companions for centuries, the sale of rabbits as pets began to rise in the last half of the twentieth century. This may have been, in part, because rabbits require less physical space than dogs or cats, and do not require a specialized habitat like [[goldfish]].<ref name=Templeton/>{{rp|17}} Several breeds of rabbit&mdash;such as the [[Holland Lop]], the [[Polish rabbit|Polish]], the [[Netherland Dwarf rabbit|Netherland Dwarf]], and the [[Lionhead rabbit|Lionhead]]&mdash;have been specifically bred for the pet trade. Traits common to many popular pet breeds are small size, "[[dwarf rabbit|dwarf]]" (or [[neotenic]]) features, plush or fuzzy coats, and an array of coat colors and patterns.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}