From all over the world...

It all started when Danne spent some hours in front of the computer, editing our video of Champis -the herding rabbit. When the video was finished, I wrote about it on my blog, then we linked it to the website of the Swedish Sheepdog Association. We thought it would be fun for our friends with sheepdogs to see something so strange as a herding rabbit... and we asked them a question for fun - do we really need sheepdogs...when there are rabbits?

NEVER...

...could we imagine that the movie about Champis -the Herding Rabbit would get so famous. We posted the video at friday, nearly two weeks ago and already on saturday, media started calling. The views on You Tube kept on increasing and we were amazed . What happened? Afterwards, we have talked about the expectations we had, before releasing the video. We remembered that we would have been satisfied with 1000 viewers. That was the ambitions we had...

Rebecca Crosson's amazing picture of her
Gårdsbackens Knockando, Billy

NEVER...
...could we imagine that Champis would charm the whole world. The video has reached over 2 200 000 views on less than two weeks. That means two people per second have watched it 24/7 in two weeks time! We have access to statistics on You Tube, and there we can see, though the statistics isn't up to date, that people from 200 different countries have seen Champis. On my blog, people from over 100 different countries have read what I have written. I have also found words written by me i foreign newspaper articles, where they quote me from my blog. Quite a strange feeling. Here I am, writing to you dear readers one day, and the other day I am quoted in some of the most well-known news media in the world.
Oh, how little do you know..

Our Gimmie, the mother, not so much better:))

NEVER...
...could we imagine, that the video would be such an huge success. It feels like all media of the world have wanted to tell the story of Champis - the herding rabbit. One day we got e-mails from people reading about him in newspapers in i Uruguay, Italy, India, Malaysia, Belgium, New Zealand, the next day someone wrote there was an article in the Metro News Canada, an free newspaper distributed all over Canada. The next comment on the blog was from two swedes, travelling in China. They had seen Champis on screens in the subway in Shanghai! BBC News in England, the home-country of herding sheep (with dogs, though), called and Danne was interviewed in BBC World News, and so on. Noone can imagine the chaos that we've been through at Gårdsbacken these last two weeks. Also, the news media have most often made longer articles, not just a press item. I can honestly say that we have material to a whole book :))


NEVER...
...could I imagine that Gårdsbacken blog would turn into a rabbitblog in two weeks time. But it has been two wonderful weeks and we have got so many new acquaintances. I will, from now on, return to write about our farm and our sheepdogs. It will probably be some stories about Champis in the future as well, but mainly I will write about sheepdogs and herding. Something that we have talked with a lot of people about, is that rabbits often are underestimated. They are really smart, extraordinary animals and they bring so much joy to many people. <3

You have not heard the last about Champis. I have thoughts and ideas, and the story is too amazing, not to continue telling.We have, ever since we realised how much Champis charmed the world, tried to do something good out of the story. While sharing our video with the world, we have noticed that we make some people happy. Some peoples comments and letters to us are so kind that we are moved to tears. Champis really affects people. The world probably was in need of an small cute rabbit, when there is so much evil.

-The small can stand up against the big ones.

As long as you don't realise how small you are;)
-Champis, the Big little Rabbit.

Gårdsbacken blog is written by Paula Lundberg & Dan Westman

Please contact Gårdsbacken

gardsbacken@telia.com

# +46 706597199