Small Animal Expo 2010

Yesterday was a miserably cold and dismal day . . . weather-wise, that is. Other than that it was another adventure in the life of KL and her 4-H chapter because it was the annual Small Animal Expo at the Madera County Fairgrounds. The four of us (Jen, KL, Ken and I) hopped in the truck and were there by noonish and didn't leave until nearly five in the afternoon. The event was held in a covered outside arena so it was pretty darn cold all day, but the excitement of the show warmed our hearts, seeing the kids try their hardest to earn a medal for their hats. There were three categories of animals being shown: rabbits, chickens, and dogs. KL and "Elwood" performed in front of the judges as she was being tested for her knowledge of rabbits in Level 1 (of four levels).

Patiently waiting for the judges to come, KL and Elwood snuggle to keep warm—see Elwood peaking out of her jacket?

KL has such confidence in her knowledge of rabbits, she was relaxed and well poised and seemed perfectly comfortable talking with the judge. There are proper procedures to follow when being judged. Here she is standing in front of the judge holding the rabbit facing her body with her left hand under the rump and her right hand on the rabbit's back.

Checking eyes . . .

Gender identification . . .

Checking the legs and nails, and then the hocks checking for thin fur padding and bare spots as well as sore hocks.

Checking the chest and tummy for abcesses.

Checking for ear mites . . .

A test on breed identification . . .

When the day was over KL received her medal and a handshake!

A new medal for her hat.

Since none of us had anything for lunch, we were famished! Jen treated us to dinner at Burrito King in Madera.

We started with a margarita and this yummy bean/chorizo dip and chips . . .

A toast to the fun day and to KL and Elwood doing well at the Small Animal Expo.

Life is good!