The animal kingdom ruled Saturday at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.

A variety of dogs, cats, snakes, rabbits, parrots and other pets accompanied by their owners were on display during early events leading to this year’s Douglas County Fair.

Philip Foos, 15, showed his 3-foot-long corn snake while his brother, Evan Foos, 13, showed his slightly shorter but thicker ball python.

“You can just sit and watch TV, and it will stay in your lap,” Evan said of the python he’s had for two years.

The Lecompton boys, both members of the Stull Busy Beavers 4-H Club, said they liked having unusual pets.

“I think they are pretty unique,” Philip Foos said of the snakes.

It was a small but colorful spider-bellied toad belonging to Maria Dickson of the Kanwaka 4-H club that claimed the grand champion prize in the hand-pet category, which includes animals like snakes and rabbits. The reserve champion award among hand-pets went to Ashley Foos, of the Busy Beavers, and her turtle.

Crystal Duclos, who grew up in 4-H, was the judge in the hand-pet category. She not only examined the animals but also quizzed the owners about their pets.

“You find out how knowledgeable they are about the animals because you can’t really compare these animals,” Duclos said.

Cats were judged in a separate category. Chris Berg and his domestic short-haired cat, Chloe, earned the grand champion award. His brother, John Berg, and a minx took the reserve champion award. Both are with the Lone Star 4-H Club.

Chris Berg said the award was special because Chloe suffered an injury at 3 months old.

“It can’t jump on things,” he said.

In the afternoon, attention turned to dogs. Taylor Springer, 10, with the Busy Beavers, showed Abby, a black Labrador retriever. Taylor walked with her dog, giving it orders during the judging. The 3-year-old Abby still has some issues when it comes to competing in dog shows, Taylor said.

“When you are walking and you stop, she doesn’t want to sit,” Taylor said. “During the drops, she would lie there all day.”

Ten dogs, 55 cats and 14 hand-pets were in the show.