Despite lower attendance, family fun abounds at 4-H pet show

Rachel Hurst, 10, a member of the Stull Busy Beavers 4-H Club, waits with her hooded rat Mikey before her judges interview at the Douglas County Fair's Pet Show. The show was held Saturday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Douglas County Fair

Fred is a spoiled snake.

He gets to slither all over his owner’s body, swim in the bathtub and swallow live mice.

The spotted albino motley corn snake belongs to Dominic Capra, of Overbrook.

Douglas County Fair

While the bulk of the Douglas County Fair activities begin July 31, there are a few pre-fair 4-H activities.The 4-H Fashion Revue will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Baker University’s campus. During the event, 4-H’ers model the clothing projects that they have made or purchased during the past year.New this year will be Jackpot Barrel Racing for 4-H’ers and others in the community. The racing begins at 7 p.m. Friday in the Community Building at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds.The 4-H Horse Show begins at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Community Building, where an Open Horse Show will begin at 9 a.m. July 29.

The 11-year-old took Fred before a judge at the 4-H pet show Saturday morning, a precursor to the Douglas County Fair, which kicks off Tuesday with a fashion show and runs through Aug. 5.

Fred constantly flicked his forked tongue at judge Kayla Kessinger. Dominic told her it was the snake’s way of smelling.

Kessinger, a Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital veterinary technician, asked Dominic where the snake originated and how he knew it was a boy.

While the 4-H’er didn’t have solid answers to her tough questions, he still had plenty to say about Fred.

Dominic said he got the snake at a pet store – but only after his sister let a pet lizard come a little too close to his last snake. The lizard snapped the snake’s neck and killed it, Dominic told the judge.

He also remembered the time Fred snapped at him for dunking his head under water.

Fred was up against 14 other unique pets in Saturday’s contest, including 14-year-old Sandina Oxford’s talking Indian redneck parakeet, Simba, and 11-year-old Anna Brown’s long-haired guinea pig, Peanut.

Only 36 4-H members took part in the show, which also featured cats and dogs. Participation is down significantly from past years, said Mary Berg, 4-H dog and cat project superintendent. In the past, there have been more than 85 animals in the show.

The pet owners, ages 7 to 18, are judged primarily on their knowledge of the animal and its condition.

While Dominic was showing off Fred, his sister was showing her Persian cat, Gizmo, to a different judge.

“He’ll never leave my lap,” said Anna Capra, who turned 10 Saturday.

Her brother Anthony Capra, 15, also participated in the family fun. He’ll be showing his farm-raised pigs during the fair.

Tamra Capra, mother of the 4-H’ers, said she enjoys all her children’s animals, though she’s not so crazy about Fred.

“He’s gotten loose about four times,” she said. “It’s never crossed my path before (Dominic) found it, so he’s lucky.”

And Dominic’s plan to buy Fred a girlfriend isn’t sitting well for Mom.

“I kind of want them to mate, so I can have more snakes,” Dominic said.