Dogs, cats and guinea pigs center of attention at 4-H shows
 

[August 02, 2018]  On Saturday, July 28th, a collection of local 4-H members and their pets gathered at the Logan County Fairground for the annual Dog, Cat and Guinea Pig Shows. This year the shows were small with only a hand full of dogs, three cats, and four guinea pigs being shown. The show was open to entrants from Logan, Menard, and Sangamon Counties.

The day began with the dogs and included judging for showmanship as well as handling and also dog care. There were two judges working at once, one in the show arena and another in another area doing the dog care judging.

At the end of the show blue ribbons were in good supply for all the youngsters with plaques presented to the top winners in their categories. Plaques and awards were donated by the Best Friends Animal Hospital, Timbercrest Animal Hospital and Lincoln Animal Hospital.

In the Cat Show there were four cats on the schedule, but only three were present. Show Superintendent Tina Lynn shared that kitty number four had done a “disappearing act” at home on Saturday morning and its handler had been unable to locate the kitty in time to get it to the show.

The three participating cats all earned blue ribbons with plaques presented to Katie Lynn and Clayton Skelton. The plaques were donated by the Goodman Family and presented to the winners by Debbie Goodman.

In the guinea pig show four pets were shown by two sets of siblings. The judge spent time with each of the kids talking with them about how they take care of their pet, and what they feed it. She noted the very good points about each animal, and also pointed out a couple of small issues with one that had recently been purchased from a pet store. She showed the handler the small issues with the animal’s feet and explained that it was a normal occurrence with animals from pet shops, and that it should correct itself over time with good care.

At the end of the show, all four handlers received blue ribbons. Superintendent Lynn explained that there were no plaques for the guinea pigs this year. She noted that 2017 was the first year for the guinea pigs at the show and in the first year, by rule, plaques may not be given out. She said now, in the second year, there were no sponsors who donated the plaques, so there were again none to give out. She sent out an open invitation for anyone who wished to sponsor a plaque next year to please contact the Logan County Extension Office.

Plaques or not, the kids were all fun to watch and their animals were super cute. With blue ribbons handed out all around, everyone went home a winner.

[Nila Smith]