Published: July 31, 2018
1st-time exhibitor learns about the
different side of a county fair
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
TOWN OF POLK — One year ago, Slinger High
School graduate Brady Hattori brought home a rabbit from the Washington County
Fair. It wasn’t a popular decision with his father.
“I’ve always wanted a rabbit, like my whole
life,” he said. “Last year at the fair, I texted my dad that I was coming home
with a rabbit and he was like, ‘OK. Whatever.’ “He was totally OK with it until
I came home with one.”
Hattori went home with a rabbit known as a
Mini-Rex. His name is Jack and he’s about 3 1/2-4 pounds.
“They’re known for their ears and their bodies;
they’re very soft,” Hattori said.
He wanted it because “they’re cute and fun.”
One year later, showing animals for the first
time at the fair, Hattori took second place with Jack in the open mini-rex
division and broken senior buck category.
Broken represents the fur pattern, Hattori
said. Senior means the rabbit is older than 6 months. Buck is because the
rabbit is a male. A female is a doe.
And in his first year showing Jack, they almost
took first place. The difference? Jack chipped a tooth about a week before the
fair.
“I was expecting to just come in for the
experience,” Hattori said. “I did a lot of research, but I didn’t think ...
many of these people have been doing it for many, many years.”
Soon after bringing home Jack, Hattori went to
work to learn more about the bundle of fur.
“I did a lot of research and I know friends
that show rabbits,” he said. “It was a lot of preparation, maintaining them,
clipping their nails, brushing them and keep their fur soft, make sure they’re
not sick at all.”
One of the first things he learned, and maybe
most important, was the rabbit’s diet. It’s more than just carrots.
“Some rabbits need a specific diet,” Hattori
said. “It’s supposed to be 20 percent rabbit pellets, 70 percent hay and the
other 10 percent is vegetables and treats.”
The rabbit pellets are similar to vitamins for
humans.
This year has been a learning experience for
Hattori at the fair, giving him a different perspective of what goes on at the
fair and what it means to a different set of people.
“It’s been a little frightening to be honest
because I don’t know as much as they do,” he said. “I’m a very beginner at
this.”
It’s like being the new kid at school.
“When I talk to people that have been doing
this for years, they know what they’re doing, they know what to look at in
rabbits, how to pick one out.
“I just brought it home.”
His reason for picking the rabbit he did was
simple.
“I liked his color, his pattern and he was
soft,” Hattori said.
When not at the fair, Jack stays at Hattori’s
house and in a cage. Hattori potty-trained Jack, too, to where he uses a litter
box.
Hattori said Jack is a good house pet.
“We let him run around the house most of the
time,” Hattori said.
While showing was a bit intimidating, Hattori
enjoyed the experience.
“For sure; it’s been a whole new experience,”
he said.
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