Saturday morning was time for health checks for hundreds of rabbits competing in the rabbit judging contest at the Westmoreland Fair in Mount Pleasant Township.
“I look at the horses holistically to make sure they're healthy enough to show at the fair,” said Unity's Marianne Miller, a veterinary technician at Greensburg Veterinary Clinic.
Miller placed the rabbit on the table and checked its eyes and paws, gently holding it down while he gave it a quick examination.
“The stress of attending the fair itself can cause problems,” Miller said.
Miller was checking out 10 rabbits that Lee Lenhart of New Florence's children, Gabriel, 12, and Grace, 8, are entering into the fair.
The Lenharts, 4-H club members, were exhibiting Himalayan rabbits that they keep in a temperature-controlled basement, and Lee said the rabbit population has grown to 21, up from one in 2018.
Jen Lucas of Fairfield, who volunteers with the rabbit judging contest, said the Himalayan rabbit is one of 52 rabbit breeds and is the original furry breed that originated in Nepal, home to Mount Everest in the Himalayan mountain range. The rabbits are judged on a variety of characteristics, including their paws, body patterns and egg-shaped noses, Lucas said.
If you're walking through a rabbit hutch and think that 300 cute, four-legged, furry creatures is an awful lot, try going to a big rabbit show with a group of young rabbit breeders from Westmoreland County.
“The national show (American Rabbit Breeders Association) in Louisville, Kentucky, is a big show with 25,000 rabbits,” said Lucas, who was recording the names of contestants in the fair's rabbit judging contest.
Joe Napsha is a Triblive reporter covering the Irwin, North Huntingdon and Norwin school districts. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked for Triblive since the early 1980s. He can be reached at [email protected].
