Oakland FFA Petting Zoo features farm animals and family pets

Both categories included a 9-year-old gelding paint pony named Popcorn. During an FFA Week event held in the school's arts and crafts area, she was attaching a hair tie to her freshly combed blonde mane as her children oohed and aahed at her. workshop.

Junior Kyndall Sanders said her family adopted the “rescue pony” about a year ago, and her sister, kindergartener Kaylee Kercheval, has been caring for Popcorn as a pet at home. Sanders borrowed popcorn for the petting zoo and cared for Kaylee in her straw-lined enclosure while she waited for Kaylee and her classmates to arrive.

“She's excited to take the pony to school,” Sanders said of her sister. “She's really looking forward to telling all her friends that this is her pony.”

The popcorn pen was on display by sophomore Jaycee Cleland, next to the pen for Barney, a 3-month-old Jersey calf borrowed from Sanders. Cleland said he wanted to show cows at his first-ever FFA petting zoo because he “loves cows.”

While setting up the petting zoo, Cleland said she was able to bottle-feed the calf for the first time. The FFA youth said the experience of caring for hungry calves was very tedious, but enjoyable.

“Bernie was definitely very interested in the milk. I'm drooling all over it,” Cleland said.

For the petting zoo, Cleland lent her dog Matilda to new student Madison Warner to display. Cleland has had the pit bull mix since he was three weeks old and said the dog is very social.

Warner displayed Matilda alongside senior Abby Warmon and her border collie mix, Princess. Warmon said Princess has sheepdog ancestry, but the closest thing to a sheepdog in her household is her repeated bird chasing in her garden.

A group of young students from Auckland's Lake Crest School, as well as families with children not yet school-age, pet Princess and Matilda, as well as baby chickens, rabbits, goats, sheep and pigs. I waited in line. Ms Warmon said Thursday's petting zoo was part of her final year at Oakland High School and she was happy to meet so many animals and community members there.

“This year is probably the biggest petting zoo we've had in a long time,” Warmon said.

Sophomore Cheyenne Smither said she had the option of bringing a cat, dog or chicken from home to the petting zoo, but instead chose to bring Lucky, a 2-year-old bearded dragon. . She said the lizard has a “ruthless” personality, but other animals can hiss loudly, bark and yelp at people.

“We chose Lucky because she just sits here and loves the attention,” Smither said as she watched the lizard alternate between sitting on her palm and on her shoulder. said.