Pampering Pepper at the Seneca County Fair

By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Media Relations Coordinator

All the things that make fairs fun for kids – the noise, the crowds, the excitement – are the same things that can stress the animals. Pepper, a two-year-old Broken New Zealand rabbit owned by 14-year-old Elyn Hetzel, wasn’t thrilled about being at the fair, but Hetzel eased her into it by working with Pepper in the new Small Animal Pavilion on July 23, the day before the rabbit show.

“She is tense. All rabbits are at the fair,” Hetzel said. “I brought her in here to get her used to the ring and the sounds.”

Hetzel spent the time brushing Pepper, a never-ending job, especially before a show.

“She is white, so it’s a lot of cleaning,” Hetzel said. “And she’s a drama queen. She throws a lot of ‘tude.”

This is the eighth year Hetzel has entered rabbits in the fair. She likes big animals, too, but doesn’t have room for them.

“We don’t have a big area, so rabbits are easy,” she said.