BiO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, July 2, 1088 A Visit With Brittany, BY JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent Brittany was tired. It was a warm afternoon, and she had been hard at work for several hours. A nap was just what Brittany needed. She stretched out in the shade, on cool, soft grass, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. Her friend, Bandit, didn’t mind. Bandit, though, was too busy exploring socks and shoestrings to even think about a nap. Princess Bandit, the Pygmy goat, gets his coat brushed at the Pet ting Zoo by his owner, Steph Glatfelter. After cuddling by visitors to the LoganviHe 4-H Club’s Petting Zoo, this Kitten settled on the tap of member Kristy Smith for a rjst. K didn’t pay any attention to Brit tany, either. She just hopped off in search of a snack, maybe a bite of sweet clover of tender grass, or her favorite, a chunk of cantaloupe. Squeaky watched Brittany settle down for her nap. Ho, hum, yawn. A nap might not be a bad idea, since the afternoon rush was slow ing down. Brittany, Bandit, Princess and Squeaky are in the 4-H program. 0 Bandit, Princess And Squeaky Well, actually, their owners are 4-H members who have found a fun way to tame their project pets and, at the same lime, share them with others. These four pets are part of the Loganville Community 4-H Club’s Petting Zoo. Several limes each year, club leaders Dave and Marcia Albright, assisted by other club leaders and parents, take members and their animals to local community events. Squeaky, the Southdown lamb, belongs to 4-H’er Mindy Albright. He was bom in March, and is just the right size to be hugged. Child ren who visit the Pelting Zoo like to pal Squeaky’s thick, curly, wool coat. When Mindy bought her project lamb, the name Squeaky had already been given to him by his first owner. When he’s not at the club’s Petting Zoo, Squeaky lives in Mindy’s grandparents’ bam, with Mindy’s other lamb, named Fred. Brittany is also a baby, only six months old. But this Holstein heif er is already taller than her owner, Tanya Thoman. Tanya is eight, and a first-year 4-H member. Before the Petting Zoo, Tanya brushes and sometimes washes Brittany. She also puts the halier on her calf and lakes her for walks. Being around lots of children at the 4-H Petting Zoo has helped make Brittany tame and gentle. Although she is the largest animal of the group, most children are not afraid of her, and like to stroke her silky head and neck. Stephanie Albright, 14, owns Princess, the coal-black rabbit Princess is not a 4-H project, but a pet only. Very gentle, she is fivc years-old and has been part of many of the club’s Pelting Zoo events. In fact. Princess is so tame that Stephanie often holds her like a baby, while the rabbit falls asleep. Sometimes, though. Princess hops around the fenced-in Zoo area until she finds a spot where she can wiggle through. Then, all the 4-H’ers have to play a game of Catch-The-Rabbit. Bandit, a Pygmy goat, belongs to4-H’cr Slcph Glalfeltcr, 15. The goat is four-years-old and has been in many Petting Zoos. Visitors to the animals ask many questions about Bandit. They want to know what kind of goat he is, how tall he is, if he will grow big ger, and what he eats. Stcph says that Bandit is the bad boy of the pels. Sometimes he playfully chases some of the other animals, especially the kittens and puppies. But he really surprises people when he butts their legs. Petting Zoo visitors usually think that being butted by this liny goat is funny. Loganville 4-H Club’s Petting Zoo visits elementary school May Day events, local festivals, and area nursing-care homes. Both the 4-H members and the animals think Pelting Zoos arc lots of fun. So do all the children who visit them, and have the chance to touch animals that they might otherwise only see in pictures. Brittany stretches out on the grass Inside the Petting Zoo fence, with owner Tanya Thoman staying close by her heifer. Kids, including owner Mindy Albright, love to hug Squeaky, her soft, wooly, Southdown project lamb. Stephanie Albright’s rabbit, Princess, loves being petted and cuddled like a baby.
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