Kids in the barn: Three furry stories

MOSES LAKE — Amanda Fuhrman says her six-month old pet, a sheep named Fiona, gets fed twice a day, at 6 a.m. and at 6 p.m.

She forgot to add, "or when reporters show."

Fiona, the 13-year-old Fuhrman's prized possession and winner of a 4-H blue ribbon during this year's Grant County Fair, showed an impressive appetite for all things journalism, including a press pass, a notepad and a reporter's shirtsleeves.

In case you were wondering, they all survived the attack, thanks to a few stray spots of alfalfa that caught Fiona's attention instead.

"She's hungry," Fuhrman, a member of the Skyline 4-H Club said, unnecessarily.

Fuhrman should know about hungry sheep, as she has been raising them for four years at her parents' home in Moses Lake.

Every year she brings a different sheep to the fair, and every year, she sells it, and every year Fuhrman goes through a two-week "sad time" as she calls it, when she misses her sheep.

"After one or two weeks, it's time to start raising the next sheep," she said. "So you forget about it."

There are some memorable moments she will remember of Fiona after the sheep becomes a memory. Like the tug-o-war with the press pass or like the time when Fuhrman was trying to get Fiona to be still, so she jumped on and straddled her neck.

"Fiona just rode off with me down a hill," Fuhrman recalled. "It was scary."

The runaway sheep finally stopped when it got distracted by, what else, the sight of food. This time, it was a grassy field that did it.

"She probably thought 'Oh, it's time to eat,'" Fuhrman said.

Despite, or perhaps because of these memories, Fuhrman is ready to sell Fiona. At prices ranging from $1.75 to $2.50 per pound, the 136-pound Fiona represents a handsome payday for Fuhrman.

"Raising sheep is fun," she said. "The money's nice, too."

Thomas Milner has a rabbit, four-month-old Roger.

His half-sister Melissa also has a rabbit. The rabbits are best of friends. The half-siblings … well.

"We fight a lot," they both said.

Well, if the rabbits can get along, why can't the owners mimic that?

"Of course they get along," Melissa said. "The rabbits are not brother and sister."

The 12-year-old Milner stayed away from his sister's, um, hare long enough this week at the fair to take care of Roger, his first rabbit ever after two years raising dogs.

"Rabbits are easier," Milner said. "With dogs you gotta walk 'em around, while rabbits just stay in their cages."

To prove the point, Milner took Roger out of his cage. Roger, named after the movie character in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," promptly tried to take off.

Despite the setbacks, Milner vowed to raise two rabbits next year, Roger and a bunny to be named later. That is if he can keep his dad away from them.

"Dad tried to sell Roger but I said, 'no,'" Milner said.

Even if Milner manages to keep Roger away from the classifieds, he might have trouble keeping him away from Spike, his dachsund.

"Spike chews on the rabbit," Milner said. "They don't get along, either."

Next time you step on a banana peel and fall, once you're done with the mandatory oww-ing, instead of cursing yourself, the pavement or the produce industry, think that there' s a goat or two somewhere missing a snack.

Echo and Skunk are 15-year-old Blaine Zucker's pets and the brought them to this year's edition of the Grant County Fair, after a year of raising pigs.

"Goats are easier," he said. "You just have to have the land."

And the banana peels. Turns out, both Echo and Skunk just love the stuff.

Zucker said the most fun part is watching them grow. The most challenging part is dealing with their personalities. While Skunk is antisocial with people and friendly with other goats, Echo is highly dependent on his owner.

"When I show her, she leans against me, and if I move, she looks for me," said Zucker, a resident of Moses Lake.

Zucker and his duo of codependent goat and independent goat went far this year, with Echo winning "Best of Herd," and Skunk winning "Best Weathered Male," which Zucker said is the term given to castrated goats.

So next time you encounter a banana's yellow dress, think of Echo, and most of all, think of poor Skunk.

His life is sad enough already.