Reese Prater, 4, had a blue ribbon pinned to the front of her jumper Saturday morning.
But she made sure people knew that it belonged to the dwarf hamster curled up in the corner of a small plastic terrarium that never left her hands.
“It wasn’t me who won it,” she said when congratulated on her award, pointing instead to the tiny ball of fur in the cage. “It was Merrick.”
Bethany Presbyterian Church and Peace Lutheran Church hosted a neighborhood pet party Saturday morning at the site of the church, 1930 Virginia Ave. More than 400 fliers were handed out to nearby residents, inviting them to bring their pets to the church for contests, a blessing and interaction with their neighbors.
Pat Tamburrino, event coordinator, said the idea for a pet party sprang from the thought that the neighborhood around the church has seen a lot of new residents and renters since the tornado on May 22, 2011.
“We’re trying to just get the neighborhood together and get to know each other,” she said.
Reese’s hamster easily won his ribbon in the pet contest for being the smallest pet. The girl’s mother, Carey Prater, of Joplin, said her daughter is doing a good job taking care of the rodent, which she’s had for about six months.
“She helps feed and water it, and she holds the hamster while I clean its cage,” she said.
Thomas Ayton, of Joplin, brought his dog, Petey, to the party after having received one of the fliers at his home. Petey, a small dog of mixed breed, spent most of his time at the church straining against his leash in an eager effort to meet the other canines.
“He’s crazy,” said Ayton, who picked him up as a stray animal more than 10 years ago. “He’s got a lot of spark. He is the best — the best dog I’ve ever had.”
Jonathan and Maricar Clementir said they also found a flier advertising the party at their nearby home and arrived with their two dogs. Bubba, a black pug wearing a green hoodie, won a ribbon for having the curliest tail, while Max, a pit bull puppy sporting a red and yellow jersey, took home the top prize of cutest pet.
As Bubba sprawled contentedly on the tile floor attached to his leash, Max roamed freely throughout the church’s Fellowship Hall, playing with the other dogs. That was, after all, partly why the Clementirs had brought him, Jonathan Clementir said.
“(We thought) it would be good for the dogs to see other dogs — a little cohesion for dogs, I guess,” he said.
Available for adoption
Also on hand Saturday were three puppies available for adoption from the Joplin Animal Adoption and Resource Center.
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