In attendance will be gerbil breeders and enthusiasts. And, just like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, this one will have judges to assess the rodents for the shade of their fur and their temperament. (Snarky gerbils need not attend.)
The event will also feature pet classes and include competitions for things like toilet paper roll chewing and ball races. And what event would be complete without a photo booth?
This story took me back to my own childhood. We were not permitted to have a dog or a cat. My mom figured (rightly so, I'm sure) that the responsibility for caring for a larger animal would fall to her. "I already have six children, that's enough," she would say.
So, we had to scout about for smaller critters. My brothers led the charge with birds, a snake, and a frog. My sister had turtles.
Then we landed on gerbils. We had a number of the cute, furry critters over the years. They lived in an aquarium, which we quickly learned required a caged top (they're great little jumpers). They were relatively clean, so their cage didn't require frequent changing. Entertaining and lively, they were the perfect pet.
(Except for that time when one escaped when we were out of town and chewed a hole in the mattress.)
At that time, not everyone was familiar with gerbils. They were brought here from northern China in 1954 to use as lab animals. But the researchers fell in love with them and started taking them home as pets. And the rest, as the cliché goes, is history.
Sadly, gerbils don't spend a long time with us. The average life span is 3-3 1/2 years. But they sure carpe diem the heck out of their lives while they last.
On a somewhat related note, for those of you who are snickering about "gerbiling," NO, Richard Gere did not, and there have NEVER been any proven instances of a hospital visit by ANYONE who had to have a rodent removed from their rectum.
As always, I'm happy to be your source for both news and accurate information.
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