Pets Day - Dometic Pet Competition All you Need to Know

At our annual Pets day we celebrate children’s family pets by having a competition where judges come and talk one on one to each entrant and ask a series of questions to find out what knowledge a child has of their own pet and of the species, how much care, attention and interaction the child provides. Marks focus on these areas and not on breeding or pedigree of the pet. 

Entering a pet is entirely optional and while it is great to have pets brought to school there is no pressure or expectation to do so and it is also understood that not all families have pets.

Pets can only be brought to school in the afternoon on pets day so if this doesn’t work logistically for the family then please do not enter. 

The following pets are classified as domestic for judging under the following categories:

●       cats

●       dogs

●       ¼ Acre ie rabbits, guinea pigs,mice etc

●       All birds and adult poultry (not hand reared chicks)

●       ponies and horses

●       adult pigs

●       adult Goats

●       aquatic pets

●       Insects

Other Rules for Entry

●       1 pet entry maximum for a school aged child and it must be either Domestic or Agricultural club ie not one from each

●       If a dog is coming children are not allowed to lead the dog while on school grounds, an adult must ensure the dog is led to the dog area and it must be tethered at all times. Adults are also not allowed to walk their dog around the grounds. If this won’t work for the dog or family then please don’t enter the competition.

●        If it is too wet on the day, the domestic pet section will not proceed and there is no cancellation date

●       The pet entered must be part of the family of the child who enters the competition, i.e. no borrowed pets can be included.

What happens at Pets Day in the afternoon

 Pets are brought in around midday and taken to pre designated areas of the school.

Children with pets stay with their animal until judges have completed their questions.

No parents are allowed to assist their child when speaking to judges and must remain  apart from judges and their child

Children are judged under age categories of junior, intermediate or senior.

At the completion of all judging, when marks are tallied, a formal prize giving takes place.

Awards

Children are recognised for being placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in their age group within the category of pet entered.

Certificates are presented to all entrants

The 3 children overall in the pet category irrespective of age with the highest marks receive ribbons and first place is also presented with a trophy they keep for a year . For categories with greater numbers of entrants there can be age group trophies also.

At the finish of prize giving the school day concludes, which is generally earlier than normal finish time.