 "Photo: Cameron Benedict")
Springtime at Ohio State attracts students and animals to the grassy paradise of the South Oval. Walking past a random wild rabbit on the Oval is nothing exciting; however, it is unusual to see a student walking a 20 pound pet rabbit.
Jessica Parks with her Flemish Giant rabbit, Priscilla, was just one of hundreds of pet owners who attended the Ohio Union Activities Board's "Cookout with Pets" Saturday.
Parks, a junior in psychology, said Priscilla is not any ordinary rabbit.
"I'm big on unique animals," she said. "We don't keep her in a cage, we let her run. She's potty trained, so it's convenient. She uses a litter box."
Pet owners such as Parks are the types of students OUAB wanted to reach through this event. "We try to get pet people to come out because a lot of times maybe they won't come to events because they can't bring their pets," said Ashley Busa, a senior in marketing and research management and OUAB special events chairperson.
Roommates Ben Moss and Yotam Zohar took advantage of the event and brought their cat, Ophelia, on a leash.
Moss, a senior in political science, described Ophelia as a cat of many talents. "She always has good conversations with you and shares her feelings," he said.
Ophelia, on cue, replied with "meow."
Zohar, a senior in art, wanted to share his newest accomplishment with Ophelia. "I'm toilet training her," he said. He outlined the detailed step-by-step process for the training.
"The first step is you take the litter box and put it next to the toilet so they get used to being around the toilet when they go," Zohar said. "Then you elevate it. Eventually, they have to jump on the toilet to use it... (then) you have to suspend a steel mixing bowl inside the toilet so they get used to actually sitting on the toilet seat while they go."
Zohar said finally the bowl is removed and Ophelia will use the toilet just like a human. He described it as a tedious, yet exciting process. "She s--t on the floor yesterday, but today, in the bowl. So we're rewarding her today by taking her out."
The event offered more than large rabbits and potty-trained cats on leashes. In addition to food and pet treats, there were also fast-paced shows put on by the Southern Ohio Flying K9s.
Adrian Custer and Christina Curtis said they have more than five years of experience combined in training disc dogs. Disc dogs perform acrobatic tricks such as, chasing and catching flying discs.
Custer said it was his dog that got him involved in the sport and not the other way around. "It was basic in the beginning, but once I got my dog Six it became more serious," he said. "He's such a talented acrobat in the air. He makes me look good and I've really done well. It's just fun to do; the crowd really appreciates Frisbee dogs."
Entertaining crowds might be the best perk of owning a unique pet according to Zohar.
"You know if you've got some friends over it's like 'you want to see my cat take a s--t on the toilet?' Who's going to say no?" he said.
Brandon Lowe can be reached at lowe.195@osu.edu.
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