Beneath the continuously spinning Ferris wheel and the friendly wave of Big Tex, a chorus of barks and baahs echo through the crowd. A State Fair favorite for all, the animal attractions have grown to include both domestic and exotic beasts.
Joe Hedrick and company haul their brood down from Kansas every year to participate in the Children's Medical Center Barnyard petting zoo. Visitors have the opportunity to feed anything from baby goats to a towering giraffe.
For animals more seasoned in showbiz, check out the high-flying, disc-fetching, dancing domestics in Jump! The Ultimate Dog Show or The Wild West Pet Palooza.
We caught up with some of the animals and trainers to get their take on what it's really like to be the secret stars of the biggest fair in the country.
Be sure to stop in at these daily attractions and say hello while you wander through Fair Park. You'd better hurry, though. The fair ends on Sunday.
Photos by Caitlyn Jones, GuideLive contributor. Captions by Caitlyn Jones with an assist from Brentney Hamilton.
"Another weather joke? Wow, real original." -- Azees the Giraffe
"Don't mean to horn in, but do you have food?" -- Walter the Watusi
"Who you callin' bird brain?" -- The creatively named Ostrich No. 62
"Nubs got hit by a car and lost his leg. He saw all the other dogs running and catching Frisbees so he taught himself how to run and catch Frisbees. Now, he's the happiest dog you've ever seen." - Lou Mack, animal trainer for Jump! The Ultimate Dog Show
"I know it was you, Fredo." --Mike the Porcupine
"Bro, this is our fifth food coma today and it's not even noon. We need to slow down." --Sleepy cattle
"Don't do dance steps. Feel the music." -- Shrek the Ogre Dog
"I'm quite sure I don't know what you're talking about. I did not try to eat your camera strap." --Guilty camel
"Training cats isn't any different than training dogs. You just have to find the right personality and the right tools to motivate them, whether it be a ball, a treat or something else. The more tools you have, the better they'll train." -- Crystalle Arvin, animal trainer who works with Stiletto the Cat
"And you thought having two horns was a rough time?Please. #FourHornProblems"-- Four-horned sheep
"We try to train the animals to do what they already like to do naturally. Penny liked to trip up people's feet so we taught her how to do the leg weave." -- Amit Gorlicki, animal trainer for the Wild West Pet Palooza
"I'll get there when I get there, George! Don't rush me." -- Delilah the Tortoise
"Mom, stop! You're embarrassing me in front of all my friends!" -- Two-week-old donkey
"There are so many goats so we don't name them all. But sometimes they'll do something worthy of a name, like this one. He's 'Goat Who Gets His Head Stuck In Things.' " -- Anna, animal caregiver for Hedrick's Exotic Animal Farm
"Do you ... (whispers quietly) Do you think she sees me?" -- Mama Llama
"Does that margarita have ... bacon?" -- Casey, who plays the Boyfriend Dog in the Wild West Pet Palooza
"Some of these animals don't even realize that they're animals. They think they're humans." -- Anna, animal caregiver for Hedrick's Exotic Animal Farm
"She's back there staring at me again, isn't she?" --Prince Harry the Kangaroo
"Oooooh, I want the time of my life... (Let's get it now)." -- Freedom the pitbull mix
"The fair ends in how many days?! Does that mean all the people with the food will be gone?" -- Surprised pig, mother of 11 piglets
