'Must be alive': The strange rule spotted in guidelines for Queensland fair
A child who entered his unconventional “pet” in a fair’s pet parade has forced organisers to make a bizarre addition to the rule book.
The quirky rule appears in the event guide for the “very famous” Children Show Pet Parade at the annual Redcliffe Show Society in Queensland’s Moreton Bay Region.
It lists standard rules stating children must be aged 14 or under to enter – but there is one rule that has become the crux of many jokes after being shared online.
“Pets must be alive and not human,” it says.
Facebook users have since speculated over reasons the rule had to be introduced, one admitting they would “love to know what happened at a previous show”.
“I'm picturing a kid dragging a dead guinea pig on a leash,” someone else suggested.
Another person thought the cause was perhaps a “dead fish or maybe a stuffed toy”.
“I'm guessing an older sibling took a younger one,” a Facebook user added.
The true reason for the odd addition was revealed by Vice President of the Redcliffe Show Society, Carmel McGowan.
She said about eight years ago, a young boy had entered his pet rock in the parade.
“He brought it in and we still gave him a prize, but the competition is more for the traditional pets,” Ms McGowan told Yahoo News Australia.
“We still gave him a prize, but we had to change the rules a bit.”
She said ordinarily the show mostly received entries from children with guinea pigs, dogs, cats and fish.
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