Officer Timothy Matson, who was wounded responding to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in October, guides Almond through the Celebrity Rabbit Hopping Contest at the Butler Farm Show on Tuesday.

CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Although Pittsburgh has not fully healed from the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting last October, it showed a furry display of strength.

“I feel a bit stronger every day with the strong support from the community, family, friends and my teammates,” said Timothy Matson, one of four police officers wounded in the shooting on Oct. 27, 2018. “I just did my job.”

Matson, who has been with the Pittsburgh Police Department for 13 years, was one of several law enforcement officers and veterans in the Celebrity Rabbit Hopping Contest on Tuesday at the Butler Farm Show, 625 Evans City Road.

“It was interesting,” Matson said about his first time rabbit hopping. “It's something you certainly don't get to see in the city often.”

The rabbit hopping contest is modeled after horse show jumping, but on a scale to suit rabbits, said Shannon Brandon, leader of Butler Bunni Bunch, a 4-H club of about 45 members.

4-H members train the rabbits to hop over hurdles on a leash. Next, the trainer shows the officer how to help the rabbit as it moves through the timed hurdle course.

The rabbit with the fastest time and least amount of faults is declared the champion.

This is an excerpt of an article that appeared in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read more about the competition and find out who won.