One year ago this month, Jennifer Hipsley brought seven of her best mice to the East Coast Mouse Association's first mouse show in Lynchburg, Va. Her mice had an array of colorful coats, including splashes of chocolate, or black with striped patches. Some were sleek and glossy, one completely hairless. She even brought a baby mouse to enter into the show's "kitten" class, with large ears and white and chocolate-splashed fur. Nearly 100 mice were picked up, petted, and examined as part of the judging process that day. By the end of it, Hipsley walked away with five awards, including a best in show for her chocolate-colored baby mouse. She's one of a select group of mouse fanciers, people who recreationally breed mice for certain traits-an unusual hobby, yes, but one that gave birth to science's first line of inbred mice.
Mouse fanciers have been around for more than 300 ...
