Click here for a past post about 4-H.
I’ve been involved with the Ohio dog 4-H program since Blaze was a puppy and I did other 4-H things for many years before that. My current roles are an advisor (maybe with two clubs!) – organizing and assisting with meetings, as a judge at fun shows, county fairs and at state fair, and on a state level committee for dog projects (helping to design a non competitive project and lead events).
Many Ohio 4-H’ers are going on to do other things in dogs too. We’ve had a handful of Ohio 4-H kids attend the AKC’s Junior Invitational for Obedience and Rally (sometimes Showmanship and Agility too) for the past few years, including several placements. A few weeks ago a recently-aged-out 4-H’er finished the Yukon Quest (mushing!).
We’re trying to get things started for this year with local 4-H club meetings and planning the state level events for the year. Each year we make a few changes – sometimes big and sometimes small – to try and improve the program, opportunities, and experiences.
The Ohio Channel video tapes the whole agility event at the state fair and it’s aired on a (not common) channel and online. I’ve had some of my clients tell me they watched it and were inspired!
If you know any Ohio youth looking to get involved, contact your county extension office (google search ” [county name] county extension office, 4-H” and you will get contact info.