The exhibitors for the Junior Fair Dog Show were, from the left, Brooklyn Courtant, Mackenzie Berry, Kristen Thompson, Kathryn Corwin, Brady Sparks and Julia Wagner. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TOM STEPHENS)
BY TOM STEPHENS
Examiner Contributor
After a several-year absence, dogs once again made their way back to the Logan County Junior Fair Wednesday, July 12.
Which is only reasonable, as dogs are as about agricultural as you can get. Canines have been hunting, harvesting, and hoarding right along side us over the many centuries and continue to do so to this day. Farms and dogs go together like rice and beans.
“We love to the bring the dog shows out in public,” Carol Wagner of the OSU Extension Office said following Wednesday’s Dog Show, noting that by bringing the Dog Show back to the fair is expanding the base of kids who can be reached by and benefit from 4-H projects.
“Kids from anywhere – city or country – can take a dog project.”
Wednesday saw six exhibitors – three each from Champaign and Logan Counties – show eight dogs from which Grand and Reserve Champions were crowned from each county in two categories, grooming/handling and obedience.
This is on top of the oral exam.
Exhibitors in the Dog Show are subject to – and graded on – a short oral question-and-response test prior to strutting their stuff around the show ring. Each exhibitor has to answer six questions – from a list of 50 total they were given to study beforehand – questions which the judge picks at random from the list.
And these aren’t inquiries about Disney dogs, either. To wit:
“What does the term “heel-free” mean? What is the first and most important step in stacking a dog? What is bait used for in showmanship class? How many teeth does an adult dog have?” are just several of the 50 challenging questions, and the exhibitors don’t have the luxury of accessing the Internet to find their answers.
As the classes progress – all of the exhibitors were in the junior class – so does the list of questions, topping out at a list of 150 for the seniors. Bone up on your dog trivia.
Wagner said that the encouragement of Dog Shows at the Logan County Fair – indeed all fairs – is a way to reach out to kids who might otherwise not give 4-H a second thought.
Dogs have two distinct advantages when it comes to 4-H projects involving animals: First, they are ubiquitous. If you want a dog in Ohio, you can get a dog. Second, given the vast numbers of different breeds, sizes and temperaments that are available, the right dog can be at home on the back 40, the fenced-in backyard, or perched atop the pillows on your couch 12 to 14 hours a day.
All are quite trainable to 4-H standard by using the correct techniques.
“Not everybody can take big livestock,” Wagner said of encouraging kids to take up dogs as 4-H projects. Potty-training a half-ton steer in your 600-square foot apartment sounds…problematic. Stick with a Pomeranian.
As for the dogs, they took the outing in stride. “Raider,” a black miniature Schnauzer shown by Brooklyn Courant, felt the pressure of his impending trip around the ring not at all, finding nirvana with belly rubs from anyone willing to him give one, myself included. I got a rather sloppy kiss on the mug from “Murphy” the Goldendoodle, shown by Julia Wagner, and was considered with complete indifference by an Australian Shepard named “Diamond,” who was shown by Brady Sparks.
As far as the winners go for Wednesday’s show, Mackenzie Berry won the Logan County Grand Champion for Grooming/Handling, and Kathryn Corwin took home the Reserve Champion for Grooming/Handling.
Mackenzie entered two dogs in the Obedience class and won both the Grand and Reserve Champions with her dogs “Maggie” and “Andy.”
For Champaign County exhibitors, Brady Sparks took home the trophy for the Grand Champion Grooming/Handling, and Julia Wagner was Reserve Champion. The pair switched places in the Obedience class, with Julia taking the Grand Champion hardware and Brady taking the Reserve Champion slot.
Brady Sparks takes “Diamond” through the figure-8 under the watchful eye of judge Bailey Weaver during Tuesday’s 4-H Dog Show. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TOM STEPHENS)
Julia Wagner, “Murphy” the Goldendoodle, front, and “Leo” the Pomeranian beat the heat by hanging out in their tent next to the Activity Barn Tuesday at the Junior Fair Dog Show. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TOM STEPHENS)