Building leadership skills, friendships through 4-H

BELMONT — Jennifer Wood of Franklin has been preparing for the 4-H Dog Show at the Belknap County Fair for months. She has competed in dog shows for the past four years, and this year the 16-year-old, who goes by Jenny, adopted two new dogs, a German shepherd named Apollo in January, and a border collie named Percy in December. Jenny has put a lot of time into training her new pets.

“You're training them all year round, basically. And I think a lot of people go to a fair, and they see the cool animals, and they just kind of assume that they're bred that way or something,” Jenny said. “We put a lot of hours into not only caring for them, but training for them, and that goes through all the species.”

4-H, which stands for head, heart, hands and health, is a youth development organization providing hands-on learning experiences for children. The Belknap County 4-H program is part of the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension. At the Belknap County Fair, kids showcase 4-H projects completed over the course of the year to learn things from crafts to horticulture, as well as raising animals to compete in shows. Local animal shows include working steer, ox pulling, horses, goats, poultry, sheep, cows, swine, rabbits and cavies, and of course dogs. Jenny has also competed in horse shows.

Dog shows have two classes, the fit and show, and obedience. Fit and show focuses on showcasing the dog and the breed itself. For obedience, the dog performs exercises to demonstrate their listening and behavior without treats or toys. The trainer also is asked questions in a dog knowledge quiz.

4-H shows use the Danish point system, where competitors start with a perfect score, and points are deducted for any mistakes. Fit and show points are out of 100, and obedience out of 200. Apollo and Percy have participated in several shows across the state already. In a recent show in Epsom on July 12, with the Rolling Bones 4-H Dog Club in Merrimack County, Apollo won first place, with a score of 162 in obedience, and Percy third place, with a score of 153. Percy also competed in fit and show, and with an 88 out of 100, earned eighth place.

“He did very well for a squirmy puppy,” Jenny said about Percy.

Unlike American Kennel Club or Westminster dog shows, where purebred dogs are showcased with high standard qualifications, 4-H dog shows allow mixed breeds and rescues. Apollo and Percy are purebreds, but both rescues. The shows are opportunities for kids to learn, and many use their family pets.

“You'll see a lot of people there that have worked with their dogs for several years, and are in a very high level of obedience,” Jenny said.

It is already a lot of work to train a dog, and Apollo was hit by a car in May, and had to take a break from training for recovery. Now, the only remnant of the injury is a dark scar running up his right rear leg. He is ready to compete on Sunday, during the Belknap County Fair.

“Thankfully, he's really bounced [back] quickly, and he's a very fast learner,” Jenny said. “With any other dog, it would be very hard, because you got to be patient with them.”

The Belknap County Fair is set for this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2-3, starting at 8 a.m. each day, at the fairgrounds, 174 Mile Hill. The dog show is at 9 a.m. on Sunday. For all the details, visit bcfairnh.org.

Beyond the dog show, Jenny has found connection with her 4-H group, the Winnisquam Whinnies in Northfield. It is a group of 10 kids, all of whom are homeschooled. Leader Shay Boyce and her twin daughters are involved, and said this is a good place to make friends. The girls ride horses together, have parties and sleepovers, and go on camping trips.

“It's totally a family in a way. That friend group that you might normally have, they don't have in private school or homeschooling, because you don't have that opportunity,” Boyce said.

Jenny has participated in three 4-H clubs, been a 4-H guiding ambassador for the state, part of the Belknap County Youth Leadership Team, and the state 4-H Communications Team.

Rebecca Boyce, dog show assistant superintendent at the Belknap County Fair, said Jenny has become a local leader. She is worried about the future of the organization, after the Belknap County Delegation cut the UNH Co-op budget by 50% in May, despite efforts by county commissioners to keep the allocation.

“Belknap has been difficult this year with the delegation cutting funds and things like that, and not understanding the importance of this program, and how this program does build true leaders,” Rebecca said.

Lois Wood, Jenny’s mom, is thrilled how much her daughter has grown and matured while in 4-H. She attributes it to her network of mentors.

“They are encouraging her to grow and take that next step.”