When most people think of 4-H, they think of farm kids with cows, horses and chickens, or maybe growing vegetables. If you live in a more urban setting, you may think your child can’t participate in a Skagit County 4-H project, especially an animal one – but think again! 4-H projects and clubs focus on almost anything. From robotics and sewing to gardening and all kinds of animals, including dogs! Patrick Swan will be at the 2024 Skagit County Fair, showing his dog Maggie.
Dog 4-H in Skagit County
“Because I had a dog, but she was just a family pet, 4-H was an option, so I decided to do that,” shares Patrick. “I saw a friend showing goats, and I thought it would be fun, but we have dogs, not goats. We went to the fair and visited with the clubs in the dog barn, my mom couldn’t get me away from talking to them.” Patrick’s partner is Maggie, a 4-year-old black labrador retriever.
Patrick, who is 10 and going into the fifth grade in the fall, is a member of the Four on the Floor 4-H Club in Skagit. The group is a canine 4-H club. Any kind of dog can be in 4-H, it doesn’t have to be purebred. The group learns about dog husbandry, does community service projects, including raising money for local animal charities, and trains their dogs together.
“4-H has taught me how to be a better person and dog owner,” shares Patrick. “I am really glad I joined 4-H because I wouldn’t have met my friends that I have in my club or been able to do all these fun things with my dog.”
Getting Ready for the Skagit County Fair
Being in 4-H helps kids learn responsibility, life skills and meet friends with common interests. Did your child promise to care for a dog if you got one? Being in a 4-H group can help them keep their commitment, and be excited about it. Patrick trains Maggie four to five days a week. “I play with her every day,” he adds. “I practice with another club member at the barn. We work on healing, showmanship, obedience exercises, and just having fun.” The barn is where they have 4-H meetings.
Patrick not only trains at home, but takes several classes with different instructors, including weekly rally obedience with Lisa Ford – a local dog trainer and 4-H parent. He practices agility with other 4-H dog members with instructors Shirley Stiles and Bonita Elfstrom. “Miss Shirley and Miss Bonita used to have their own dog 4-H club in Mount Vernon, and now they help everyone in the county,” Patrick adds. “I’ve also taken other training lessons to work on different skills, and sometimes I visit Miss Bonita just because and she tells me stories about when she trained her dogs and had her 4-H club and gives me advice.”
All their practicing will help ensure they are ready for the Skagit County Fair. Patrick is entering record book, judging, costume contest, dog bowl, knowledge test, obedience, showmanship, agility, rally, posters and public presentation. And of course, will help his club with herdsmanship – clubs are judged on how clean they keep their area of the exhibits, including animal husbandry and how they interact with the public.
Both Maggie and Patrick love agility. “My favorite is agility because in agility you get to run and it’s fun, and it’s a good thing to help you bond with your dog,” he shares. “Agility is still a county contest, but it’s not actually at the fair because there’s not room, so we have our agility trial before the fair. I also really like rally and obedience. I’m doing beginner novice obedience this year and we earned our first blue ribbon at the first fun match in June.”
Maggie also likes to swim Patrick adds, along with doing anything with him. “Her favorite thing to do is to learn new things and eat treats,” he says.
While the County Fair means long hours and hard work, Patrick is looking forward to it. “I love being there with my dog and with my friends,” he shares. “It’s fun to watch my friends do their classes. I like showing my dog and everything we’ve learned during the year. I also like getting to explore the fair and see my friends from other projects and other clubs.” He notes that obedience is probably the most challenging competition because you can’t talk to your dog and it’s easy for the dogs to get distracted at the Fair. “Dogs are dogs and they’re going to have good days and hard days just like us,” he adds.
Head to the Skagit County Fair and look for Patrick and Maggie in the Dog Barn! To learn more about 4-H, visit the WSU Extension website.
