Dog Project Opportunities

If you have 4-H members who didn’t certify a dog project, there are still a couple of ways they can participate in the Texas 4-H Dog Show.  The Photography Contest and the Foster/Family Dog Program.  There is also an avenue for dog project leaders to register to help and to order t-shirts.  Registration is through 4-H CONNECT.  They will go to the Register a Member box at the bottom of the family 4-H CONNECT profile.  Once they select a member, find 2014 Auxiliary Entries for Texas Dog Show in the event box.

The 2014 Auxiliary Entries for Texas Dog Show registration is open on 4-H CONNECT.  The Texas 4-H Dog Show will be held at the Bell County Expo in Belton, Texas on July 11-13, 2014. The deadline for registration is May 9, 2014. From May 10^th -16^th , late registration will be open for a $50 late fee.  Encourage them not to wait until the last minute. It will be difficult for you to help them if they run into problems. Registration will be a little different this year.   They may want to print the attached worksheet and work with their project leader or as a family and determine on paper which classes to enter. This will save time at the computer and hopefully save corrections down the line.

The rules are available at http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/dogshow

Since the Foster/Family Dog Competition is new, the rules are included in this e-mail.  In addition to fostering a dog, if someone has recently adopted a dog or discovered 4-H this is an opportunity to get some show experience.

New: Foster/Family Dog Competition Rules

Dogs with home environment experience that are well mannered are more adoptable. Some families may not be able to make a long term commitment to dog ownership. In an effort to promote and encourage 4-H members to participate in this service learning project, the Foster/Family Dog program was developed. Patterned after other states programs, it offers the opportunity to showcase some of the community service projects 4-H members have been doing allowing more members to participate.

1.  Subject to the Texas 4-H Dog Show Rules EXCEPT ownership/certification guidelines.

2.  Handler and dog team is only eligible for the Foster/Family Dog program for one year. A dog that has been previously certified is not eligible for the Foster/Family Dog program.

3.  Classes open to Foster/Family Dog include score sheet classes Costume, Tricks, Obedience, Rally and Canine Good Citizenship.

4.  Foster/Family dogs will be awarded on the Danish System of Blue, Red and White ribbons.

5.  An exhibitor that has previously shown at the Texas 4-H Dog Show may participate in the Foster/Family Dog Competition with a foster dog. However, they must show in Obedience and Rally classes befitting the dog/ handler team’s experience. No lower than Obedience Pre-Novice B or Rally Novice B.

For details of Costume, Tricks, Obedience and Rally, refer to those events in this rulebook.